Firstly, Dancing with the Red Goddess is on for April. I've been working a lot on my original ideas, taking on comments from a variety of people (thanks for that people!) and thinking about how to make this course accessible, special and unique. What it is turning into is something that I think a variety of people can take something away from, whether they are a dancer who wants to put more depth into their on-stage storytelling, or an individual who is dealing with the plot twists in their personal story, through the creative outlet and social support that a group such as this will provide. Loads of details are on my website, as are booking options. Book early for discounts!
In keeping with the topic, I have booked the Goddess Hall in Glastonbury for this, and all my 6 week courses this year. It's a great venue that I use every Monday morning for my dance and perinatal yoga classes, it's central and easy to find.
In the style of Murphy himself, I found in the New Year, immediately after I had stopped running my weekly Thursday night class, I had a lot of inquiries from people who were brand new to dance, and wanted to take a beginners' class. So I am also going to be running a Fundamentals class alongside each of the short courses I am teaching this year. These classes aren't just for beginners. They are for anyone who wants to go over their core technique, drill for strength and consistency or just add in a bit of extra dance on top of the other courses. There are hefty discounts for those who wish to take Fundamentals along with the accompanying course, and I recommend that those less confident with their dance technique do so.
July is going to be a great month. First the awesome Michelle Manx is going to be coming over from the US. She's here to teach at Gothla UK, but en route she is going to be stopping off in Glastonbury on the 20th of July and teaching a 2 hour workshop on "Pin Up Bellydance", her own distinctive fusion style. Book now, it's going to be a blast.
Also in July is part 1 of my Summer School block. Last year people were really positive about the run of mini-workshops I ran over the summer. This year I am making them a bit bigger. The first 3 will be all about veils. Veil entrances, fancy veil moves, double veils, fan veils. All the waving fabric about a bellydancer could ever need!
Then we have a week off and come back in August for part 2. Anything could happen then, I have designated it as 4 1/2 hours of "odd props". There will be a session on balance (for those interested in sword or tray dancing) and we will also look at fans, palm candles and my old favourite, poi (and variants thereof).
Finally, we will be back in October for the spooky stuff with a Dark Fusion course. This is for new or experienced dancers who are interested in exploring the fabulously eclectic world of Gothic Bellydance. This is an incredibly creative and inclusive style, so I expect this course to really bring out some great stuff in different dancers. The focus will be in finding your own uniqueness, and bringing that into performance (whether you wish to perform in front of others or not). As Dark Fusion tends to have a strong Tribal Fusion influence, the Fundamentals course for this season will be primarily Tribal fusion core movements, rather than Egyptian.
So that's the year ready to roll, I hope you will be able to join us for some of it.
Don't forget I am still at the Goddess Hall for Concepts and Context, every Monday at 11.30am.
