Spring Fling: Veil Dancing with Alia

Spring is in the air! And if you've been hibernating through the Winter our Bellydance teacher Alia invites you to try a variety of dance traditions in her Spring Fling class! Alia has a wealth of knowledge and experience and all dance styles explored will be traditional and authentic, This gentle dance class will include a taster of styles from Persia, the Middle East and Hawaiian traditions that focus on different areas of the body - the hips, the belly, the arms and more! Alia attests that these dances are such an effective form of exercise, without going down to the floor or stretching beyond any comfort zone. But it does allow a fascinating journey of ancient dance wisdom to exercise all 800 muscles of the body from toes to head! Whether you're a complete beginner to dance, or up to professional standard, come along and be introduced to completely new dance styles, in a fun and friendly environment to meet some muscles you never knew you had! Feel free to bring along a light scarf or sarong if you'd like to experience a stronger understanding of your movement - the longer the better. And we’ll be using them as “veils” for an amazing arm workout too! What will we cover? In this workshop we will explore: • Warm ups and safe dance/movement techniques • An introduction to Persian, Middle Eastern and Hawaiian dance and dance fusions • Learning traditional dance combinations and muscle movements from belly dancing cultures • A cool down (again standing or chair-based, no floor work) This is a total beginners class, suitable for all ages and fitness levels, with no floor-based activity. Please wear comfortable clothes that allow for movement (jeans not recommended!). The venue is carpeted and will be shoes off. Accessibility • Wheelchair Accessible Venue • Gender Neutral Bathrooms • Quiet Spaces • Free Tickets for First Nation Attendees • Who will be Teaching? Deborah Kananghinis (she/her), who also goes by her stage name Alia, is a Bellydancer and Teacher with over 30 years of international experience. She has danced professionally in Egypt, and has taught, performed and delivered workshops in the USA, Singapore, New Zealand and around Australia. Deb's background is Ethnic Gypsy, so she's grown up with belly dancing as culture, and her own family lineage goes from NZ (where she was born and grew up), to the UK, the Middle East and to the Berber people of Morocco. Deb is also part of LOTUS - a group dedicated to honouring and sharing ancient traditions of MENAGaT (Middle Eastern, North African, Greek & Turkish) dance traditions, in their performances and in their teaching. Important info: Buy a gift card Terms and conditions FAQ More about accessibility Photo by Creative Commons via Deviant Art. Other questions or accessibility requests? Just shoot an email us at [email protected].