Class Schedule

Mondays:
Inter/Adv Belly Dance: 7:00-8:15 PM
By invitation only

Tuesdays: (Starts Aug. 20, 2013)
Youth Belly Dance 10+: 7:00-8:00 PM: Balance

Wednesdays:
Beg/Inter Belly Dance: 6:00-7:00 PM: Galaxy
Flexibility: 7:00-8:00 PM: Galaxy

Thursdays (Starts Aug. 22, 2013)
Intro to Belly Dance: 7:00-8:00 PM: Balance
Beg/Inter Belly Dance: 8:00-9:00 PM: Balance

Galaxy Dance Studios
1700 S. Lamar Ste. 338
Austin, Texas 78704
Please purchase classes through Galaxy Dance Studio

Balance Dance Studios
4454 S. Lamar Blvd. Building 200
(Across from Central Market South)
Austin, TX 78745
512.215.8727
Please purchase classes through Balance Dance Studios

Amara is available for Private Instruction/Coaching and Workshops. Please contact her to set up a day and time. (512) 694-3679 or e-mail Amara for more information.

Bellates
Amara brings together a unique combination of Belly dance, Pilates, Yoga, and Ballet to create a fun and dynamic workout. Students will strengthen and tone their muscles, increase their flexibility, and fortify their posture alignment.
Drop-ins are always welcomed.

Flexibility
Whether you are a professional or recreational dancer, we all have goals of increasing flexibility, finding balance, and reducing pain and stress. Stretching reinforces healthy posture and body alignment. It also helps to prevent injury and elevate pain and stress. In this class, Amara employs many different methods of stretching, such as those which warm you up, cool you down, aid in relaxation, increase muscle and joint flexibility, and improve your mind and body connections. She takes a comprehensive approach by stretching the whole body but also takes requests in order for you to reach your goals.
Drop-ins are always welcomed.

Youth Belly Dance Class
Learn the beautiful and dynamic art of belly dance in a fun and supportive atmosphere. Explore Middle Eastern dance by developing a strong foundation in posture, isolation techniques, muscle control, choreographic sequences, and musicality. In addition, you will learn terminology and the history of Middle Eastern and Belly Dance. Each class includes dynamic warm up, technique, choreography or improvisation, and cool down.

Introduction to Belly Dance
No dance experience is required! This class is for students new to belly dance and those who want to refresh skills or practice the basics. Explore Middle Eastern dance by developing a strong foundation in posture, isolation techniques, muscle control, choreographic sequences, and musicality. In addition, you will learn terminology and the history of Middle Eastern and Belly Dance. Each class includes dynamic warm up, technique, choreography or improvisation, and cool down.
It is recommended that students take the whole series, but drop-ins are always welcomed.

Beginner/Intermediate Belly Dance Series
This class is designed for students that have taken the introductory belly dance or already have a foundation in belly dance. Each series focuses on a different topic, such as choreography, improvisation tools, props (e.g. sword, veil, and stick), floorwork, and zils (finger cymbals). Continue to work on fundamentals while expanding your vocabulary and overall comprehension of dance in terms of grace, conditioning, endurance, and presentation. Each class includes dynamic warm up, technique, choreography or improvisation, and cool down.
It is recommended that students take the whole series, but drop-ins are always welcomed.

Intermediate/Advanced Belly Dance Series
This class is designed for students that have a strong foundation and are ready to go to the next level. There is an emphasis on mastering high level material and developing personal dance styles. Each series focuses on a different topic, such as choreography, improvisation tools, props (e.g. sword, veil, and stick), floorwork, zils (finger cymbals), performance techniques, and creating dance. Continue to build upon fundamentals by combining layers, shimmies, and travelling steps with grace and refinement. Each class includes dynamic warm up, technique, choreography or improvisation, and cool down.
It is recommended that students take the whole series, but drop-ins are always welcomed.

The Art of Beautiful Veil
The Veil is a wonderful dance partner. It can expand your sense of being farther into space and adds texture and breath. Learn moves and phrases that will keep any audience enthralled and mesmerized. Each class includes dynamic warm up, technique, choreography or improvisation, and cool down.
Please bring a standard 3 yard rectangular veil.

Beg/Inter: Learn technique to moves, such as wraps, throws, swishes, throws, circles, and turns

Inter/Adv: Learn technique to moves, such as figure eights, envelopes, one-arm circles, circles within circles, and spins

Drills and Zils
Zils (finger cymbals) are a great way to add life to any performance. Learn drills that teach how zil patterns, rhythms, and movements easily relate. Take your playing to new heights by playing with various parts of the music, such as beat, rhythm, and melody to create dynamic and musically creative performances. Each class includes dynamic warm up, technique, choreography or improvisation, and cool down.

Please bring zils.

Vintage American Belly Dance Floorwork
Belly dancers during the 1960s and 1970s reinvigorated the art of Floorwork, the segment of a dance routine in which a performer displays her strength and flexibility. Learn these graceful and powerful movements in the Classical Belly Dance style. This workshop includes exercises and stretches to condition dancers to safely perform these movements. Adjustments and variations will also be given to students of any fitness level. Each class includes dynamic warm up, technique, choreographic phrase/improvisation tools, and cool down. Students should bring soft, flexible kneepads and a yoga mat.

Beg/Inter Choreography: Entrance
Learn choreography to the beautiful and classic song “Zeina” or "Mashaal" by renowned composer Mohammed Abdel Wahab. Move through flowing isoloations, exciting floor patterns, shimmies, and tempo changes. Each class includes dynamic warm up, technique, choreographic phrase to the dance, and cool down.

Inter/Adv Choreography: Entrance
Learn choreography to the beautiful and classic song “Leylet Hob” by renowned composer Mohammed Abdel Wahab. Move through flowing undulations, exciting floor patterns, layered shimmies, and tempo changes. Each class includes dynamic warm up, technique, choreographic phrase to the dance, and cool down.

Improvisation: Entrances
Explore the intricate connections between dance and music in an entrance section. Learn how to listen to music in order to become a visual presentation by understanding floor space, floor patterns, instrumentation, phrasing, and musical structures. Each class includes dynamic warm up, technique, improvisation tools, and cool down.

Improvisation: The Art of Taqsim
Taqsim is a transcendental moment in which dancer and musician are improvising as one. Learn improvisational techniques that allow you to flow with a musician’s improvisation of melody and rhythm. Amara will guide you through an exploration of movement qualities, such speed, size, weight, and qualities so you can embody and portray the music while expanding your current vocabulary. Each class includes dynamic warm up, technique, improvisation tools, and cool down.

Beg/Inter: This level also includes an introduction to Middle Eastern instruments that covers how they look and sound. In addition, it explores ways in which instrumentation impacts your dance choices.

Inter/Adv: This level includes more difficult instrumentation that expects layering shimmies and flow seamlessly together. In addition, it trains dancers to focus on the melody instead of an accompanied repeating rhythm.

Improvisation: Phrases and Transitions
Improvisation is based upon your body deciding in the moment how to move within a dance’s aesthetics and flow with the music and audience’s response. In this workshop, we will practice moving from one step to another in order to develop variety in your improvisations. We will begin by creating an arsenal of moves that visually present a phrase’s characteristics (instrument, melody, rhythm, and beat). Then, we will use this material to explore transitions which includes, solidifying where a movement starts and ends, knowing which moves begin weighted or un-weighted, cultivating your weaker side, responding to nuances in the music, and dancing fluidly in the moment.

Private Instruction/Coaching is a vital aspect of any dancer’s studies and career. It allows the student to develop and accomplish personal goals with the guidance of a mentor. The student receives personal attention and improves faster than taking group classes alone. During private instruction, a teacher can gear lessons specifically towards the manner in which the student learns and accommodate any special needs and limitations. The teacher also reinforces good skills and quickly fixes issues as they come up.  In addition, the student learns how to practice and stays motivated to dance.

Reading Class
A class in which we read and discuss articles and books about the vast array of Middle Eastern dance genres found around the world. In addition to presenting information about the dance, the class will focus on students enriching their analytical tools and vocabulary for reading, describing, and discussing dance and its social contexts.

Video Class
A class in which we watch Middle Eastern dance videos covering the vast array of genres found around the world. In addition to presenting information about the dance and dancer, the class will focus on students enriching their analytical tools and vocabulary for observing, describing, and discussing dance and its social contexts.

For upcoming workshop listings, please visit Amara's Calendar page

Workshop Offerings

Amara has a variety of workshops and seminars that she can teach to any size group or experience level. Classes are offered in:

• Combinations & Technique
• Props
• Choreography
• Improvisation
• Experimental (X-MED)
• Teacher and Production Training

Click here for more details!