Ya Salaam! Belly Dance, Live Arabic Music, just the kind of show you are in the mood for!

www.bellydancebaltimore.com

Ya Salaam!
Belly Dance Performance
featuring both Student
and Professional Performers

Special Arabic Musical Guests:
Sahara Band led by DjKimo
Violin, Oud, Tabla, Riq, Ney

Saturday, November 7, 2009 6pm

@ Baltimore Museum of Art Auditorium
10 Art Museum Drive
Baltimore, MD 21218

Tickets for Ya Salaam! $12 in advance
$15 at the door
or 5 for $50
tickets available at www.bellydancebaltimore.com
or through Shems 202-320-8749

special guest dancers include

Asharah
Latifa and Banat al-Beled
Naimah
Nina Amaya and Belly Dance Delight

also featuring

Tydirah
Amira
Ouranitsa
Murjanah
Lorelei
Viveca
Bashusha
Mariza
Anisa
Gilda
Ghadir
Group Nojoom
Group Qamar

and
Shems


Photography at Ya Salaam! by Stereo Vision
Videography by JR Imaging

For more information contact Shems
shemsdance@gmail.com | 202-320-8749
www.shemsdance.com
www.bellydancebaltimore.com

Belly Dance Classes with Shems - Fall 2009

Weekly Belly Dance Classes in Baltimore, MD
www.shemsdance.com

To let me know you are coming to class or if you have any questions please contact Shems at shemsdance@gmail.com

Next regular session start date is Tues Sept 8 & Thurs Sept 10, 2009.

Nojoom at Ya Habibi! March 2009
Nojoom at Ya Habibi! March 2009 - photo by Dev Inspire studios

NEW THIS SESSION (Sept 8 - Oct 15, 2009)

* Show Preperation - We will begin learning group choreographies in Belly Dance Basics and Belly Dance Essentials for a class performance. The show date is tentatively set for Saturday November 7, 2009. I'm still confirming details with the theater. This will actually be in the middle of the session following this one, so if you are seriously interested in performing, I'm going to request a 2 session commitment. You can still pay per session as usual. Our post performance time in the next session will be a good opportunity to do some fun non-choreographed material and for the advanced students, a chance to get performance feedback.

* Fifi Abdo - the famous Egyptian dancer will be the focus of our next technique session. As we learn about this famous grand-dame of belly dance we will also be prepping solos for the performance.

Class Schedule (April 28-June 4) day, time studio price
Belly Dance Basics Tuesday, 6:00pm Flow $75
Belly Dance Basics Thursday, 6:00pm Flow $75
Belly Dance Essentials (Veil) Thursday, 7:15pm Energy $75
Technique and Musicality (lil' Tukish) Thursday, 8:15pm Energy $75


Location
Harbor East MAC
655 President Street
Baltimore, MD 21202
410.625.5000

You will love the friendly staff and the luxurious studios, wonderfully suited to bringing out your inner dancer. You do not need to be a member of the MAC to take classes.

Parking
The MAC validates up to 2 hours in their garage for $1.50 the entrance is on Exeter St. accross from Whole Foods. If you need to stay longer, there is a $3 all evening garage on Caroline St. across from Living Classrooms or you can look for free street parking a couple blocks up towards Little Italy.


Class Prices and Registration
Each 6 week session (6 classes) will be $75 ($60 for MAC members), drop in rate $20 ($15 for MAC members). If you register for more than one class per session you get $15 off the price of the of each additional class, so two classes for 6 weeks would be $135, three $195 and so on. No pro-rating or other discounts apply. Currently, registration is handled the first day of classes, please contact me to let me know you are coming and arrive early the first week to take care of registration.


Make-up Classes
You are welcome to make up any classes you miss by attending another class at the same or lower level within the same session, just let your instructor know you plan to do this. This doesn't carry over into the next session, it is your responsibility to make up any missed classes.


Ethics & Behavior Guidelines
Shems holds ethics and good behavior in really high regard and expects her students to do the same in and out of class. It is important to present the dance in a positive light and build a supportive community. Please see Shems's Ethics and Behavior Guidelines for her students here.


Class Descriptions
Shems' class offerings will adjust and expand over time to give you the opportunity to study a full and diverse curriculum, allowing you to reach the highest level that you desire.

Belly Dance Basics
Belly Dance Basics introduces and drills foundational belly dance vocabulary, body isolations, posture, movement articulation and body lines. There is some cultural background given. Special attention will be paid to proper body alignment, and clean execution of movements. This is the class you should start with if you are brand new to belly dance. It is recommended you continue to repeat this class until you have a good mastery of your basic belly dance movements and isolations. This is also a good refresher for more advanced dancers to practice and drill their basic movements and put extra work into improving the details. Open to all levels, drop ins welcome.

Sept/Oct/Nov sessions - we will be preparing a choreography for performance - performing is optional

Belly Dance Essentials
Building on basic belly dance vocabulary covered in "Belly Dance Basics", essentials introduces more difficult techniques and explores musicality more deeply. It also delves into props. Finger Cymbals, Sword, Veil and Various special focus topics will be covered. This class is meant to be taken continuously for about a year and revisited as often as the topics interest you. Pre-req Belly Dance Basics. Drop ins with approval only.

Sept/Oct/Nov sessions - We will be preparing choreography for performance, using veil and another something special (you will find out more about this in class)

Technique & Musicality
Steps & movements are taught, built into musical phrases. Focusing on building both dance vocabulary and musical connection, this class will delve into complex technique, layering, transitions between movements, rhythms, dance building, improvisation, and cultural context. Previous belly dance experience required, this is an advanced class. This class will be continually introducing new material and is meant to be repeated in an ongoing fashion. Pre-req Teacher Approval. Drop ins with approval only.

Sept/Oct/Nov sessions - Fifi Abdo will be the focus of the session, returning to our study of famous Egyptian dancers. We will use what we are learning from one of the most loved belly dancers of all time, to help prepare for some amazing solos for our upcoming performance. I'm planning on having a live Arabic band for our show.

ReOrient: Artistic Perceptions of the Middle East

ReOrient
Artistic Perceptions of the Middle East

Dancers and musicians will be creating pieces inspired by art, literature, or poetry from the Middle East.


Sunday, June 14, 2009 7:30pm

@ The Creative Alliance at the Patterson
3134 Eastern Avenue
Baltimore, MD 21224
ReOrient Show Tickets

Tickets can be purchased via PayPal at

www.bellydancebaltimore.com

Or send a check made out to Nina Amaya
1020 Regester Avenue, Baltimore MD 21239
Indicate number of tickets.

Creative Alliance members get a discount for the performance
Contact Nina Amaya | ninadances@gmail.com | 443-834-3191

Hosted by Ariel, Shems and Nina Amaya,
featuring performances by:

Ariel
Shems
Nina Amaya
Beatbox Guitar
Kassar
Mariyah
Aszmara
Lotus Niraja
sound by
DJ Amar

________________________________________________

Workshops will also be offered this weekend from our Guest Performers

Saturday June 13 & Sunday, June 14, 2009

@ Harbor East MAC
655 President Street
Baltimore, MD 21202

All workshops are $35 each,
$40 at the door,
except Nina Amaya's mini-workshop which is
$15 in advance and $20 at the door.

See www.bellydancebaltimore.com for full workshop schedules and descriptions.
________________________________________________

For more information contact Nina Amaya
ninadances@gmail.com | 443-834-3191
www.bellydancebaltimore.com

The AccoLade - Saudi Girl Band Rocks Hope

Hope seems to be in the air a lot these days. We elected Barack Obama here in the US, a black man with a Muslim name in a country with a history of slavery and segregation and anti-Muslim feeling. A timetable has been set to pull out of an unpopular Iraq war. Global warming and environmental change is finally starting to look like an international priority, including at long last, in the USA. But the signs are both large and small, and sometimes the small ones are the most meaningful. Finding out about the AccoLade, a Saudi Arabian all female rock band, has made me suddenly more hopeful than I've felt in months.

Saudi Arabia is where my husband grew up. Between his tales of his upbringing in this religiously suffocating place with it's textbooks that teach hate and suspicion to children and moral police that crack down on the most minor improprieties (married couples couldn't even walk hand in hand without harassment) and the news stories that seem to indicate that things are only getting worse as the most extreme brand of Islam is being exported via Saudi money through mudrassas and media all over the Middle East and reaching out into the world, I thought things would only get worse. As a lover of Middle Eastern dance (aka belly dance), I've been disconcerted to watch it decline in acceptability in it's homeland, Egypt, where formerly, no wedding was complete without dancers, but more recently I heard reports of professional dancers being shot at when performing at weddings in public. I saw this as just one of many examples of cultural and artistic decline in the face of religious extremism. But today I read this story in the New York Times:

www.nytimes.com/2008/11/24...4saudi.html

It doesn't seem like much, but in my vision of Saudi, a female rock band even existing is a big, big deal. It means that something is shifting, something has loosened up or backed off. In the article, it stated that after 9-11, Saudis had taken a little time to self-reflect and see what extremism breeds. The morals police had lightened up a little. It looks like the new generation of Saudis want change, want freedom, want something different.

No culture will change overnight. But when music and art are at the heart of change, I think there is a chance for it to win those hearts and minds we always talk about. The hearts and minds of a culture that will hopefully arrive at a hard rock angry need for a better life for themselves and for a more accepting perspective of the rest of the world. Rock is something Saudis and Americans can come together on. Maybe the rock and roll generations in the West can start relating more to people in Saudi. Maybe in the future it will mean both a shift away from extremism in the Middle East and a also a shift in America to more humanitarian foreign policy towards that region.

It is a dream, but sitting here listening to Saudi girls rockin' out, I have a little beam of hope.

The photo is of Edmund Blair Leighton's painting "The Accolade" that inspired the name of the band. The imagery of a powerful woman is artistically provocative.

Here is a link to their myspace page:
profile.myspace.com/index.cfm

enjoy!

It's that time again - New Baltimore, Maryland Belly Dance Classes with Shems! Swords, Shimmies and Samia Gamal!

Details:
www.shemsdance.com
Next regular session start date is December 4, 2008.

Class Schedule
Belly Dance Basics - Thurs 6:00 pm
Belly Dance Essentials - Thurs 7:15 pm (sword)
Technique and Musicality - Thurs 8:15 pm (Samia Gamal)

No Belly Dance Classes will be held on Thanksgiving, Christmas Day or New Years Day.

Location
Harbor East MAC
655 President Street
Baltimore, MD 21202
410.625.5000

You will love the friendly staff and the luxurious studios, wonderfully suited to bringing out your inner dancer. You do not need to be a member of the MAC to take classes.

Class Prices and Registration
Each 6 week session will be $60 for MAC members and $75 for non members. Drop in rate $15 for members, $20 for non-members. Currently, registration is handled the first day of classes, please come early and ready to dance. I will notify you when pre registration comes available.


Belly Dance Basics with Shems

Belly Dance Basics introduces and drills foundational belly dance vocabulary, body isolations, posture, movement articulation and body lines. There is some cultural background given. Special attention will be paid to proper body alignment, and clean execution of movements. This is the class you should start with if you are brand new to belly dance. It is recommended you continue to repeat this class until you have a good mastery of your basic belly dance movements and isolations. This is also a good refresher for more advanced dancers to practice and drill their basic movements and put extra work into improving the details. Open to all levels, drop ins welcome.



Belly Dance Essentials with Shems - Sword!

Building on basic belly dance vocabulary covered in "Belly Dance Basics", essentials introduces more difficult techniques and explores musicality more deeply. It also delves into props. Finger Cymbals, Sword, Veil and Various special focus topics will be covered. This class is meant to be taken continuously for about a year and revisited as often as the topics interest you. Pre-req Belly Dance Basics. Drop ins with approval only.

This coming session will focus on sword. We will also be practicing our finger cymbals. You are required to bring your own sword and finger cymbals to class.



Technique & Musicality with Shems - Samia Gamal

Steps & movements are taught, built into musical phrases. Focusing on building both dance vocabulary and musical connection, this class will delve into complex technique, layering, transitions between movements, rhythms, dance building, improvisation, and cultural context. Previous belly dance experience required, this is an advanced class. This class will be continually introducing new material and is meant to be repeated in an ongoing fashion. Pre-req Teacher Approval. Drop ins with approval only.

This session we will be focusing on Samia Gamal. An inspirational golden era of Oriental dance star, Samia Gamal's dancing is joyful and passionate. We will be studying her history, technique, musical interpretation and expressiveness for this entire session. This is the beginning of a series. We will be examining a new star of belly dance each session as the focus of our studies in Technique and Musicality this coming year.

Thank You Asharah

Just looking back at the Mira Betz show and remembering how really great it was and how honored I felt to be a part of it.

Here is a clip of my performance at that show, courtesy the ever-fabulous Asharah.


www.youtube.com/watch

Dance, Elections and whatever

I'm so happy Obama won! That means a lot for our country and our future.

Dance has been fun lately, sword class in particular felt great yesterday, the Dalia Carella weekend workshops and show were great, so many wonderful performances in the show, I thought Ariel was particularly in her groove, Dalia, of course, was incredible, the All Season's Hafla was wonderful, my essentials class did great, Samira looked amazing in her animal print Sahar and Yasmin rocked her set. There were other great performances in both shows as well.

here is youtube of my dance at the Dalia Carella show:

www.youtube.com/watch

I hope to see y'all soon. Who's going to Ishtar at the New Deal this weekend? Who's Going to Telesma @ the Metro Gallery?

Swords! Danger excitement, belly dance classes!

Hi Dancers,

In my Essentials class we will be starting to work with swords the first week in November, Thus, 6th 7:15pm. Officially, that is the middle of a session, but if anybody is interested in sword, I can work it out so you can start then. We should be working on sword for a good session and a half at least. Let me know if you are interested. Also if you know anybody who wants to learn sword, or actually, who wants to learn kick-a** sword send them my way. I wont be holding back any of the good stuff.

www.shemsdance.com

Yours in Dance,

Shems

--
Shems
Belly Dance Performance & Instruction
(202) 320-8749
www.shemsdance.com

Belly Horror

Tribe has been down so much I haven't posted here about this show. Tonight is the last Belly Horror show performance and having been there last night, I highly recommend going. I'm doing a very special performance that I would love for my friends to see.

Details here:

www.bellyhorror.com/

Aszmara Belly Dance Workshops and show in Baltimore!

This Event will be awesome, Go!

Date & Time:
Saturday, December 6, 2008 - Sunday, December 7, 2008
12:00 PM

Location:
MAC Wellness Center
655 President St
Baltimore MD

More Info:
410.625.5000
bellydance.meetup.com/284/cal...8078645/



From Artemis Mourat:
" Aszmara is a fabulous dancer. Run, don't walk to get a chance to study with this gifted artist!"
Scroll down for a list of possible workshop songs- excellent music n Aszmara's style, and all available on iTunes.
Aszmara is amazing. Every year she dances as a guest artist at the Folk Tours USA camp, and now she's coming to Baltimore! These workshops are appropriate for belly dancers of all levels. Students of Modern Dance, Salsa and other dance forms may also attend.

She will be teaching in the beautiful studio at the MAC, Harbor East, with wooden floors and mirrors. On Saturday December 6, she will teach two workshops, from 1-2:45 and from 3:15-5. Sunday she will teach from 11am -1pm, then she will star in the show at the All Seasons Hafla.
Some of the songs she will be using in the workshops are available on itunes, and you can purchase them in advance of the workshops. Vendors!


Saturday:
1-2:45pm Dancing to the 9/8 and 7/8 rhythms
Aszmara will teach the fascinating 9/8 and 7/8 rhythms. Feeling the rhythm, moving with the rhythm and improvising on the rhythm--to make these unusual rhythms feel more usual. Aszmara is a truly inspiring dancer and has loads of experience playing unusual rhythms from her extensive work with Souren Baronian's ensemble. $35 before 11/24/08, $45 at door, limit: 25 dancers

3:15-5pm Dynamic Staging
Expand your range of expression with Dynamic Staging. Whether in a nightclub or on a raised stage, quite often in performance the tendency is to use the same space as we are used to in rehearsing. Through Dynamic Staging we expand our use of space to make your shows more compelling, whatever the venue. Includes level changes. $35 before 11/24/08, $45 at door, limit: 20 dancers

Sunday:
Emotion in Motion: The Veil
Using a silk veil, you are dancing with a partner. Learn how to dance with it , using slow sensuality and hot fast moves...
$35 before 11/24/08, $45 at door, limit: 20 dancers
Bring a lightweight silk veil 3-4 yards long, if you have one, or they will be available for purchase from $20 and up.

1 workshop $35 before 11/24/08, $45 at the door
2 workshops $65 before 11/24/08, $80 at the door
3 workshops $90 before 11/24/08, $115 at the door

Send a check, and specify which workshops you are attending, made out to:
Nina Amaya
1020 Regester Ave.
Baltimore MD 21239

See you there! Come early to shop!

Aszmara can change her mind about the songs she will use, but I asked her for some examples of what she might use, so we could get a feel for the music.
For odd time signatures:
Breezy Morning (Sabah Ruzgari) by Yurdal Tokcan
Georgian Girl (Gurcu Kizi) by Yurdal Tokcan (7/8 rhythm)
River (Irmak) by Yurdal Tokcan

For Dynamic Staging:
Anadolu Oyun Havasi by Ensemble Hüseyin Türkmenler, Oriental Dance from Turkey
Rumeli Karsilamasi by Ensemble Hüseyin Türkmenler, Oriental Dance from Turkey

For Emotion in Motion: the Veil
Hayati Inta by Natacha Atlas,
Breezy Morning (Sabah Ruzgari) by Yurdal Tokcan