‘Ahlan wa sahlan’ – Welcome!
Oriental dance or Bellydance is an ancient dance form existing originated in the Middle East. For me, one of the most beautiful aspects of it is it’s transgenerational cultural background. Women have use and still using this dance to celebrate life milestones and enjoy time with family and friends. Mothers, daughters, grandmas, aunties and friends dance together and learn the moves from each other.
In 2005 I had he good fortune to start learning this beautiful art form and I’ve kept it close as my dearest hobby. I’ve been practising bellydance and yoga for around 15 years, which among other practises, have helped me increasing my body awareness, feeling more grounded, confident and getting rid of stress, anxiety. This year I completed a certification in somatic (body-oriented) coaching and have been studying and practising mindfulness for stress relief.
Throughout all this time I have personally enjoyed dance and movement healing properties and benefits for the body, mind and soul; serving as my main motivation to keep learning, dancing and sharing it with other women.
How are this gatherings different from other Bellydance classes?
The Joyful*Soulful Bellydance Gatherings are lovingly crafted from the intention of increasing your physical and mental wellbeing while cultivating meaningful relationships, which means that learning the core steps and improving your technique is a part of the experience but not its main goal since the gatherings are not performance oriented.
For that reason, these sessions are meant to be interactive and social. You won’t be just following and repeating what the facilitator does but will be also invited and encouraged to bring your own flavour to the room, so we can co-create our dance gatherings together with your presence, moves, questions and ideas.
The Joyful*Soulful Bellydance Gatherings also offer you a space for:
- Expanding your somatic (body-oriented) self-awareness
- Feeling more grounded in the present moment through breathing exercises and visualisations, and
- Strengthening your own intuition and creativity
Does this resonate with you?
If you are still not sure, I would say:
This learning & sharing space is for you if you:
- Have an interest in Bellydance (It doesn’t matter your age or if you have previous experience dancing)
- Want to move more are looking for a regular activity to have fun with it!
- Love dancing and want connect more with you body
- Want to socialise and meet new people with similar interests in a safe space
- Are interested in exploring your own intuitive dance and co-create dance and movement with others
- Want to improve your overall wellbeing
Our gatherings are probably not for you if:
- Your main goal is to be trained as a Bellydance performer for shows and competitions
- You are an experienced dancer, and improving your dance technique at a high level and learning full choreographies is your priority
However, even if that’s the case but you’re still curious, please feel welcome to join us and give it a try. You might benefit from these sessions in other aspects you mightn’t have thought about, the only way to know is trying it out! 🙂
How does it work?
When, How long and Where: We gather once a week (with some exceptions) for 1 hour in Dublin City Centre. Specific days and location depend on participants’ and studio availability. I’m currently planning the sessions for November – December 22′.
We are a growing community and some weekends dance gatherings and online sessions will be available soon should there is enough interest. So if you’d like to participate, please get in touch and feel free to spread the word to your friends!
Bookings and availability: The group is intentionally kept relatively small to maintain the quality a intimacy of the gatherings, also due to space limitations there is maximum of 10 places available per session. Bookings are taken monthly and new comer are welcome every week if there availability (first come first served).
Cost: The cost of renting the studio is shared between the number participants (usually €35 – €40/hour), so it’s variable. Currently there’s no additional fix charge for attending but I welcome donations.
Please get in touch for more information about specific dates and location in the coming months.
I look forward to dancing together at our next gatherings!
