Workshops at JamBallah Northwest
Larger classes will be limited to 40 people maximum, most will be limited to 25. Classes at Datura Studio will be limited to 20. No 75-person classes here!
Restaurant and Hotel info on our Hotels/Activities page.
Questions about the workshops or festival? Pop over to the FAQ page!
Workshop Locations:
*Viscount Studios- Studio A & Studio B 724 E Burnside
*Think Tank @ the Jupiter Hotel 800 E Burnside
*Studio Datura 1847 E Burnside, Suite #103
A Word on Advanced Classes: designed for professional performers and high intermediate/advanced students. They will be challenging, with an acute focus on technique, stamina, and overall presentation. Not sure if you have what it takes? Well, are you an advanced student, who can handle a challenge? Are you ready to learn the secrets from the very best, among other ladies from many different style backgrounds? Have you performed, or do you perform and are you itching to bring your performance up a few notches? Yeah, you've got what it takes.
*Purchase Workshops Here!*
An easy-to-read workshop-spreadsheet can be found on the Schedule/Maps Page!
FRIDAY
**********************************************************************
-Morning Yoga
w/ Special Guest Instructor
Fri 9:30-10:30a, Studio Datura
(All Levels)
Difficulty/What to bring: All levels welcome. Bring a reusable water container and a yoga mat or towel. Please wear layers of stretchy and comfortable clothing.
-Musical Geography: Methods for Mapping out Music
w/ Andalee
Fri 11a-12:30p, Viscount Studio A
(All levels)
Ever run into difficulty choreographing a Dance or Outlining a Dance for something more improvisational? Great Choreographies (and Improv) don’t happen by simply putting together a bunch of 8 counts and combos. Learn a Fabulous technique for mapping out your music on paper to more easily understand it’s overall pattern as well as more specific nuances, such as rhythm changes, character, instrumentation, tempo changes, variations, and accents. You will learn to increase your Musicality and create a Choreography that embodies the music. Students will participate through the whole choreographing process from beginning to end and help Andalee and other classmates create a unique choreography for the class.
-(Includes Choreography)
Difficulty/What to bring: All levels welcome. Please bring a pad and pen. Bring a reusable water container, and if desired a yoga mat and towel.
-Hi! My name is Improvisational Tribal Style, ITS nice to meet you
w/ Amy Sigil & UNMATA Brought to you by 9 Ladies Dancing Theatre
Fri 10a-1p, Viscount Studio B
(All Levels, 3-hr Intensive)
This workshop starts at the very beginning of UNMATA's improvisational vocabulary. The concepts, the stall moves, leader position, lead changes, circles and choruslines. Inspired by Carolena's American Tribal Style® then re-vamped and re-styled to fit the powerhouse that is UNMATA.
Difficulty/What to bring: All levels welcome. UNMATA classes are fast-paced, high-intensity, and FUN! Bring a reusable water container, and if desired a pad and pen for notes. Please bring layers of stretchy and comfortable clothing and a few snacks for breaktime if desired.
Introduction to Serpentine Scales™
w/ Rachel Brice
Fri 11-12:30, Venue TBA
(All Levels)
Rachel will debut her new, simple approach developed for the 8 Elements™ program, for accessing a multitude of options for improvisation, choreography, vocabulary building, or technique development. If you enjoy rubbing your belly and patting your head at the same time, you'll enjoy Scales™. Build a large storehouse of options in your body's memory, and create new movements on the spot.
Difficulty/What to bring: All levels welcome, but at least one consecutive year of belly dance practice recommended. Please wear layers of stretchy, comfortable clothing, and bring a reusable water container and finger cymbals (zills). If desired, bring a yoga mat, towel, a pad and pen for notes, and a few snacks in case we take a break.
-Urban Goddess Cocktail
w/ Darshan
Fri 1:30-3p, Viscount Studio A
(All Levels)
Strong modern moves laced with ancient images and powerful accents to convey your limitless character in dance. Take home well-drilled handy combos and exquisite postures that challenge your body and intoxicate your beautiful mind!
Difficulty/What to bring: All levels welcome. Bring a reusable water container, and if desired a yoga mat, towel, and a pad and pen for notes.
-Bollywood "Discowale" Expressions
w/ Katrina McCoy of the Bollywood Project
Fri 1:30-3p, Viscount Studio B
(All Levels)
Learn a mini Discowale Khisko choreography while getting down to the sweetness of Bollywood Dance. We will explore "Bollywood Couture" by converting your skirt, choli and veil into a fab Bollywood Costume. Learn how to dance with expression from the heart with a touch of Bollywood cheekiness. Best of all, walk away laughing.
Difficulty/What to bring: All levels welcome. Bring a reusable water container, and if desired a yoga mat, towel, and a pad and pen for notes. Circle skirt and rectangular veil suggested.
Fire Performance Training
w/ Shireen Press of Flamebuoyant Productions
Fri 1:30-3p, Think Tank @ the Jupiter Hotel
(Discussion Class)
This class is a thorough introduction to the practical matters of dancing with fire. You will learn about equipment, fuels, regulations, procedure, costuming and fire safety from Shireen Press- object manipulatrix extraordinaire.
You must be at least 18 years old to learn fire skills.
What to bring: Bring a reusable water container, and if desired a pad and pen for notes.
-Cave Dance
w/ Grace Constantine
Fri 3:30-5p, Viscount Studio A
(All Levels)
Do you long for a deeper connection? Wishing for an effortless method of creativity in your dance? This class is designed to bring you into the well of your essence, and bring a deep, dark authenticity into your performance. After a yoga-style stretching and strengthening warm-up, we will move into drills and combinations chosen to bring your mind and body to the depths within. Then Grace will be your guide through the caves, using her signature guided improv style of visualization and storytelling to draw out a myriad of moods and motions using your existing movement vocabulary. Make no mistake, this is a fun and sweaty experience! Come away with new techniques for making imagination in movement a seamless work of art.
Difficulty/What to bring: All levels welcome, but some dance/movement experience may be helpful. Please wear comfy stretchy dance clothes that allow freedom of movement; layers are recommended. Bring a reusable water container, a yoga mat or towel, and a pad and pen for notes.
-Tribal Shape Shifters
w/ Adriene and Julia of Troupe Hipnotica
Fri 3:30-5p, Viscount Studio B
(Intermediate+ Level)
Looking for a way to infuse some complexity into your tribal tool box?
This workshop is an intermediate level exploration of tribal belly dance elements that can be used for solo or group performance. We will take basic shapes that can be used with different body parts at different speeds to add dimension to your performances. We will apply this to slow, isolation and fast vocabularies.
Focus will be on the use of this concept with improvisation but can be applied to choreography.
Difficulty/What to bring: At least one consecutive year of belly dance practice and familiarity with finger cymbals (zills) suggested. Bring a reusable water container, and if desired a yoga mat, towel, and a pad and pen for notes. Bring finger cymbals (zills), a circle skirt, and expect a full body workout!
-Hip Hop Fusion
w/ Amy Sigil & UNMATA Brought to you by 9 Ladies Dancing Theatre
Fri 3:30-5p, Venue TBA
(All Levels)
A little Bellydance, a little Hula, a lot MORE Hip Hop and a whole lot of Heart! UNMATA does UNMATA-- the Hip Hop way! Be prepared to sweat and get down and funky with the powerhouse that is Amy Sigil!
Difficulty/What to bring: All levels welcome. UNMATA classes are fast-paced, high-intensity, and FUN! Bring a reusable water container, and if desired a pad and pen for notes. Please wear layers of stretchy and comfortable clothing.
SATURDAY
**********************************************************************
-Morning Yoga
w/ Ashley Lopez
Sat 9:30-10:30a, Studio Datura
(All Levels)
Difficulty/What to bring: All levels welcome. Bring a reusable water container and a yoga mat or towel. Please wear layers of stretchy and comfortable clothing.
-Floortastic
w/ Ashley Lopez
Sat 11-12:30, Viscount Studio A
(All Levels)
Flummoxed by floorwork? Fear not! This workshop will get you rolling, crawling, and slinking to your heart's content. The floor is a world that opens up endless possibilities to embellish our dance. However, it should be approached with preparation and caution. So we will start with some fabulous stretching and strength-building exercises for the abs, back, hips and legs. We will then explore dance sequences and poses that are especially scrumptious on the floor, with an emphasis on how to smoothly transition from up to down and back up again. Modifications will be offered to accommodate a range of abilities.
Difficulty/What to bring: All levels welcome. Please note, this class may not be ideal for dancers who have experienced serious injuries in the knees, hips or back. If you have any special concerns please contact the instructor before registration. Bring a reusable water container, and if desired a yoga mat, towel, and a pad and pen for notes. Dress comfortably in clothing that moves easily with you - layers are recommended. KNEE PADS ARE REQUIRED. Or, if you prefer, ace bandages. ;)
-Basics of Belly Dance : movements and techniques to get you dancing
w/ Collette Todorov of Scarlet Thistle Bellydance
Sat 11-12:30, Viscout Studio B
(Beginner/Intermediate)
Have you always been curious about the vibrant art form of belly dance, but didn’t know where to begin? This is the place! In this workshop, we’ll introduce hip movements, arm positions and foot patterns applicable to all styles of belly dance. Dance posture and body awareness will be discussed, and stylistic variations and terminology will be presented. At the end of class, a choreography will be taught, enabling you to start belly dancing right away and providing a great dance drill to take home. This workshop is geared towards beginner belly dancers and experienced dancers new to belly dance.
Difficulty/What to bring: All levels welcome, beginner friendly! Bring a reusable water container, and if desired a yoga mat, towel, and a pad and pen for notes. Bring a scarf, belt or skirt to accent those hip movements.
-Arab-Flamenco Fusion
w/ Elena Villa
Sat 1:30-3p, Viscount Studio A
(All Levels)
In this open level workshop we will explore the rich and fascinating connection between Andalusian flamenco and Arabic music and dance. Taking a “music first” approach, we will combine movements and accents from the repertoire of Spanish and flamenco dance with those of Middle Eastern belly dance. We will focus particularly on posture, body dynamics, hand and arm movements, as well as turns and kicks, skirt technique, simple footwork, dramatic musical accents and rhythm interpretation. Workshop participants will receive an informational handout with highlights of material from the workshop and suggestions for music and further study.
Difficulty/What to bring: All levels welcome. Bring a reusable water container, and if desired a yoga mat, towel, and a pad and pen for notes. Please wear a long, full skirt and leotard or fitted top. Ballet/jazz shoes are optional but may facilitate some of the movements.
-Modern Veil
w/ Andalee
Sat 1:30-3p, Viscount Studio B
(All levels)
This Workshop will include some fabulous basic techniques used in American Cabaret Style Belly Dance, as well as some of the more modern and artistic Techniques that have been showing up in Contemporary American Cabaret and Theatrical Belly Dance. We will talk about ideas of staging and creating shapes and designs with our veils to create mood and exercise these ideas by adding different styles of music. Whether you are “Cabaret” or “Fusion” this class is designed to give you the necessary veil technique and some fun, unique combos that can be personalized to suit your own style.
Difficulty/What to bring: All levels welcome. Bring a reusable water container, and if desired a yoga mat, towel, and a pad and pen for notes. Please bring a rectangle silk veil if you have one, there will be many to lend but no guarantees!
-Well...We Think It's Slow
w/ Amy Sigil & UNMATA Brought to you by 9 Ladies Dancing Theatre
Sat 1:30-3p, Venue TBA
(All Levels)
Welcome to the softer side of UNMATA. We're switching the elixir from jet fuel to chamomile tea, and taking some time to smell the roses. This workshop features a selection of UNMATA's rarely seen slow repertoire, Vinyasa inspired warm-ups, and a chance to catch your breath.
Difficulty/What to bring: All levels welcome. UNMATA classes are fast-paced, high-intensity, and FUN! Bring a reusable water container, and if desired a pad and pen for notes. Please wear layers of stretchy and comfortable clothing.
-Vintage Hair and Pin-up Flair
w/ Michelle Manx
Sat 1:30-3p, Think Tank @ the Jupiter Hotel
(Discussion Class)
Come and play with hair and turn yourself into a 40's/50'd pin-up girl or a silver screen starlet for your next performance. This workshop will begin with a history of those fabulous hairstyles from the pre-WWII era through the late 1950's. In addition, Michelle will demonstrate several methods of achieving hairstyles, such as victory rolls, pin curls, and other styles, which defined the classic pin-up girl era.
What to bring: Bring a pad and pen for notes, and any questions you may have about achieving a decadent ‘do. Please feel free to bring hot rollers, bobby/hair pins, hairbrushes, and/or hair accessories such as flowers or fascinators to class.
-Le Shimmy! Burlesque for Belly Dancers
w/Karolina Lux
Sat 3:30-5p, Viscount Studio A
(All Levels)
You enjoy belly dance, and you’ve heard of burlesque. You’re curious about what it entails…but you’re not sure how to make it appropriate as a belly dancer. You’re in luck: Both sensual art forms exult in the beauty of femininity, grace, flirtatiousness, the divine feminine, and FUN! Though similar in essence, the styles are very different in performance. Le Shimmy helps you bring the playful qualities of burlesque and vaudeville performance to your dance, while keeping your belly dance routine tasteful, classy, and empowering. We will start with some history of burlesque and its overlapping roots with belly dance, move on to some fun warm-ups to pump your expressions up to larger-than-life proportions, learn a short choreography, and close with some techniques for converting your wardrobe easily and affordably into tastefully risqué costumes…and tips for when or when not to take any of it off! In your next performance, you’ll shimmy, blow a kiss….and leave ‘em wanting more! (This workshop is also appropriate for burlesque artists seeking more range of motion and dance technique in their performances!)
Difficulty/What to bring: All levels welcome. Bring a reusable water container, and if desired a yoga mat, towel, and a pad and pen for notes.
-Tribal Trance--Finding Bliss
w/ Paulette Rees-Denis of Gypsy Caravan
Sat 3:30-5p, Viscount Studio B
(All Levels)
Paulette uses different methods of movement and release with her tribal bellydance background, to find bliss and peace, and just feel great! This is your time to explore your dance, break free of technique and structure, use your eyes and your body in different ways, dance from your soul, share with your sisters, shake your booty, chant and meditate, and use a bit of ritual and prayer within your dance.
Difficulty/What to bring: All levels welcome. Bring a reusable water container, and if desired a yoga mat, towel, and a pad and pen for notes. Please bring a veil or large shawl.
-Henna, Harquus and More! A compendium of body art techniques.
w/ Wendy Rover of RovingHorse Henna
Sat 3:30-5p, Think Tank @ the Jupiter Hotel
(Discussion Class)
Join Wendy Rover, owner of Roving Horse Henna, for a hands-on workshop session that delves into the ancient traditions of adornment. Participants will emerge from this workshop rich in knowledge about the symbolism found in body adornment motifs from the regions of North Africa, India and the Arabian Peninsula. We will be focusing on henna, but we will also be discussing complimentary body art modalities: harquus (ancient North African facial markings using Temptu), gilding (mixing eyeshadow pigment and glitter with aloe vera gel for temporary body art that sparkles), zardosi (working with gems), and how to apply long lasting glitter effects (that will not sweat off!), and how to combine these techniques for body art that stuns and dazzles.
What to bring: Bring a reusable water container, and if desired a pad and pen for notes. Please wear short-sleeved shirts, shorts/skirt, and/or sandals to practice henna application without getting mussed. All henna supplied--each attendee will receive materials to work with in class, a gift bag of henna products to try at home, and will have the opportunity to be adorned with either henna, glitter and gilding, or harquus by Wendy.
SUNDAY
**********************************************************************
-Morning Yoga
w/ Darshan
Sun 9:30-10:30a, Studio Datura
(All Levels)
Difficulty/What to bring: All levels welcome. Bring a reusable water container and a yoga mat or towel. Please wear layers of stretchy and comfortable clothing.
-Street-Style: Popping
w/ DonnaMation of New Lineage
Sun 11a-12:30p, Viscount Studio A
(All Levels)
Why learn popping? So glad you asked!! Besides the fact that it is SUPER fun to watch and do, it is also has a meditative side that gives a dancer the opportunity to really get inside oneself and become familiar with ways to isolate parts of the body, that can open boundless possibilities for expression. In this class Donna will teach some basic popping foundation - Hitting, Waving, and Dime Stopping. (Lingo disambiguated: Hitting - the contraction and release of a muscle group that is the foundation of popping and helps give the dance its unique illusory quality. Waving - a style under the umbrella term popping in which the dancer creates a quality of movement within the body of waves in water or ribbons in wind. Dime Stopping - a common technique of transitioning between poses originating in robot dancing, which basically means to end a movement with an abrupt halt - "stopping on a dime") These techniques can easily be applied to fusion bellydance (ZoeStyle, anyone?) and encourage a deeper understanding about muscle control and access.
Difficulty/What to bring: All levels welcome. Bring a reusable water container, and if desired a yoga mat, towel, and a pad and pen for notes.
-The Balancing Act
/ Rachel Brice
Sun 11-12:30, Venue TBA
(All Levels)
Belly dance lends itself beautifully to both art and entertainment. In this workshop, we'll focus on the art of razzle-dazzle-entertainment, by working with a choreography crafted for balancing a sword, bowl of fire, tray (or just about anything) on your head. Bring a cheap paperback that you won't mind dropping again and again, as this choreography includes level changes, turns, and fast and furious hip work.
-Includes choreography.
Difficulty/What to bring: All levels welcome, but at least one consecutive year of belly dance practice recommended. Bring a reusable water container, a yoga mat or towel, finger cymbals (zills), a cheap paperback for balancing, and a pad and pen for notes. Please wear layers of stretchy and comfortable clothing.
-Zilltastic Zills
w/ Jewels
Sun 1:30-3p, Viscount Studio A
(All Levels)
If you’re a dancer interested in enhancing their performance with zills, this is the class for you! Learn to incorporate different zill patterns and rhythms into your performance to make it zilltastic. We will practice drills, proper positioning, patterns, rhythms, and how to hit accents with flair. We will also learn some fun zill-able dance combinations and how to dance with both zills and a veil. Our goal will be to stop thinking about the patterns and focus on letting the music shape the way we play. Let’s dance!
Difficulty/What to bring: All levels welcome, but at least one consecutive year of belly dance practice recommended. Bring a reusable water container, finger cymbals (zills), a rectangular silk veil, and if desired a yoga mat, towel, and pad and pen for notes.
-Belly Bootcamp
w/ Bevin Victoria aka Hybrid Bellydance
Sun 1:30-3p, Viscount Studio B
(All Levels)
Combining bellydance form and foundations with a kickin' strength building, body sculpting workout, this workshop will strengthen and bring awareness to those core muscles (Abs, Back, Glutes)- the power center that generates movement in the dancer’s body.
The intention of this workshop is to bring postural awareness and what I call 'kinetic accountability' to your dance or just your fitness plan in general. This means understanding how to generate quality movement and learn the most efficient ways to utilize the energy in your body. Through a dynamic warm up series, drills and basic technique breakdowns, core strengthening and movement specific stretching you'll come away with new and effective ways to cross train for your dance practice and feeling the burn!
Difficulty/What to bring: All levels welcome, and in the producer’s opinion, EVERYONE should take this class! Bring a reusable water container, and if desired a yoga mat, towel, and a pad and pen for notes. Dressing in layers recommended (pants vs. heavy skirt.)
-Rachel’s Roulette
w/ Rachel Brice
1:30-4:30p, Studio Datura
(Advanced Level, 3-hr Intensive)
3 Hours of Totally Unpredictable Instruction and Dancing. In this high-intermediate/advanced level class, prepare to be challenged and above all, HAVE FUN! Be ready for anything, and be prepared to work. We couldn’t think of anything more fun than asking Rachel to hit you with whatever she’s feeling most inspired to teach when August rolls around. We’re leaving the class content entirely in her capable, be-ringed, slightly mischievous hands—open to whatever whims and inspirations may knock on her noggin. (Do we hear evil laughter echoing? What have we gotten ourselves into?!?) There may be chanting, meditation, yoga, breath work, ATS®, finger cymbals, technique, fusion choreography, drills, vocabulary, performance discussion, or all new material in any combination. One thing is certain, you will dance. Come play! Be sure to ‘Like’ the JamBallah NW page on Facebook, to get a chance to submit content requests (NO PROMISES!)
Difficulty/What to bring: Advanced Level Class. Bring a reusable water container, and if desired a yoga mat, towel, a light snack for breaktime, and a pad and pen for notes. Bring comfortable layers of clothing (pants vs. skirts) for warming up and cooling down, finger cymbals (zills) if you have them, and your sense of adventure!
*Purchase Workshops Here!*
FatChanceBellyDance®, FCBD®, ATS® and American Tribal Style®, are federally registered trademarks of FatChanceBellyDance, Inc. For more information, please visit www.fcbd.com/about/legal.shtml
To assist in future promotion, we will have professional photographers working throughout the event, at the workshops, shows, and other festival-specific gatherings. Photographs of festival participants and their guests will be taken and posted on the JamBallah Northwest website, and/or the JamBallah Northwest Facebook page. There is a possibility that your photograph may be taken and so used. We believe that this will enhance the overall experience of festivalgoers, and allow us to properly convey the atmosphere and awesomeness of the festival to the rest of the bellydance community! By attending the JamBallah Northwest festival, both workshops and events, you give your consent to the posting of such photographs by us and waive all rights and claims with respect to the posting of such photographs.
We do recognize an individual's rights to control how their image is portrayed. If you ever object to a specific photo and want it removed, please email info@jamballahnw.com. Be sure to reference the specific photo and include the URL of the page the photo appears on.
Attendees, Please Note--Your Photograph May Be Taken At The JamBallah Northwest Festival.