About the Workshops
Friday April 27, 2012 - 6-9 pm Performance Mastery for Oriental Dance:
This is a 3 hour workshop for limited number of people. Performance Mastery for Oriental Dance:
Building Confidence Onstage through Focused Breathwork, Muscle Engagement, and Energy Work
Using your personal power onstage, efficiently and with focus, can create a compelling performance and bring personal satisfaction to your dance. Ranya's signature "Breathwork for Performance" method addresses the subtle aspects of stage presence that may subconsciously affect an audience, and provides the tools to take charge of your performance. We'll work with the emotional and physical aspects of establishing goals as performers, and with exercises to relax your mind and build your energetic connection with your dance environment and with the audience during a show. Breathwork, spatial design, confidence, self-acceptance, and the image of the performer in the eyes of the audience will all be addressed, in the context of building a unified approach to one's dance performance—applicable to both improvised and choreographed dance situations. We'll use sections from famous Arabic pieces, to practice developing relationships with the music, the space, the audience, and, most important, with ourselves. Solo, partner and group work will be used in building a supportive container for observation, exploration and feedback to help each dancer progress.
At the end of the 2.5-hour workshop, 2 dancers will have the opportunity to arrange for a longer 15-minute "semi-private" critique slot with Ranya, with everyone watching the sessions. This way everyone can observe the process in greater detail, in a friendly, supportive environment. More semi-private slots will be available on Sunday morning for those who are interested.
Saturday Morning April 28, 2012 - 10-12pm Technique-a-rama:
Holistic Egyptian Technique with "Dandan": A Muscularly and Musically Integrated Approach our first workshop with Ranya, we'll work with her approach to modern Egyptian technique, with postural and muscular support for the body to create a container for delicious dancing. We'll apply "movement linking" to create flow between discrete steps, both in terms of footwork and in articulated hip and abdominal movements. "Dandan" means crooning or softly singing, and some of the most engaging Egyptian dancers are doing this as they dance, without us as viewers being aware of it--because we cannot hear them as they dance to the music. Applying breath and voice to one's dance is an effective way to tap into deeper feeling in the dance, find inspiration in the music, connect better to an audience, and even accelerate one's technical development.
Saturday Afternoon - Shimmy Clinic Ranya's Shimmy Clinic 1-3pm
will be taught in the afternoon. Workshop will allow the dancer to work on freeing the shimmy, and practicing with different shimmy situations. Ranya the Shimmy Doctor will also help diagnose your personal shimmy issues and offer guidance for different body types, and muscle work to help protect the body in more complex shimmies, such as half-pointe traveling shimmies.
Sunday April 29, 2012 - "Golden Age" Retro Love
Classical Oriental Egyptian Technique, Aesthetic, and Combinations
This workshop takes inspiration from stars of the black-and-white cinema including Samia Gamal, Naima Akef, and Tahia Karioka. We'll review traditional Oriental dance aesthetics, approaching movements from dual centers in the body: working in low center, with the deep connection in the pelvic muscles and lower abdominals found in native dances of the Middle East and Africa; and in high center, with a lifted rib cage and elegant body lines, an influence of Western classical dance. Exercises will cover the development from classic style to modern style--in reverse, by exploring the dance style of days gone by, and its more innocent approach to technique. Ranya will address the dance from the musicality perspective and from the movement origination perspective, such as the effects of musical trends in the early and mid-20th century on the dance; choreography vs. improvisation; and skeletal vs. muscular origination of movements. Working with foundational movements and the variety of approaches seen in Golden Age dancers can provide a deeper context for students of contemporary Egyptian Oriental dance, and a "refreshment" of styling. Dancers of all levels are welcome to participate, and experienced dancers especially can enjoy the challenge of simplifying their response to the music and finding what is "enough" in expressing the joy of the dance. Ranya will apply movements and combos learned to building a choreography that evokes the Golden Age style In class, Ranya aims to provide a fun, supportive atmosphere for all levels in exploring the physical and emotional aspects of the dance; discovery of muscular and skeletal connections in the body; honing listening skills to heighten one's response to traditional Arabic music; and consciousness of personal and spatial energy through engaged breath work and performance skills training.
