Luna of Cairo Belly Dance Workshops

Sun 19 May, 10 am-1 pm. Gainesville Retreat Center, 1551 SE 51 Street, Gainesville, 32641. Leela Corman, 718-687-7433. Belly Dance with Leela - [facebook][email][events]

CAIRO RETREAT--FLORIDA STYLE
Gainesville, Florida welcomes LUNA OF CAIRO in another retreat style workshop and fundraising event!!! Workshops and available lodging will be at the Gainesville Retreat Center—a gorgeous 108-acre Wildlife Refuge.

SCHEDULE AND TOPICS

SATURDAY MAY 18TH 10:00-12:30
Egyptian Entrance Choreography Workshop 1

In this workshop, you will learn how to understand the instrumentation of an entrance piece, i.e. what it's "saying." As she breaks down her choreography, Luna will walk you through her thought process, explaining how she hears the music, how and why she chooses steps and transitions, how she structures her performances, and breaking down technique. Luna is a firm believer in the benefits of using choreography to teach musicality, NOT merely as a memory or copying exercise. And you'll go home with a brand new choreography to perform, if you so choose.

SATURDAY MAY 18TH 1:00-3:30
Egyptian Entrance Choreography Workshop 2
In this workshop, Luna will be continuing the same choreography that we started in workshop 1. You don't want to miss either of these classes!

SUNDAY MAY 19th, 10:00-12:00

Modern Shaabi Choreography

Luna will teach a fun and energetic choreography to one of Cairo’s most popular shaabi songs. Shaabi is still emerging as a style of Egyptian dance, and Luna will explain the significance of all gestures. She will also provide a transliteration and translation of the lyrics.

***BONUS***
SUNDAY MAY 19th, 12:00-12:30
Question and Answer Session with Luna!!!

Egyptian Technique and Combinations
Luna will teach some typical Egyptian-styled movements, as well as some of her signature ones that she invented over the course of her dance career in Cairo. She will explain how they differ in emphasis, genesis, and meaning to American-flavored movements, as well as demonstrate how to string them together into unique and intelligent combinations. Luna will also break down the movements into "families" according to their qualities and explain how to use that categorization to develop your own unique technique.

Um Kulthoum Choreography
In this workshop, you will learn how to interpret a well known Um Kulthoum song. Emphasis will be on the relationship between lyrics and tarab, and on how to express the song without over-dancing.

Classic Shaabi
Shaabi is a dance form originating from the lower class neighborhoods of Cairo that has become extremely popular in the workshop circuit. But did you know that it's at least as old as some of the classics we're used to dancing to? In this workshop, Luna will choose a more classical piece of shaabi music and explore the relationship between the lyrics, the instrumentation, and tarab. She will demonstrate how to adjust posture, gestures, and expression to capture the feeling of this genre of shaabi music.