Art of the Belly Teacher

DETAILED WORKSHOP DESCRIPTIONS
DATES/TIMES
BIOS

SILVIA

BIO
Kenzie is a second-generation belly dancer from Buffalo, NY. Kenzie’s journey into Middle Eastern dance began as a child when she would follow her mother, Faaria, to belly dance classes and performances just to watch. She began taking Faaria’s classes as a teen and quickly realized that this dance form was her calling. Kenzie earned her BFA in Dance from SUNY Fredonia and now serves as the assistant director of Oasis Dance Center in Buffalo, NY. Kenzie was honored to bring home the silver medal in the Professional category at the Euro Crown Competition in Thessaloniki, Greece (October 2016) and 1st place in the Professional Cabaret
category at the East Coast Classic Festival & Competition in Virginia (January 2017) In 2020, Kenzie was selected as a member of the European cast of Bellydance Evolution;The Jungle Book and performed in the world premiere in Hanover, Germany. She is thrilled to be teaching two workshops at Art of the Belly 2024!
Website: www.kenzie.dance
Facebook page: www.facebook.com/kenziebellydance
Instagram: @kenzie_bellydance

Webdesign & Graphics by Mickey Gibson

Kenzie

Silvia SAlamancA

Jo Wall

KENZIE

JO WALL

AndAOne
Not sure where to start with cymbals? Struggling to find the downbeat? This workshop is great for beginners or intermediate cymbal players who are looking to start their cymbal journey or start fine tuning their musicality and cymbal playing. We still start with an introduction to Jamila Salimpours unique cymbal format and then integrate them into combos to get you moving and grooving in no time. Already feeling confident with your cymbals? Jump in and get some optional layers to challenge your dancing!

BIO

Jo Wall is New Jersey dancer with a home away from home in the DelMarVa area. She’s an extroverts extrovert who brings energy and feeling everywhere she goes. She’s a part of the Salimpour Online Institute and trains in multiple styles of dance, including Egyptian, Turkish, West African as well as studies in modern and contemporary dancing.

Jo studied regularly at The Drum and Dance Learning Center with Kim Leary for many years and has become certified as an Intermediate 300 level dancer under the Salimpour Institute and is working on her 400 Performance level certification. Her enthusiasm for training has taken her across the country and even across the world to sharpen her skills and hone her craft.

Known for her love of lifting- she brings quads as big as her personality to the floor and a love of body awareness as much as a passion for drills and cymbals. She performs regularly at local restaurants as well as private parties and teaches a variety of workshops through the tri-state area.

Modern Dance for Belly Dancers – All levels
Enrich the dynamic range of your dance and explore new ways to think about movement! While training in western dance forms is by no means a requirement for belly dancers, exploring modern dance concepts is a wonderful way to find new approaches to your dance.
Kenzie will lead you through a series of movement exercises and we’ll discover how these
concepts transcend dance style with two short combinations. No modern dance/western dance experience is needed for this workshop. All levels of belly dancers will benefit from the concepts presented in this workshop!

Old is Gold – Vintage Combos - Intermediate/Advanced level
Join Kenzie for a workshop that is focused on vintage styling! We will travel back in time and
explore angles, movement pathways and movement qualities that are reminiscent of Golden
Era and vintage belly dance, and put everything together into combinations inspired by some of
the most beloved stars from these time periods.

The fire of the Spanish gitanas: a Spanish skirt routine (a modern twist for an ancient art). (all levels) Have you ever wondered how the gitanas (Spanish women whose dance evolved into flamenco) get to leave everyone speechless when they dance with their skirts? Now you have the chance to find out! In this workshop we will break down the skirt work that united with the arm movements, posture and expression will build up a brand new routine designed to catch the room on fire! Bring a skirt and you best ole!!

Creating a beautiful balancing act: an original sword routine In this workshop we will learn a full choreography using a sword as the exciting element to mesmerize our audiences! The routine will include slow and sinuous movements, turns on the floor, and a fast and furious section with energy and fire!!! We will break down the most intrincated of steps so you can go home with a good foundation to master them!!

Move like a snake: how did I became “Kaa” from the Jungle Book for Jillina’s Bellydance Evolution or what transnational-fusion bellydance can bring into your dance. In this workshop we will cover all the technique details on how to create and execute the snake-like movements that make transnational fusion unique. Muscle by muscle, step by step, upper-body isolations and lots of arm and hand work will be put together in steps and combinations to mesmerize any audience. Fluidity and smoothness at its best.

ART OF THE BELLY