Arms and Attitude
This can be an hour seminar, or a whole day of workshops from intro level to professional, with any of the following elements:
- Explore how using your arms and upper body can add a
lyrical and/or emotional quality to your dance.
- Learn to identify dance styles, and pair arm movements that work with your costume and music
choices.
- Take step combos and make them Turkish or
Egyptian or Cabaret just by changing arms and posture.
- How to turn 3 steps into a 3 minute dance.
- Beginners will
learn to use their whole body for a complete, graceful look.
- Advanced dancers
will come away with new ideas for embelishing solo performances and troupe
choreographies.
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| PiperMethodTM Classic Egyptian, Lebanese, and Anatolian Arms |
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| PiperMethodTM Arms for Pizzaz, Style, and Variety |
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Modern, Pharaonic, and Classic Arm Moves coming soon!
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Belly/Jazz
Piper's Stray Cat Strut choreography is so much fun, you'll forget you're learning technique, and the moves go with the lyrics, so it's easy to remember. Beginners will enjoy the steps and jestures, while advanced dancers can add in the hipwork techniques.
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| Cane Dancing
Piper's Cane Workshop offers a blend of Classic Saidi and Cabaret styles of Belly Dance. It can be done as a 2 hour workshop that includes basic cane instruction plus hipwork and postural technique with steps, or as a 1 hour seminar for dancers who already have some cane experience.
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Classic Cabaret Style Belly Dance
Also called Vintage Oriental, this is the original fusion belly dance, expressive and dynamic!
Workshops on this topic can include technique, steps, combos, and/or complete choreographies, listed below in order of difficulty:
- Habibi Ya Aini - this fun choreography can be an hour workshop for advanced dancers or a whole day with technique, steps, and combos for beginners, culminating in an evening performance of the dance by all participants
- Nagoua's Dance - this choreography is a smooth blend of Classic and Contemporary Cabaret with North African folk style steps; packed with useful combos, the workshop can be a 1 hour taste of interpreting classic Egyptian orchestral compostions, or 3 hours of technique, steps, combos, and choreography
- Fatamorgana - this can be a one hour workshop for all levels with just the beginning of the choreography, focusing on "Telling a Story with Dance," or a full day of hipwork, bodywork, and floorwork technique for intermediate to advanced dancers
- "in the music" - this advanced drum solo choreography has lots of complex hipwork, but beginners still have lots of fun with the postures, poses, looks, and arm positions
- Aziza - this 5 minute Classic Cabaret choreography includes taqsim and drum solo portions which can stand alone or come together with technique for a whole day of dance
- Erev Shel Shoshanim - this lyrical veil choreography workshop is usually three hours; one for taqsim technique, one for veilwork and tucks, one for the choreography
- UpperBodyWork for Emotional Impact - this advanced technique workshop will add lyrical and emotional qualities to your dance with chest and torso movements
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Turkish Style Belly Dance
Inspired as a child by Rhea's spirited Karsilama, and later by Artemis's delightful Turkish Romany dancing, Piper's Rampi choreography is lively and fun. This intermediate level workshop includes hipwork and postural technique, plus fluorishes for the advanced dancer. Be prepared to sweat!
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Folkloric Style Belly Dance
This swingy, peppy, and entertaining style of belly dance is a blend of North African and Middle Eastern folkdance styles. Its fun to do and fun to watch!
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| Piper's Tambourine Dance |
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| click for Piper's dance notes on Rhea's Sibek Choreography |
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Raks Kahti
see below!
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Gypsy/Tribal fusion with Cymbals
and/or Rhea's Raks
Kahti Choreography
Jamila Salimpour’s folkloric style belly dance technique was
the foundation from which American Tribal Style began. Rhea built on this same
foundation, adding her signature Gypsy kicks and flourishes to Raks Kahti, choreographed in 1972. Piper
and Melina took it a step further with
complimentary cymbal patterns and dynamic staging for solos, duets, or
troupes. This workshop can be a one hour sample of combos with or
without cymbals, or a full day seminar culminating in participants
performing the whole dance.
Example
1st segment: Technique and Steps for Daughters of Rhea signature
Gypsy fusion style
2nd segment: Combos with or without Cymbals
3rd segment: Rhea's Raks Kahti Choreography
Depending on the length of workshop, level of participants, and the belly dance style requested (Raks Kati can be done in a Folkloric, Classic Cabaret, or Gypsy/Fusion style, at tempos from moderate to lightening fast - the arms and body work change, not the steps), the following music may be used:
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| Photo: Algerina Perna of the Baltimore Sun |
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| Click for choreography notes handout on Raks Kahti |
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