Stuck in choreography? Wish your students could improvise? Wish you could improvise?

Dancers are often afraid to improvise, preferring the safety of choreography. Yet improv is a core skill for belly dance!

So how do we teach this? Can improv even be taught? Is there no hope?

Yes, there’s hope!

Alia Thabit is a specialist in improvisation and improv-based composition, and the coming months are a celebration of improvisation! From local classes and workshops to an online webinar and forum-based course, the time has come to open ourselves up to the music and see what comes out!

Alia dancing improvisation — Photo credit: Ben de Florio

Here are our upcoming events:

Cairo Cabaret, July 14. 2019

Workshops in Northampton MA:

Effortless Improv + Micro-Movement
11 am-12:15 pm
Improvisation is a core skill for belly dance, but so many folks just learn choreography–which makes it even harder to learn improvisation! Through tested strategies such as Micro-Movement, Rhythmic Breath, Slow Movement, and Creative Limitation, students will learn how to access limitless movement options, turn off anxiety and self-judgement, and turn on their intuitive response to the music.

Spontaneous Construction—complex, exciting easy-to-remember group dances–in about an hour.
1-2:15 pm
In this class, we will learn how to build fast, fun, group dances–in about an hour. Dances that are complex, interactive, and easy to remember; dances that leave room for each dancer’s personal expression, with every cue drenched in feeling and meaning so dancers are free to embody the music in a more organic way. Full process notes will be included.

Full day- $70; Single Workshop $40
Bonus– all workshop attendees are invited to participate in an online book club discussion her book Midnight at the Crossroads. Still a few spaces left. Join here: https://www.sahinabellydance.com/workshops-with-alia.html/

Cairo Cabaret Show
5-8 pm at American Legion Post 275 in Chicopee (see map below)
The show is hosted by Troupe Hazine and is open to the public. Cover is $8.

Webinar: How to Teach Improvisation for Oriental Dance

August 4th at 2PM Eastern. $15 includes includes notes and follow-up. I will be teaching a few classes for the Belly Dance Business Academy, starting with this webinar. It’s pointed at teachers, but students will also get a lot out of it. Signup coming soon. Info is here.

Raq-On Studio Classes

Aug-September, White River Junction, VT. Focus on improv. Sold out, sorry.

Effortless Improv: a 6-week online improvisation crash course

Sunday, August 25 through Friday October 4th, 2019

Effortless Improv explores improvisation including Dancing to Live Music.
You can learn to improvise. You can learn to feel the music. It’s a skill, and you can learn it.
Designed for those who want to learn or teach improvisation.
Check it out here! Still a few early-bird seats left… https://aliathabit.com/classes/effortless/