The 2014 Schedule is still being finalized. In the meantime, feel free to look at the activities from 2013.
Breaking news! Because Antonina Canal and Bhavani Lee have been added to the teaching schedule and we booked a show at Jivamukti Yoga Center, we have changed the schedule.
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July 3 – Wednesday (Pre-Pre-Conference)
8.30-10.30pm Djam NYC At Jebon
Dance by Elisheva & Hanan w live music by Carmine and Friends
July 4 – Thursday (Pre-Conference)
Sightseeing in NYC!
Statue of Liberty
See NY on a double-decker bus
6.00-7.30pm Dinner (Union Square)
7:30 PM Walk the Highline Park
9:20 PM Fireworks!
July 5 – Friday
9.30-10.00am Registration
10.00-10.50am Connect and Play w Kaeshi Chai & Lourdes Robles
11.00-12.00pm Dynamic Flow w Kaeshi Chai
12.00-1.30pm ATS Slow & Fast Moves w Myra Krien (NM)
1.45-2.45pm Lunchtime Discussion Panel “PURE Perspective” with Kaeshi Chai & Misha Nell
3.00-4.00pm Sacred Circle Dance w Nada Khodlova (DVD Launch)
4.00-5.30pm Awaken Your Inner Goddess with Antonina Canal
7.00-9.00pm Private Tour through the Metropolitan Museum of Art w Professor Nancy Eder
July 6 – Saturday
10.00-11.30am Triple Power Movement Meditation w Kierra Foster-Ba, Sherry Paris & Brian Nell
11.30-12.30pm ATS Group Improvisation w Myra Krien (NM)
12.45-1.45pm Lunchtime Discussion Panel ”How to Create and Run a Group”
2.00-3.30pm PURE Performance Rehearsal with Kaeshi & Misha
4.30-6.00pm Nature Walk through Central Park led by Dalia Carella.
8.30-10.30pm Performance at Jivamukti Yoga w Live Music
July 7 – Sunday
10.00-11.30am Archetype + FLOW with Hanan
11.30-1.00pm Devi Moves w Bhavani Lee
1.15-2.15pm Lunchtime Discussion Panel “Bellydance Activism”
2.30-4.00pm Chakra Dance w Antonina Canal
7.30-9.30pm Je’bon Hafla, Jebon 15 Saint Marks Pl, lower level, NYC
All Day – BradMack leads bellydance husband/boyfriend/partner activities
ie. Bike riding, drinking beer, throwing frisbies
Cost
Met Museum by Donation
Wednesday Djam NYC $10
Saturday Performance at Jivamukti Yoga $15
Sunday PURE Hafla at Jebon, $10
Lunchtime Discussion Panel $10
1 hour workshops $20, $25 after June 18th
1.5 hour workshops $28, $35 after June 18th
1 day (incl workshops & panel) $75, $95 after June 18th
2 day (incl workshops & panel) $120, $150 after June 18th
3 days (incl workshops & panel), $150, $175 after June 18th
Workshops & lunchtime discussion panels are at NOLA Studios, 250 West 54th St, 5th floor, Studio 5, New York, NY
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Descriptions (In Schedule Order)
FRIDAY JULY 5TH
CONNECT & PLAY w Kaeshi Chai & Lourdes Robles
Break the ice and get to know the other conference participants with fun, engaging games.
DYNAMIC FLOW w Kaeshi Chai
Experience universal flow through dynamic dance moves.
ATS SLOW & FAST MOVES w Myra Krien (NM)
Learn signature American Tribal Style slow and fast movements.
LUNCHTIME PANEL DISCUSSION: PURE PERSPECTIVE w Kaeshi Chai & Misha Nell
Overview of PURE and it’s chapters since it’s inception in 2004. Kaeshi & Misha will share what lessons they have learned along the way, from organizing dancers, musicians to looking for locations for performance and finding compatible causes to team up with.
SACRED CIRCLE DANCE w Nada Khodlova (DVD Launch)
Dance in community through traditional Balkan, Greek, Rom, Armenian, Near Eastern and modern sacred circle dances. Throughout all ages and cultures, traditional circle dances were used to honor the divine, to heal, to affirm connection to the earth and each other, to build community and celebrate rites of passages and life transitions. The danced patterns illuminate the web of these connections. It is where personal and universal healing can occur. We will use the traditional dances as a platform for heightening awareness of body/self, self to community and self to cosmos. We will examine the dances on multiple levels to indulge in these connections. Our dances will reconnect us into an ancient way of honoring the earth’s rhythms. We will seek not only guidance from the dances but from those who created these dances, the ancestors of the dances. The wisdom of the ancient ones are held within the dances. As we attentively dance and plug into this wisdom we reweave ourselves into the time honored web of life. The dances are joyful, meditative, mournful, full of beauty, longing, life and celebration!
AWAKEN YOUR INNER GODDESS w Antonina Canal
Learn to discover the goddess within, awakening female energy through Oriental dance.
Heal the archetypes of female energy in society: the machismo warrior, the silicone doll, the intellectual, the victim.
Empowering the Goddess on all levels: Sensuality and wisdom, power and compassion, love and laughter, passion and connection. Learn to dance in harmony with the many arms of the goddess, becoming one integrated whole.
PRIVATE ART TOUR THROUGH THE METROPOLITAN MUSEUM w Nancy Eder
Art professor, lecturer and PURE NYC dancer, Nancy Eder leads a special tour sharing her all time favorite images of dancers from the Metropolitan Museum of Art. We will journey through the Temple of Dendur, see Indian Goddesses plus much more. Met at 7.00pm sharp at the Great Hall near the information desk, Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1000 Fifth Avenue, at 82nd St, New York, NY, www.metmuseum.org
Please register because spots are limited. Priority will be given to conference participants.
SATURDAY JULY 6th
TRIPLE POWER MOVEMENT MEDITATION
Experience 3 powerful practices to heal and connect.
5 RHYTHMS w Kierra Foster-Ba
The 5 Rhythms is a moving meditation founded and trademarked by Gabrielle Roth in the1960s. There are no steps to learn or follow, so the dancer is free to improvise and experiment. Structure is provided by the rhythms themselves. This means that dancing a wave in the company of other people can be both deeply personal and an intimately shared experience, regardless of each individual’s dancing experience or physical ability. You don’t need to think or worry about what you are doing, just relax and surrender to the wisdom of your body. www.gabrielleroth.com
GUIDED MEDITATION w Sherry Paris
Movement and Sound Meditations will get us into our bodies and spirits to connect with ourselves and each other. We will create a safe and sacred space through breath, gentle movement, and sound. All are encouraged to attend this opening session. No prior meditation experience needed for this non-denominational session. Comfortable clothing to allow movement is best.
TAI-CHI w Brian Nell
In this introductory workshop, we will study some of the basic fundamentals of Tai Chi through a short choreography and several small exercises. The benefits of Tai Chi for dancers can include improvement in balance, footwork, and stepping, making this art extremely valuable for dance performance. Tai Chi is a gentle healing art; it is an excellent way to open up the joints and stretch the tendons which allows for greater mobility and greatly replenishes the energy lost through dancing.
ATS GROUP IMPROVISATION w Myra Krien
Learn to improvise with a group using slow and fast moves.
LUNCHTIME PANEL DISCUSSION: HOW TO CREATE AND RUN A GROUP w Kaeshi Chai, Melissa Nell & Myra Krien
Examine the pros and cons of different models for structuring bellydance groups from student to professional, commercial to non-commercial.
PURE PERFORMANCE REHEARSAL w Kaeshi Chai & Misha Nell
Review and practice PURE choreography for performance in Central Park and at Jivamukti Yoga.
NATURE WALK THROUGH CENTRAL PARK
Discover hidden waterfalls and trails in Central Park that most native New Yorkers do not know about.
Meet at 4.30pm sharp at Starbucks, 1491 Lexington Ave, on the corner of 96th St next to the (6) subway stop.
Call 917-515-0168 to get a live update about where the group is.
PERFORMANCE AT JIVAMUKTI YOGA CENTER
Dance by Kaeshi Chai, Antonina Canal, Myra Krien, Bhavani Lee and Jorja Rivero plus PURE (Public Urban Ritual Experiment)
Live music by Beatbox Guitar and BradMack
Hosted by Bhavani Lee & Jorja Rivero
841 Broadway, 2nd Floor between 13th and 14th St, New York, NY
SUNDAY JULY 7TH
ARCHETYPE + FLOW w Hanan
Igniting the unconscious/entering the FLOW state/creating dynamic performance/ through the use of archetype, improvisation, personal narrative, voice and gesture. Emphasis on beledi build up and taksim.
DEVI MOVES w Bhavani Lee
Ladies time to move like a Bollywood Goddess! Devi Moves brings Ancient Indian dance, sensual Bollywood movements, Yoga and Meditation together creating a gentle and healing way to connect with your body.
LUNCHTIME PANEL DISCUSSION: BELLYDANCE ACTIVISM w Kaeshi Chai, Misha Nell, Tiffany Hanan, Myra Krien
Did you know your shimmy can help save a life, end hunger, and protect the environment? We all know the art of dance can tell a story and make music come to life, and certainly can inspire wonder and awe…but it can also attract attention and be used as a vehicle to champion causes and as a tool to help others. Discover creative ways to engage the community through bellydance, moving beyond performing at haflas and shows to seeking out charity based performance venues and arranging special events to benefit causes.
Misha will guide participants through developing a grassroots based event, connecting with potential sponsors and partners, seeking out free marketing and information materials such as handouts for distribution at the event, and how to create interactive ways to engage the audience during the performance. Misha will also provide tips and techniques on how to excite your troupe members and other local dancers into “giving back,” developing a tight-knit dance family outside of the stage as well as on it.
Hanan, the Founder of the hanan arts cooperative and the Executive/Artistic Director of the Mideastern Dance Exchange, 501c3 will share how she brings Bellydance as an empowerming and bodyworlding aesthetic form to underserved areas and marginalized communities. Projects have included extensive residencies in local prisons, women’s shelters and adjudicated youth programs. Oud Xamayca is the current project, working with orphaned young ladies in Kingston, Jamaica. Another project under this umbrella is the Bellydance Cuba project, which led to Grupo Aisha al Hanan and other groups and projects in Havana, Cuba. Hanan’s mission is to offer an intercultural, collaborative approach to bellydance as an activist, political and aesthetic interrogation of power, gender and healing.
Kaeshi Chai (PURE NYC) will talk about PURE Reflections Beauty Reimagined, a full length dance theater show about expanding beauty beyond the narrow confines of the media. This was created in partnership with a local high school with teens and adult dancers.
Myra Krien (SEEDs): Self Esteem and Empowerment through Dance
The mission of SEEDs is to mentor young women in order to create healthy and strong individuals who are socially and fiscallly responsible to them-selves and their community. This is accomplished trhough the vehicle of dance, specifacally American Tribal Style dance, talking circles, journal writing and presentations. They are taught the elements of American Tribal Style dance, a rich diverse artistic, cultural dance form that spans the regions of India, the Middle East, North Africa and Spain, and its expression through the varied and complex music of these same cultures. The girls participate in talking circles and journal writing during which they discuss issues affecting them. Each girl indentifies a personal goal that she would like to achieve during the course of the program. Guest speakers cover a wide range of topics from nutrition and body awareness to financial education. Many successful women of various fields that are of particular interest to the girls address the girls each week. There are four Student Salons (student performances) each session. Entrance into the program does not depend on demonstrated talen, standard beauty, or ability to pay the fees the program would require.
CHAKRA DANCE w Antonina Canal
Learn the colors, meaning and importance of each chakra and how to activate the energy centers of the body through dance. We remember and honor the High Priestesses of Egypt that danced for enlightenment. The dance of the 7 veils means the dance of the 7th chakras. Remove the veils of the ego and connect with your PURE essence and manifest it into a joyful dance of life.
PURE HAFLA AT JEBON
Featuring the talents of PURE conference attendees
Jebon, 15 Saint Marks Place, lower level, New York, NY
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Instructor Biographies (Alphabetical Order)
ANTONINA CANAL
Antonina is the director of Prem Shakti School of Oriental dance in Colombia and pioneer of healing through dance. She created the Prem Shakti System: the art of healing and celebrating feminine energy throughout the world through Oriental, Indian, Egyptian and Gypsy dances. She has produced 15 International Festivals, 400 shows in top theaters of Latin America, has more than 5000 students, 6 dvds, teaches in Cairo, Egypt at the Ahlan Wa Sahlan Festival since 2008, won 1st place choreography at Ahlan Wa Sahlan 2012, was awarded BIT WOMAN ( intelligence, courage and hard work) awarded by the Colombian news paper El Tiempo.
BHAVANI LEE
Raised in the unique environment of an ashram in upstate New York, Bhavani was nurtured by the universal practices of yoga and meditation. These childhood experiences, shared with some of the world’s greatest masters of music, dance and yoga, directly influenced Bhavani’s desire to become immersed within the arts of expression. Beginning with the study of Kathak classical Indian dance, Bhavani took quickly to other forms of expression that include flamenco, contemporary dance and theatre. She has since trained at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in NYC and with the most respected Kathak dance masters in India, including Pt. Birju Maharaj, Smt. Maya Rao and Pt. Satya Narayana Charka. With such a deep well of spiritual and physical training and experience, Bhavani’s work is unbound. She uses each method or style as a means to express and articulate a story; her versatile performances are tied together by a graceful force and simple vision of the unity between mind, body, and soul. Bhavani’s recent work has included choreography and performance for fashion shows in NYC, film, and theatre, including a touring role as a principle dancer and performer in the worldwide production of Cirque du Soleil’s Dralion. www.bhavanilee.net
BRIAN NELL
Brian Nell is a fourth degree blackbelt in Pangai Noon Kungfu and is a certified instructor in three forms of Tai Chi and Qigong. He has traveled the world to study his art and is a sought after instructor, having taught in China, Japan, and throughout his home state of Florida. Brian is currently combining his studies in martial arts with an exploration of the internal healing arts by pursuing a Doctorate of Oriental Medicine.
HANAN
Drawing from an extensive technical background in acting, writing, contemporary and ethnic dance coupled with her diverse ethnic make-up and global experience, hanan is one of the most unique and compelling Middle Eastern dancers in America today. Hanan has proven to be an avant-garde and non-conformist artist in the Middle Eastern dance arena. For this reason, the Miami Herald describes her as ” [a] dominant voice in contemporary dance here”. The Miami Herald has also described her as “bold”,”charismatic”, “eclectic” and a dancer that possesses “powerful body and skill”. Encuentro Magazine from Madrid, Spain described her “as a dancer that comes from where one can touch the rooftop of the world.” Yousry Sharif, Artistic Director of the Egyptian Academy of Oriental Dance in New York City, says “[hanan] can easily pass as a native dancer [Egypt].” “This is no easy task.” http://www.hanan4peace.com
KAESHI CHAI
Kaeshi was born in Brunei and brought up in New Zealand and Australia. She co-founded the New York-based dance company Bellyqueen with Amar Gamal in 1998 and is its artistic director. In 2004, Kaeshi also co-founded PURE (Public Urban Ritual Experiment) [www.pureglobe.org], an international community of dancers and musicians, which has rapidly spread into many branches all over the US and internationally. Kaeshi has performed and taught all over the world, including the US, Canada, Europe, Mexico, Carribean, Australia, South America and throughout Asia. In 2003-2004, she performed with the first professional touring bellydance company in the world, the Bellydance Superstars and held the position of dance captain for the 2004 US & Canadian Spring tour. She is a guest soloist with Kenji William’s Bella Gaia, Ahmet Luleci’s Collage, and is a principal dancer with Jillina’s Bellydance Evolution. She has danced with Natacha Atlas, at BAM, Summerstage, and on the TV shows, Conan O’Brian and Blue Peter. Kaeshi is a 200 hour certified Yoga instructor through Yogaworks and has a degree in Visual Communication from the University of Technology, Sydney. In her spare time, Kaeshi studies Mandarin, Robbins-Madanes Strategic Intervention, enjoys traveling, and getting foot massages. kaeshi@bellyqueen.com | kaeshi.com
KIERRA FOSTER-BA
Kierra Foster-Ba has studied the 5Rhythms® with Gabrielle Roth, the founder, for 15+ years. Kierra appears in Gabrielle’s Power Wave video and in the documentary “Dances of Ecstasy”. She also dances with PURE (Public Urban Ritual Experiment) an international organization of artists devoted to using belly dance to promote peace and end suffering. Kierra has been offering 5Rhythms® classes in New York City since 2008 and recently led workshops in Brasil as part of the Terra Deusa festival.
LOURDES ROBLES
Lourdes is a NYC based actress and artist. She has studied acting with Groundling’s founder Gary Austin, and Second City’s Michael Gellman, and has performed in numerous stages throughout New York City. She has also studied different forms of dance, such as latin, world fusion and meditational dance. Most recently Lourdes co-wrote a theatrical piece titled “Dear Mr. President”, which she performed at AND’s 4th GO SOLO, festival of solo works-in-progress.
If you want to know more about Lourdes, please visit
www.LourdesRoblesPerformanceArts.com.
To find out more about Lourdes’ visual arts projects and works please go to www.LRLconcepts.com.
MISHA NELL
Misha is a bellydance instructor and performer based in Sarasota, Florida. A “jill of all trades,” Misha delights in performing and studying many different forms of bellydance and has trained in both oriental and tribal styles, expanding her repertoire to foster a diverse understanding of the art. Misha’s true passion in the dance is teaching and she is especially intent on sharing the cultural history of the art, and has been certified Levels 1 & 2 in Sahra Saeeda’s Journey Through Egypt in order to do so. Misha has performed throughout the state, enjoying both professional stage theater shows as well as being the house dancer at three restaurants, where she brings a candid humor and sparkle to her performances. With a background in theater, visual art, and education, she has brought belly dance to a variety of non-traditional venues including two years touring as the house dancer with Elysian Sex Drive, a long standing favorite of the Sarasota rock and indy music scene. In 2009, Misha founded PURE Sarasota in order to offer local dancers an option to share their dance with the world beyond the usual venues of haflas and shows, and has become known for her ability to build groups which can dance, play, and act together to make a positive impact on their community.
MYRA KRIEN
Myra is a renowned Middle Eastern dance artist, an international performer, choreographer and teacher of belly dance. Myra has performed on some of Americas most prestigious stages, toured internationally, performed for PBS and Japanese television and been reviewed by national publications such as Dance Magazine, Bliss and the Santa Fean. After returning to her home in Santa Fe, New Mexico she opened her school of dance, Pomegranate Studios, founded Pomegranate SEEDs (Self-esteem, Empowerment and Education through Dance) a non-profit youth mentorship program and her state-of-the-art fitness program Funk-Ex. http://pomegranatestudio.org
NADA KHODLOVA
Nada Khodlova MA BC-DMT LCAT is a Board Certified Dance Movement Therapist and Licensed Creative Arts Therapist. Nada has worked in the human services field for the last 17 years in a variety of settings including mental health clinics, nursing homes, day treatment centers, homeless shelters, and school/community based programs. Presently, Nada works as a Supervisor of Psychiatric Rehabilitation and Dance/Movement Therapist on an acute adult inpatient psychiatric unit in the North Bronx. Nada has danced with the Duncan Dance Collective, Rina Rinkewich/Return of the Sun, PURE, and the Thais Mazur Dance Company. Nada has facilitated Ritual Dance for wonderful venues such as “Celebrating the Mythic Life” conference, Dance New England Camp and weekend, Deborah Roth’s New Moon Sister Circle, and Chapel of the Sacred Mirrors, COSM. Nada has trained with Laura Shannon in a 2 year Women’s Ritual Dance intensive program and received a certification. Presently, Nada is studying with Hawksbrother Kirouana in the art and healing practice of Shamanism. Nada is of Czech-Croatian heritage and has experienced many gifts of homecoming through these dances. She hopes to honor the wisdom and potency of these dances and to pass this on to others. Nada provides caring, compassionate individual Dance/Movement Psychotherapy in the Hudson Valley and NYC area. Her continued awe at her clients inate deep levels of healing, resilience, and widsom guides and inspires her everyday life and practice. Nada is deeply grateful for all who have guided her on this path.
NANCY EDER
Nancy Eder holds a B.A. from New York University, where she majored in the History of Fine Arts and minored in East Asian Studies. Her M.A. is from the Institute of Fine Arts, New York University, where she concentrated in Chinese Art History. She completed the course work for her Ph.D. at the Ohio State University, where she majored in South Asian Art History and minored in Buddhist Art and Contemporary Art/Theory and Criticism. Starting in August 2006, Ms. Eder is an Adjunct Instructor in the History of Art Department at the Fashion Institute of Technology, where she teaches East Asian Art and Civilization as well as the Art and Civilization of India. She also was an Adjunct Instructor at the City College of New York from August 1999 through December 2009, teaching Western Art History surveys, Indian and Southeast Asia art history as well as the Art of China and Japan. Starting in March 2000, Ms. Eder is a Contractual Lecturer in the Education Department of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, where she gives tours for Adult Groups, presents Gallery Talks and also teaches for Family Programs.
SHERRY PARIS
Sherry is the facilitator of PURE Philly. She enjoys discovering the divine within and in the world. She loves to share her joy through guided meditation, dance, and energy. Sherry has been studying Middle Eastern dance for 20 years.
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