Monday Night Belly Dance Classes

[HalimaSagira]

Hey there everyone!

 

I am back from my shoulder injury and teaching Monday nights in s7 (for details on the venue visit; http://www.nychadancecreations.co.uk).

 

Weekly Belly Dance classes in Tribal Fusion. – Run as 6 week courses, new moves added each week building up to combinations

 

Covering technique breakdowns and drills in both oriental styles and Tribal styles – get your full belly dance tribal/oriental fusion fix with these 90 minute Monday night classes. Each class will include a warm up, technique breakdown, drilling of the moves to get them into your muscle memory and combinations you can add into your own dance choreography!

 

The Times;

 

19.00—20.30 (90 mins total)

*If it's your first week please arrive 10-15mins early to register.

 

The Price; £6 per lesson if booking a 6 week course / £8 per lesson drop in price.

(so basically, if you book for 6 weeks - you save £12... )

 

Location - Nycha Dance Studio

 

3 Edgedale Road, Sheffield, S7 2BQ

Just off Abbeydale rd, near Carterknowle Rd.

 

FAQ

 

Q: What should I wear to class?

 

You should come dressed in comfortable clothing that you can move in. Imagine what you would wear to do a yoga class. Sometimes in class I will take my students through a few Yoga poses depending on what warm up is needed that day and so you need to be dressed appropriately (a mini skirt and high heels wouldn’t be a sensible idea for example!).

 

Some people like to come in costume / bellydance clothing, but this is optional. wear what you will feel comfortable in.

 

Q: What should I bring?

 

Definitely bring water. You should make sure you drink plenty of water before class starts so that you’re hydrated and keep drinking throughout too. You’re welcome to bring your own Yoga mat if you like for the short yoga sequence, although the studio does have its own mats you can use.

 

For ATS® classes you might like to bring finger cymbals with you. I do have some spares available but these are limited to a few pairs. For the shimmy drills it can be fun to wear a coin belt so you can ‘hear’ your shimmy. This isn’t necessary and also isn’t really a ‘tribal’ piece of costume, however I have plenty of spares if you’d like to stick one on to shake your shimmy to!

 

Q: What footwear should I wear?

 

Again – whatever you feel comfortable dancing in, although personally I prefer either barefoot dancing, or using ‘tribal socks’ (basically cutting the toes and sometimes the heels too out of a pair of socks so that you can use the ball of your foot to stop yourself when spinning. I wouldn’t recommend using full socks as these can cause you to slip and fall. You may wear these at your own risk if you’d prefer however.

 

Some dancers like to wear dance shoes for bellydance and I sometimes do if i am performing on grass / a nightclub floor / a surface i’m unfamiliar with.

 

Q: Do I have to show my belly?

 

Not if you do not wish to. I will often wear something that shows my belly as I will need to demonstrate the muscles I am using to power the movements. However you shouldn’t ever feel like you have to. When I was learning I used to wear a cropped top showing my midrift because i felt like it helped me to isolate my hips from my torso. Most of the people I danced with however, would stick to a normal vest top.

 

Again; I want you to feel comfortable and have fun in my class so please wear whatever makes you feel good.

 

Q: Does it matter that I have never done any dancing before?

 

Not at all! I will look after you! Everyone has to learn somewhere and I remember when I started out it took me 6 months just to feel comfortable doing the basic moves…. but I had a really good teacher who was very patient and I will always try to find new ways of explaining something so that you feel you “get it”. I have trained in various styles so have had different teachers explain things to me in different ways, so I can usually find a way of explaining that a student will understand.

 

Q: What happens if I get tired / don’t feel up to it?

 

Sometimes life / stress / illness can get in the way and often coming to a class can be a welcome break from this. However, if in the middle of one of my classes you feel you cannot carry on, don’t feel bad about sitting out for a moment or perhaps for the rest of the class. Sometimes the drills can be energetic and tiresome if you’re just starting out. Always bring a paper and pen so you can take notes as you’d be surprised how much you can learn from watching. In fact, some people learn better this way, so if you ever want to stop and take notes on a move we’re learning or a drill sequence you’d like to take home – please feel free to do so.

 

Q:What is a hafla?

 

“Hafla” pronounced from the Arabic “Khafla” (soft “a” in the word) is a “get-together” ,party,ceremony for a family gathering,clan,religious ceremony which may have an intimate number of friends or many people invited. For instance an Arab Muslim man can do the Commandment of circumscision for his son in a small group, or honour it with a “hafla” (Khaflah).

It is an Arabic word, though the majority of Arabs are Muslims and some Christians, at a Muslim Khaflah you would not find alcoholic drinks. There might be similar smokeable items which are on hand. There might be Belly-Dancing for entertainment, much food for sure,music,dancing , hookah smoking (nargila-waterpipe).

- Thank you Urban Dictionary!

 

For belly dancers a Hafla is usually an end of term party, a chance to get together and celebrate what you have learned with your teacher and a chance to see local and sometimes non-local dancers perform. A good hafla will have a shared buffet so that people can bring and share food, and a ‘free dance’ section at the end for people to get up and party together after watching the performances.

I will be holding at least 2 Haflas a year to give my students a chance to show off their new moves!

 

Got a question? Email me at; Halima.Sagira@gmail.com