This fall, challenge yourself with some new ideas for your dance! In this intimate class, we’ll be exploring the following topics, doing projects, bringing in music, working outside of classes etc. I will ask you to do homework, and prepare a piece of your own; improvisational or choreography, that will help you to determine your own personal style. This class will also work towards creating a group piece, costuming it, and performing it at a holiday show.

You’ll need zils (and muffles), journals/notebooks, and a few additional items (to be discussed)

Our next optional scheduled field trip to Boston for the Sunday night open mic night at the Middle East Restaurant in Cambridge is Sunday December 7th. We’ll leave Portland around 3 pm, plan on dinner and a bit of exploration of the Harvard Square area, then dessert and fun at the Middle East. This will be a late night (back in Portland at 2 am!), so plan ahead for the following Monday morning (take it off!). Weather permitting.

Mondays 7:15 - 8:30 pm, World Arts Coop Studio 65 West Commercial st. (map) Zils (and muffles) required

11/3 - 12/15 (7 weeks) $84 or $15 drop in - space permitting - please call 415 7204

To register, please scroll to the bottom of the page.

Topics;

1) Zilling and dancing together (yes at the same time) - How to make your fingers beat to the rhythm of your dance. Finding silences, accentuating the music, different zil techniques so as not to overpower the room.

2) Drum Solos - How to dance on a 1′ x 1′ tile, and blow them away, interaction with a drummer, interpretation of rhythms with small but tight precise movements.

3) Floor work - How to get down and back up again, make it look sacred, what to do while you are down there without looking weird. The secret is core strength.

4) Balancing Acts - You can put items (swords, trays, canes, candelabras - not supplied) on body parts and dance. The secret is posture.

5) 5/8, 7/8, 9/8 and 10/8s - be comfortable with non-square rhythms, be able to identify them easily and dance to them equally easily.

6) Weak side work- we all have a strong side and a weak side. Equalizing strength, flexibility, coordination and balance will even out your dance so you don’t always have to dance with the right side to the audience.

7) Exits and Entrances, how to meet and greet without giving too much away, and leave them wanting more.

8 Discover your dance personality with various exercises, and you’ll be choosing your dance name too!

9) Rhythms- An advanced dancer needs to be able to identify and play beledi, saiidi, chiftitelli, malfuf, maqsum, karsilama, ayuub, laz, samai. You’ll receive a cd of 25 rhythms and will learn at least these 9. this is where the homework part comes in.

10) Arabic walk and 3/4 shimmy, (syncopated and non syncopated) should be in your repertoire. We’ll review these and play with how to move around with them.

11) Partner work; mirroring, call and response, and duet choreography. Dancing with a sister can be an incredible experience. We’ll spend an hour getting to know another dancer really well.

12) Layering shimmies. How to relax into a shimmy so that other muscles can do other really cool things like hip circles and drops, upper body work and locomotion.

The above topics may take more than one class to cover. In 15 weeks, we’ll be able to get to everything, hopefully with space for requests. ***Each class will include a warm up, zill drill, cool down, and stretch***

To register for the second Series (11/3-12/15) ($84), you can use snail mail or paypal.

1) please send an $84 check to;

Emma Holder

222 St. John St., Suite 204

Portland ME 04102

2) use paypal (be aware that paypal assesses a fee reflected in the slightly higher price of $87)