An All New 6 Week Bellydance & Sexy Chair Session Starts Week of June 11th! Register Now!
BellyUp's Summer Session Starts July - Sept. 10. Click here for Summer Classes.
Joharah brings her inspiring weekly classes to BellyUp Kitchener in addition to a full range of classes taught by a fantastic range of instructors and specialty class teachers. We offer a progressive program for those interested in learning the art of Egyptian style bellydance. Whether you’re a hobbyist and dance purely for fitness and fun or you’re serious about performing or going pro, this dance form is a lot more fun when you have solid technique and are knowledgeable about the art form.
This Spring we introduce our always popular 6 week Intro to Bellydance program which is where we recommend all new students to bellydance start. We also encourage advanced students to get back to basics every so often as well to refresh your foundation. The Six Week Beginner Intensive introduces students to the BellyUp vocabulary of essential Egyptian dance movement. If you have any questions regarding what classes would be best for you, speak with your instructor or feel free to email or call Joharah anytime to discuss your dance progress and goals.
Egyptian Style Bellydance with Joharah and Team BellyUp !
Beginner thru Advanced Classes !
6 Week Beginner Intensive – This is an essential introduction to Bellydance and really the most important level for every student to master. It's also a perfect refresher for more advanced students looking to refine the basics and learn more about Egyptian dance. Each week introduces a different family of movement and several travelling steps. The moves from previous weeks are reviewed and we build on these moves each week with fun, lively dance combinations. Students sweat and have a great time. Finger cymbals are also introduced at the beginner level. We recommend new students to bellydance start with our 6 week intro course and repeat it as many times as needed to really learn the BellyUp vocabulary of Egyptian dance. Learn at your own pace because there is no pressure to advance. Most of all have fun and build a strong foundation so you will enjoy progressive class levels. We suggest 12 weeks to 1 year of training at this level.
Continuing Beginners – Once you’ve mastered the basics get ready to move on to the Continuing Beginner to Advanced Beginner level where you will build on the basics and be introduced to even more important steps and movement of Egyptian dance. At this level we emphasize the importance of proper belly dance posture, arms/hands/upper torso, flow, fluidity, accents while increasing your skill level with shimmies and undulations. Different styles of Egyptian dance are introduced to give the student more cultural awareness so important to understanding this dance form. We recommend 1 to 2 years of training at the Continuing Beginner level or stay at this level as long as you like.
Joharah's Bellydance for Intermediate/Advanced Weekly Class: Experience the real joy of Raks Sharki and Raks Shaabi (Folklore) with Joharah as you learn the essential steps and styling of Egyptian dance. A strong foundation is essential to being a better dancer and Joharah is devoted full time to the teaching of Egyptian style dance as an art form. Her classes are incredibly well-organized and comprehensive and include: technique, musicality, cultural awareness and developing stage presence. Her teaching style is cheeky and humorous yet disciplined and she will challenge you to dig deep and be a better dancer. You'll learn partial choreographies and combinations along with useful technique that you can incorporate into your dance routines. Importantly you will be taught to master the essential steps of Egyptian dance as she drills the technique into your body. She believes that all dancers enjoy the dance more and are more successful when they have a strong cultural foundation of the dance and its music. She'll work with a variety of music to expose students to the differences in Egyptian musical styles and hence technique as she strives to impart all her knowledge of the culture to her students. Bellydance is a high stamina dance form ! Be prepared to sweat and train hard !
Intermediate – Students at the Intermediate level have been training for at least 2-3 years. This is a much more demanding and fast paced level with challenging technique footwork, motifs and choreographies. Be prepared to work it! At this level you’re really beginning to feel connected to moving in the “Oriental” way. You are comfortable with layering of movements and a wide range of Shimmies and are accustomed to more intricate footwork. You will concentrate on developing your ear for a variety of Egyptian styles of music , understanding Arabic rhythms, musical phrases, Maqams and important nuances of the music. You will learn how to translate the music into appropriate bellydance movement. In other words ... become the music! This is the essence of Egyptian dance!
Advanced – Students at this level have been training for at least 3-4 years to prepare for this level of dance. Not only is your technique sharp but so is your stage presence. This class is suitable for those students who are serious hobbyists and/or those who are interested in performing or already doing so. To participate in the advanced level you should be able to keep up with a fast pace of breakdowns and choreography, complex footwork and have a broad and solid repertoire of dance movement. Students will learn a wide range of dance combinations along with full and partial choreographies. Emphasis is placed on feeling, emotion, stage projection, improvisation and performance technique. This level is best suited for the student looking for real training and is ready for a more demanding, challenging and fast paced class setting.
Monthly Training Intensive – Joharah’s very popular Multi-Level Bellydance Intensive will be available at BellyUp Kitchener this Spring in a 2 hour Sunday workshop format. Best suited for Intermediate to Advanced students and strong Continuing Beginners looking to turn up the heat on their practice. This class will make you a better dancer. You'll learn partial choreographies and combinations with useful technique that you can incorporate into your dance routines. Joharah is known for her cheeky yet very disciplined teaching style. She will work you hard with a sense of humour teaching you all the important and essential steps of Egyptian dance as she drills the technique into your body. She'll work with a variety of music to expose students to the differences in Egyptian musical styles and hence technique. All students should dance at their own level. The class format is high energy, face paced and designed to teach technique, refine and polish your skills, develop musicality, improve grace and poise, and build stamina. Bellydance is a high stamina dance form! Be prepared to sweat and train hard! Each training intensive will have a specific topic of Joharah's choice.
Specialty Workshops with Joharah
(Joharah pictured to the left teaching Master Class at Nile Group Festival, Cairo, Egypt)
Joharah offers a variety of specialty workshops that will focus on a wide range of areas geared to building better dancers! Joharah is known for her well run and organized classes that have developed many advanced level dancers and performers. Train with Joharah beyond weekly classes and watch your skill level grow. Read more about her upcoming Kitchener or Oakville workshops.
American Tribal Style Bellydance® with Valizan
BellyUp is fortuante to have Valizan as our resident ATS® instructor and artistic director of Shades of Araby performance ensemble. Valizan is a highly sought after performer and teacher and has been one of the clear leaders in the ATS® dance form in Toronto. ATS® is a modern bellydance fusion style of dance, which originated in California, created by FatChanceBellyDance® of California in 1982. Valizan is an accredited Brother studio of FatChanceBellyDance®. Click here to read more
What is American Tribal Style® ? Carolena Nericcio, creator of ATS® and FatChanceBellydance® describes it best herself. Take a look at the above clip to understand the ATS® concept. ATS movements, costuming and inspiration are largely influenced by nomadic cultures of the Middle East. ATS® blends elements of Egyptian bellydance, Flamenco, Indian and North African dance and meshes them through group improvisation, which is one of its most unique aspects. Students learn the essential ATS® movements and positions, which are combined during the dance. Changes in movement are signaled by cues between dancers of the group resulting in an extremely exciting, highly synchronized artistic dance.
Bollywood Fusion with Faith
Think Bombay Dreams. Think Devdas. Think Caitin and Jason’s performance to Jai Ho on So You Think You Can Dance! Bollywood Fusion is a fun, and high energy dance form that combines the style of dance seen in films produced in Bombay, India with Indian folk dance, Middle Eastern dance, and all manner of Western dance styles. We’ll explore both the modernized and classical sides of Bollywood dance, creating a high-energy, exciting, and expressive atmosphere that’s open to all levels of dancers. We’ll learn steps, combinations, and a fun choreography with the option to perform at the student recital.
10 Week Bollywood - Mixed Level with Choreography - Continue on with the fun and excitement of Bollywood in this 10-week session where all the basics come together to form an exciting dance routine! See how Bollywood dance is formed, experience the thrill of watching your technique and new found skills come to life in a vibrant and high expression masterpiece! Dancers have the opportunity to perform the dance at the student recital should they choose.
Burlesque with Sassy Ray
Learn the Art of Tease from a real Burlesque Dancer!
Gloves, boas, fan work, stockings and sassy moves!
12 Weeks of Burlesque is sure to bring out the sexy vixen in you! Sassy Ray's classes offer a way to gain comfort and acceptance of your own body while having a heck of good time on the dance floor! Suitable for women of all shapes, sizes and ages; Sassy Ray will help to take you out of your shell and teach you to flaunt what you've got in a fun and accepting environment. Classes contain no nudity. A sassy choreography will be taught with an option to perform at the student recital.