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Shari currently teaches Beginner and Intermediate Belly Dance classes for the City of Richmond Department of Parks, Recreation & Community Facilities at Humphrey Calder Community Center, 414 N. Thompson Street, (804) 646-1780. 
 
During her hour-long classes, she puts special emphasis on personal expression, responding to and interpreting music through dance, safety and technique, live performance skills, and how to choreograph and improvise effectively. Above all else, Shari emphasizes developing strong self-confidence, establishing class comraderie and having fun. Her personal energy, powerful enthusiasm and love of teaching are as legendary as they are infectious, so Shari has many repeat students each new session. Move quickly and sign up before all available slots fill up!

4-Week Intermediate INTENSIVE

(Prior Belly Dance training is MANDATORY)

 

Join us for a class that's half Boot Camp, half Dance Class!

 

The Belly Dance Boot Camp sampler will include drills and exercises for intense muscle building and strengthening as well as developing our ability to isolate and articulate movement:

  • Condition your glutes, hips, thighs, and calves to gain balance and muscular control for sharp hip articulation and fluid, “gooey” movement
  • Develop and learn to isolate your “lower” and “upper abs” and obliques to create crisp, tight, sharp movement and rolling undulations
  • Focus on head, shoulder, chest, belly, and hip isolations and drills
  • Refine core belly dance moves such as shimmies, figure 8’s, undulations, and circles

The “dance training” portion will vary with each class based on student interest and demand. Possible areas of focus include:

  • Improvisation technique
  • Drum solo technique, new drum rhythms, and improvising to drum solos
  • Turkish Rom-style accents to 9/8 rhythms
  • Layering movement, learning new moves, and creating smooth transitions
  • Performance technique: creating a dance “persona,” interpreting the mood of your music, and creating narrative through your dance
  • Cute combos to take and use

 September 9, 16, 23 & 30, 2008

Tuesday evenings, 6:30 to 8:00

$35 for the Session

Beginner or Advanced Beginner Belly Dance – Adult

Discover the joy and magic of belly dance! Learn the basic moves that make up this captivating dance while improving fitness and having fun! You will discover the basic isoloations, technique, and posture, as well as learn traveling steps and an introduction to finger cymbals (zils) and/or veils. Build confidence and charisma while discovering how to move naturally to belly dance rhythms and music.

Next session is scheduled to start in October, 2008 and will be EITHER Beginner or Advanced Beginner, depending on demand

Tuesday evenings, 7:30 to 8:30pm.

Intermediate Belly Dance – Adult
Build on your technique, learn more complex moves, explore performance and choreography techniques, enhance your veil, drum solo, and/or zil techniques, and discover how to accent and work with Middle Eastern rhythms!
(Introductory belly dance training is a prerequisite for this session.)
 Next session starts in October, 2008

Tuesday evenings, 6:15 to 7:30pm.

It takes longer than 6 weeks to learn the fundamentals of belly dance, so each 6-week session will teach and build on technique and include an introduction to finger cymbals and/or veils as well as performance and choreography techniques.

 

 

Women of all ages, sizes, and fitness levels are welcome.

Come to class in comfortable exercise clothing and bring a scarf to tie around your hips.

To register, call Humphrey Calder  

at (804) 646-1780.

 

If you have any questions at all, please feel free to contact the instructor:

Shari Bennett Speer

shari_bennett_speer@verizon.net