All classes taught by Autumn Ward. Workshop Weekend
Luscious Oriental: Modern Egyptian Steps and Old-School Glamor
Saturday, June 23, 2:00 - 5:00
Level: Intermediate - professional; adventurous advanced beginners welcome
Level: Intermediate - professional; adventurous advanced beginners welcome
Floorwork Technique and Combos
Sunday, June 24, 2:00 - 4:00
Level: Open to physically fit dancers at all levels
Level: Open to physically fit dancers at all levels
$55 for both workshops until June 10; $65 June 11-June 22; $70 on June 23
Luscious Oriental only: $40 until June 17; $50 at the door
Floowork only: $25 until June 17; $30 at the door
Descriptions
Technique Intensives
Oriental Dance Deconstructed Workshop Series (5 sessions)
Saturdays, 3:00 - 5:00, at 440 Studios (East Village):
March 31: Precision Hip IsolationsApril 21: Undulations, Vertical 8s, and Ribcage Isolations
May12: Egyptian Alignment and Hipwork
May 19: Arms, Shoulders, Hands, and Head Isolations
June 16: Footwork and Turns (Please note - rescheduled from June 2)
Availability is subject to minimum and maximum enrollment. Pay in advance to confirm your spot. (Or enroll a friend: gift certificates are available.) If a spot is available you may pay at the door (cash only), but you must confirm via email or call Autumn at 917-686-1622. For those who lack funds, work-study and barter options are available.
Forthcoming and elsewhere...
New Orleans: June 30; details on the way.
Courses (Registration closed for this session)
Level 1: Belly Dance for New Beginners and Back-to-Basics Fresh Starters (10 weeks)
Mondays, April 16-June 25 (no class on Memorial Day, May 28); 6:30–7:30
$150 prepaid by April 2; $165 on or after April 3; $18/drop in
Description
Class Descriptions
Manhattan studio location TBA
$40 until June 17; $50 at the door
Prepaid together with Floorwork: $55 for both workshops until June 10; $65 June 11-June 22; $70 on June 23
Description
Mixed Level 2: Belly Dance for Continuing/Advanced Beginners and Returning Dancers (11 weeks)
Thursdays, April 19-June 28; 6:00-7:30
$190 prepaid by April 12; $205 on or after April 13; $20/drop-in
DescriptionClass Descriptions
Luscious Oriental: Modern Egyptian Steps and Old-School Glamor
Saturday, June 23, 2:00 - 5:00Manhattan studio location TBA
$40 until June 17; $50 at the door
Prepaid together with Floorwork: $55 for both workshops until June 10; $65 June 11-June 22; $70 on June 23
Autumn will teach a beguiling choreography to Setrak Sarkissian's Sahar. This short but varied dance includes an entrance with graceful swirling steps, a heavier section with a beledi feeling, a fast-tempo passage of footwork and modern isolations, and a slow chiftitelli. (We'll dance the chiftitelli standing, but participants will also have the opportunity on Sunday June 24 to learn an elegant Egyptian "golden age" floorwork sequence for this section.) While open to all, this workshop uses challenging dance vocabulary, and is especially recommended for students looking to sharpen their skills and deepen their musical sensitivity. Class will include a special section on technique for emotionally-resonant deeply-articulated undulations.
April 21: Undulations, Vertical 8s, and Ribcage Isolations
May12: Egyptian Alignment and Hipwork
May 19: Arms, Shoulders, Hands, and Head Isolations
June 16: Footwork and Turns (Please note - rescheduled from June 2)
$125 prepaid by March 24; $138 on or after March 25; $30/drop-in
Series Description:
Level 1: Belly Dance for New Beginners and Back-to-Basics Fresh Starters (10 weeks)
Because this choreography uses pivoting footwork, flat soft-soled dance shoes (such as a ballet slippers) are recommended. If you have an opportunity to familiarize yourself with the music ahead of time, please do! We'll be dancing to "Sahar," by Setrak Sarkissian, up to the clean break at 3:26.
Floorwork Technique and Combos
Sunday, June 24, 2:00 - 4:00
Manhattan studio location TBA
$25 until June 17; $30 at the door
Prepaid together with Floorwork: $55 for both workshops until June 10; $65 June 11-June 22; $70 on June 23
• Poses for arm work and torso isolations
• Travelling moves on the floor, including vocabulary that can be used for balancing props
And....
• Yes! Step-by-step Turkish drop for either fast ethnic or slow tribal fusion variations (Note: actual drops may or may not occur in class, depending on students' suitability. Our workshop goal will be to confer knowledge of how the move is done, so that students may start a conditioning program and eventually work up to this move.)
Prerequisites: ability and stamina to comfortably and repeatedly get up and down from the floor; ability to sit on the floor and/or kneel; common sense; patience; a non-competitive attitude; ability and willingness to move slowly, carefully, intentionally, and mindfully. Kneepads are required.
Please wear simple leggings; if you'd like additional layers choose sturdy, washable, non-decorated dancewear that can be removed if you are becoming tangled in it. Soft-soled dance shoes (such as ballet slippers) may be helpful to those with non-calloused feet. If you have a thick mat, please bring it. If there's still room in your dance bag, bring socks and a towel.
Manhattan studio location TBA
$25 until June 17; $30 at the door
Prepaid together with Floorwork: $55 for both workshops until June 10; $65 June 11-June 22; $70 on June 23
We'll learn 2 short floorwork combos: one that can be
adapted for Tribal Fusion or American Vintage ("American Cabaret")
style; and another in a demure Egyptian "golden age" style developed specifically as a floorwork alternative for
the slow chiftitelli in "Sahar" (the choreography taught on Saturday,
June 23). Both combos are adaptable for balancing props such as a sword or candle tray; our second combo can also be adapted for shamadan (Egyptian candelabrum).
Additionally, Autumn will present:
• An overview of conditioning exercises to prepare the body for floorwork
• A selection of ascents and descentsAdditionally, Autumn will present:
• An overview of conditioning exercises to prepare the body for floorwork
• Poses for arm work and torso isolations
• Travelling moves on the floor, including vocabulary that can be used for balancing props
And....
• Yes! Step-by-step Turkish drop for either fast ethnic or slow tribal fusion variations (Note: actual drops may or may not occur in class, depending on students' suitability. Our workshop goal will be to confer knowledge of how the move is done, so that students may start a conditioning program and eventually work up to this move.)
Prerequisites: ability and stamina to comfortably and repeatedly get up and down from the floor; ability to sit on the floor and/or kneel; common sense; patience; a non-competitive attitude; ability and willingness to move slowly, carefully, intentionally, and mindfully. Kneepads are required.
Please wear simple leggings; if you'd like additional layers choose sturdy, washable, non-decorated dancewear that can be removed if you are becoming tangled in it. Soft-soled dance shoes (such as ballet slippers) may be helpful to those with non-calloused feet. If you have a thick mat, please bring it. If there's still room in your dance bag, bring socks and a towel.
Saturdays, 3:00 - 5:00, at 440 Studios (East Village):
March 31: Precision Hip IsolationsApril 21: Undulations, Vertical 8s, and Ribcage Isolations
May12: Egyptian Alignment and Hipwork
May 19: Arms, Shoulders, Hands, and Head Isolations
June 16: Footwork and Turns (Please note - rescheduled from June 2)
$125 prepaid by March 24; $138 on or after March 25; $30/drop-in
Series Description:
Boost your dance fluency by deepening your understanding of dance at its most fundamental level: vocabulary and syntax. Coursework elucidates the language of belly dance with detailed mechanical breakdowns and
contextual analysis—how belly dance components build on and relate to one another, and how, when, and why movements are used in a variety of Oriental styles. Participants will learn new movements and new options
for variations and layering; sculpt cleaner isolations and transitions; and refine their instincts for both improvisation and choreography.
As an information-based offering, this series relies heavily on lecture; it is a theory course meant to complement the practical "laboratory" of your regular weekly classes or independent dancing. While all are
welcome, the series is especially recommended for those who learn effectively through verbal instruction, explanation, and intellectual analysis.
Register Level 1: Belly Dance for New Beginners and Back-to-Basics Fresh Starters (10 weeks)
Mondays, April 16-June 25 (no class on Memorial Day, May 28); 6:30–7:30
$150 prepaid by April 2; $165 on or after April 3; $18/drop in
Start (or restart) your dance education off on the right foot, following a structured curriculum that builds clean versatile technique from the ground up. This comprehensive course lays it all out step by step.
See and enjoy clear advancement in every class, reviewing and perfecting essential foundation movements, applying your growing skills to new and progressively more sophisticated material each week, and putting it all together in a simple choreography that we will build through the session.
Learn footwork, torso isolations, technique for arms, wrists, and hands, and music theory in a training program that emphasizes precise and confident dancing. Each movement is taught with consideration to ideal placement and alignment relative to each dancer's unique anatomy and abilities; performance context; and cultural context.
At the conclusion of the session, students will have the option to continue on to a Level 2 course.
REGISTRATION CLOSED
REGISTRATION CLOSED
Mixed Level 2: Belly Dance for Continuing/Advanced Beginners and Returning Dancers (11 weeks)
Thursdays, April 19-June 28; 6:00-7:30
$190 prepaid by April 12; $205 on or after April 13; $20/drop-in
Designed both for students who are continuing from Autumn’s introductory class, and for “orphans”: dancers who studied with Autumn in the past and would like to restart, or for those who have completed some beginner classes with one or more teachers, but are currently without a primary training program in which to move forward. Also appropriate for Tribal dancers who are interested in diversifying their repertoire or exploring the Oriental roots of their form.
The course will focus on shoring up and formalizing alignment, placement, and foundation vocabulary; clean technique for isolations, footwork, and armwork; confident transitions; and music interpretation. Class will include a complete choreography that builds each week. To support student’s transition into more sophisticated dancing, extended warm-ups and cool-downs incorporate stretches and gentle conditioning exercises for strength and mobility.
At the conclusion of the session, students will have the option to continue on to a Level 3 course.
REGISTRATION CLOSED
REGISTRATION CLOSED
Studio Location
440 Studios
440 Lafayette St. (Just southeast of 8th and Broadway, near the Cube)
East Village, Manhattan
Subway: N/R to 8th St.-NYU; 6 to Astor Place; short hike from Union Square (L; 4/5/6; N/Q/R)
Google Map
Private Lessons with Autumn Ward
To make arrangements for individual coaching or a privately-arranged group lessons, contact Autumn directly at (917) 686-1622. Autumn's fee for individuals is $80/hour, or $140/2-hour lesson. Midtown studio, your home or gym, or other location. (Travel fee may apply; additional charges for additional students.) Autumn does not recommend private lessons for new beginners with no previous dance training.
440 Studios
440 Lafayette St. (Just southeast of 8th and Broadway, near the Cube)
East Village, Manhattan
Subway: N/R to 8th St.-NYU; 6 to Astor Place; short hike from Union Square (L; 4/5/6; N/Q/R)
Google Map
Private Lessons with Autumn Ward
To make arrangements for individual coaching or a privately-arranged group lessons, contact Autumn directly at (917) 686-1622. Autumn's fee for individuals is $80/hour, or $140/2-hour lesson. Midtown studio, your home or gym, or other location. (Travel fee may apply; additional charges for additional students.) Autumn does not recommend private lessons for new beginners with no previous dance training.
