Irina Akulenko

Short Fans - Big possibilities!

Fans with short veils are a beautiful and dynamic prop that became popular in the belly dance scene. Unlike its long-veiled cousin, which restricts the dancers’ movement due to the length of the fabric, this fan has truly endless possibilities. This prop can be lyrical and gentle, as well as sharp and demanding. In this workshop, you will learn fun and dynamic techniques and combinations, which will be threaded together into a short choreography. We will borrow techniques from the Japanese, Chinese, and Spanish fans, in order to find a variety of nuances and textures. Learn how to frame yourself and your dance, and guide the eye of the audience. *This class requires a set of two fans, ideally with a short fabric trim, not full fan-veils.

Classical Indian - Belly dance Fusion: From the Ground Up

Drawing heavily on Odissi (one of the Classical dances of India), this series of fusion combinations will be moving both slowly and incrementally. Borrowing from tradition, we will examine the principle of building movement intentionally from the footwork, and see how that can translate to fusion belly dance, how that movement can affect the ribcage, arms and even the head and eyes. Understanding the natural progression of movement within the body will allow us to create a sense of ease and control. We will work with detailed weight distribution, poses inspired by Classical Indian dance and fusion isolations and torso articulations. The series of combinations can be linked to create a beautiful, sculptural movement meditation.