Egyptian Bellydance specialist starts teaching at Mahasti in Hamilton from Thursday, July 7th! We are so excited to have her sharing her art with us! We’re excited to offer you a new & different vision of dance.

Students benefit greatly from having many different teachers – we make that part of learning easy by hosting so many great instructors at our studio! Learn from Peggy on Tuesdays, Abigail on Thursdays & Eshe on Mondays, Wednesdays & Saturdays!

Throughout the month of July Abigail’s classes will offer a sampler platter of what makes the Egyptian style different from other forms of bellydance.

Bellydance class 7-8PM
Beginning with a handful of the fundamental movements – hip circles, hip drops/kicks, undulations, hip swings and 3/4 shimmies, Abigail will reveal the instinctive Egyptian approach to dancing – using the music and rhythms to guide the technique. We’ll demystify what makes true Egyptian bellydancing look so effortless, even through complex moves and patterns, all using fundamental bellydance movements and a classical Egyptian style.

Is there a class or time we’re not offering that you’re interested in? Let us know!

Contact eshebellydancer@hotmail.com with any suggestions or questions you may have!

Abigail will be sharing Egyptian Bellydance from 7-8PM and Egyptian Folkore from 8:15-9:15PM.  We are located at 1 West Ave S, Suite 300, Hamilton, ON.  Parking is available behind our building in any spot, except 3 & 10.

We have some great new classes coming to you from our new session June 4th!

Star Bellydancer of Canada 2015, Peggy, will be sharing a Basics class featuring mini combinations on Tuesdays at 6:20.  Perfect for the total beginner.  This is a bridge class, gently leading you towards learning a choreography.  Peggy will expertly breakdown all the necessary technique to help you master these beginner steps.

Peggy will be leading a brand new “Kitchen Sink” class at 7:30  on Tuesdays.  Want to learn how to use veil or the difference between Lebanese & Egyptian? This class will have rotating topics nightly! Drop in anytime! Or come every week & learn something different. Tuesdays at 7:30.

Saturdays at 11 we’re going to start offering a “Freestyling 101” class.  Learn how to string the moves together during improvisation.  This class will have a shifting focus each week (folklore, props, rhythms) but the core goal is helping you find your own voice in dance.  Eshe will provide you with a framework of the basics & we’ll work within those limits to create each week.  This class is also great for those who don’t want to learn a choreography.  It is drop in friendly as well.

Saturdays at 12:10 we’ll be learning Egyptian bellydance choreography.  Each week we review the steps from the top &, if ready, we add a little more.  The dance changes with each new moon (every 4-5 weeks).  We’ll learn both bellydance & folkloric styles in this class as well as exploring the “outside dance”  (entertaining dances like the drum solo, pop songs, mejance – grand entrance) and the “inside dance” (emotive & improvisational styles like taxim).

Saturdays at 1:20 we’ll be exploring Modern Bellydance – Eshe’s take on new offshoots of this living & vibrant dance.  This class will feature fusion & modern music.  Like the Egyptian class it’s choreography will rotate with the moon.  It’s always ideal to join a choreography class at it’s onset but as long as you keep an open heart & are realistic about your ability you are welcome to join at any point.

Thursdays at 7PM we are going to start playing with American Tribal Style & Improvisational Tribal Style.  This is group work. Using a turn of the head, gesture with the hand, level change or other body language the “leader” cues the rest of the group about the upcoming combination.  It’s a great way to stay in the moment.  We move across the dance floor like a flock of birds or school of fish.  This dance has it’s roots in various Egyptian & Indian folkoric dances as well flamenco & dashes of fusion. Another offering on our schedule that is friendly to beginners.

Thursday at 8:15 we are going to start exploring the use of finger cymbals. This is a wonderful way to enhance your dance& play with musicality.  We’ll explore patterns as well as rhythms over top of bellydance movement. You’ll flex both your body & mind in this class. We have finger cymbals at the studio available for purchase (4 cymbals = $10 including taxes).

Is there a class you’d like to see that we’re not offering?

Contact us at eshebellydancer@hotmail.com or come down to the studio.  We’re located right in the heart of Hamilton at 1 West Ave South, Suite 300 (remember this is Hamilton – you’ve got to enter the whole address including “Ave S” to your GPS or you’ll end up in another city!)