The circus, Columbia Alternacirque, is gearing up to put on a reprise of our summer production, A Midsummer Night’s Cirque, on July 23rd… and on the morning of the 24th, Natalie Brown and I head to Atlanta, Georgia, to teach the first running of our joint intensive, The Devil in the Details. On Saturday we are teaching two low-key workshops: Mine, a workshop on hair and makeup for dark fusion dance, and Natalie’s a workshop on flattering and appropriate costuming for fusion performance.  Then, we get all dolled up and perform along side some of the Southeast’s best belly dancers.  Then, on Sunday, we teach our pairing of my “Pops, Locks, and Tick Tocks” and Natalie’s “Elegant Extension and Poses.”  To register for this weekend of dancing, head on over to Beledi Boutique.

Weekly classes are ongoing:  Wednesday nights I’m teaching Suhaila Salimpour format bellydance at the Old Mill in Lexington, and on Thursdays I’m teaching my mash-up of old and new belly dance at Gyrotonic Vista in downtown Columbia.  More information on my classes page.

And during the days, working on new solos, preparing for the Level 3 weeklong workshop in Berkeley, California, with Suhaila, and trying to keep cool in the summer heat…

June 7th: Bloomington, Indiana. Workshops with Asharah and Tempest, followed by Motif ritual gathering.  Register at Dark Drummer Productions.

June 9th: Cincinnati, Ohio. Workshops with Asharah, Tempest, and Tim Rayborn; followed by a Medieval hafla.  Register at Zahara’s Tangled Web.

June 10th: Ann Arbor, Michigan.  Workshops with Asharah and Tempest.  Register at Unveiled’s website.

June 14th: Woodstock, New York. Workshops with Asharah and Tempest, followed by an evening show featuring Asharah, Tempest, Tim Rayborn, Willow, Shivati, and other performers.  Register at Willow’s website.

June 15th: Boston, Massachusetts. Workshops with Asharah and Tempest.  Register at Badriya’s website.

The Cymbalist Movement: Integrating Finger Cymbals into Your Dance

2:00 pm – 5:00 pm
$65 Online Registration | $75 At Door

Finger cymbals are an integral part of American Tribal Style bellydance, and can be a lovely accompaniment to a solo performance. However, many dancers often feel daunted by cymbal playing and have been using them less and less… Finger cymbals aren’t scary, and this workshop will help you approach cymbals as an instrument and as a way to enhance your performance. With the right exercises, anyone can play cymbals and dance! Asharah will lead you through an intense warm up, teach drills that layer movements and cymbal playing, introduce common cymbal patterns found in Middle Eastern music, and teach a short dance combination focusing on the playing of your cymbals with the music and your movements.

Register now!

Schedule:

9:30am: Registration
10am-noon: Pops Locks Ticks and Tocks
1-3: Danse Mècanique

8pm: Solstice Hafla. Free admission with workshop attendance!

Full Day: $70 before May 15, $80 after, $90 at the door
Individual Classes: $45 each

Register now!

I’m honored to be teaching along side some of my biggest inpirations and dearest friends in the belly dance community. Seriously… this event is going to kick some major gluteus max!

This year’s line-up includes: Myself (Asharah), Mira Betz (CA), Elizabeth Strong (CA), Natalie Brown (SC), Romka (DC), Shakra (DC), Sooz Hall (CA), Dave Hall (CA), Rose Harden (CA), and Urban Gypsy (TX).

Check it all out on the Tribal Alchemy website.  Hope to see you there!

Check it out now at Gothla UK

I’m honored to be part of the “Gothfia” this year, helping to plan Gothla US with my partners in crime, Tempest, Sashi, and Anaar.  Not only am I helping to organize the event, but I’m also teaching a workshop and performing in the star-studded gala show.  Fellow instructors include the my fellow Gothfia members as well as Shakra (DC), Callisto (Sweden), Marjhani (CA), and Lee Ali (CA).  If you are at all interested in the global phenomenon that is gothic bellydance, this is an event that you don’t want to miss.

Last year’s theme was “The Conjuring”… bringing into existence a full-size Gothic event for the bellydance community – we put all of the ingredients together, made a lot of sacrifices, spilled some blood, and did a lot of mumbling and invoking – and BEHOLD! We did it! Magic!

This year, our theme is “The Divining” – to practice divination means to look into the future and try to ascertain answers that will aid one’s journey. So with the second year of Gothla US, we’re getting a taste of the future of Gothic Bellydance…

This year’s Gothla will take place at the Cal Poly Pomona “Bronco Student Center”, in Pomona California, March 6-9.  For more information, visit the Gothla website.

April 11:

I’ll be bringing out Tempest to Arlington, Virginia, to teach two workshops on finding your inner voice and developing a strong stage presence.  Tempest is a master at creating powerful and dramatic dance performances, drawing on archetypes, mythology, and ritual.  These workshops will delve deep into your unconscious to bring out your shadow and make you a more instinctual and honest performer.  Both workshops will be held at my home studio, Saffron Dance.

Workshops will be followed by a ritual dance dedication by Tempest celebrating friend, dancer, and artist Kaihea at the Palace of Wonders.

Workshop descriptions and registration are up at MeaHuna Productions’ website.

April 19th:

Workshop with me at Saffron Dance!

Our focus for this workshop is… finger cymbals.  Elusive and often difficult dance partners, finger cymbals, also known as zills or sagat, are an integral part of any belly dancer’s repetoire.  This workshop will give you tools and drills to easily integrate finger cymbals into your practice and performance.

This workshop, while geared towards dancers of the tribal persuasion, is appropriate for dancers of any style or experience level.

Registration coming soon to the Saffron Dance website… and stay tuned to my website for further announcements!

• March 28-29 :: Boston, Massachusetts
• April 11-12 :: New Orleans, Louisiana
• May 22-15 :: Folk Tours USA, Pennsylvania

Some of these events might be rescheduled, and I’ll announce new dates as they are confirmed.

And remember that my workshop schedule is always available on my webpage.  Thanks for your support!

There is still room in my other workshop at Tribal Fest 9, Progressive Raqs, Wednesday May 13th, from 10:15am – 12:15pm.  We’ll be geeking out over technique, musicality, and artistic integrity.  Check it out.

In this workshop, Asharah will teach some of her signature technical movements while emphasizing grace, fluidity, power, and presence. A self-described geek, she’ll explain the muscles and physiology behind each movement and how each movement can fit in to the larger picture of your dance. She’ll also talk about her sense of artistic and creative integrity, giving you advice and tips for pursuing your own uncompromising path as an artist and dancer. Asharah likes to push herself and her students physically and mentally, so come prepared with water and an open mind.*

*Progressive Raqs, a pun on the term Progressive Rock, a music genre that emerged in the early 1970s with bands like Yes, Genesis, and King Crimson taking their experimental cues from the later music of the Beatles. These musicians and bands aimed to lift their music to a higher artistic level, blending classical instrumentation, science fiction and fantasy themes, and virtuoso technicality. Prog rock, as it is often called, has influenced Asharah tremendously as an artist and dancer, as she herself tries to blend her intellectual side with her artistic side through bellydance. She continually strives to challenge herself technically and emotionally in her dance, and, like many prog rock musicians, eschews convention for the sake of her own artistic expression. For more information about this much maligned and often misunderstood music genre, visit: wikipedia.org/wiki/Progressive_rock

Hope to see some of you there!