Here are a few things I offer. (most involve technique class - some can include choreography)
Old Style (dance not the beer), many don't know what this is - it is what I learned way back in the 70's. Mostly from first generation immigrants to America. It has few or no modern, jazz, or ballet influences. This training is why I am so energetic & in touch with my music. I am able to dance it from my soul.
Ghwazee, anyone in SCA knows about this one. Here I pull from my past research into the dance, people, and culture. This style can be very strenous - the shimmied hip roll with a drop accent comes to mind. This may appeal only to a small group - not many want the history - they only want to dance.
Turkish Orientale, What can I say about this one? Modern Club mix has nothing on good Turkish Orientale ! It is upbeat, energetic, and demanding! Articulate hipwork, exploring spins & turns, tight footwork, abs & corework. Not a class for beginners - not for the faint hearted (Turkish Drops, knee spins, and Turkish ab circles play here). I strongly recommend the use of knee pads or matts to absorb the shock - this one can be dangerous - but hey it is fun!
American Cabaret, very misunderstood style. This is what we did in the 70's and 80's (before we knew better and all learned modern Egyptian style) It is the typical seven part stage show. As the solo featured dancer at an Arabic-American club you would present a full routine - usually 20 minutes of dance. God, were we underpaid then? Some would dance for just tips and a meal! Seven part consists of Fast Intro, Medium speed, slow/rhumba, floorwork, drum solo, prop, and then fast exit for tip taking. Of course the dancer could mix it up however she and the band wanted. The two set items were the intro and the tips - always had to be first and last.
Fantasy? I place undocumented dance styles here. Such as Pharonic Egyptian candles. Goddess style falls here also. Please don't misunderstand me - I said undocumentable - I know of only a few truly ancient texts that refer to these dances and they do not describe the dance in enough detail to know exactly what was done and how. Therefore, what we do today is only a speculation of what the ancients danced. In this style one has almost total freedom. This does appeal to many of the new dancers. They tend to be searching for an outlet in their lives a need to become attached to a spirit beyond themselves. An escape from their daily lives and routine.
Rhythms & styles. How do you pulse Saidi? Khalegee? Ghwazee? Hey! it's all Greek to me?!? And by the way just what is Berber? Often it is the little details that make or break the illusion of a dance out of culture. Here you will learn the main differences of styles and how to present them. It is the first step in taking your dance out of the present into the past. Out of America into the Middle East. It takes a special dancer to want to learn the polish to be able to move and dance like a native. When you get it right you and your audience know it. Nothing makes me feel prouder than when a native Middle Easterner tells me I took him home for a moment - he saw his mother, sisters, aunts, etc. in my dancing. This class is the beginning of a hard road to achieve that goal.
A Master's class. This is a very limited highly focused subject. This is more lecture than dance - it deals with how to be a professional. What to expect when you take that leap from student to teacher to pro! How to run a business, a studio, dealing with the public. The pros and cons . . . the pitfalls to avoid . . . the situations that will occur . . . how to keep your sanity, self-esteem, and most important of all your own life and soul in one piece. Always through it all remember we do this for love. . . for fun . . . what? for money? Well, two out of three isn't bad!
