Saturday, 28 February 2015

One Billion Rising Org

And here comes the biggest support.
We are now listed on One Billion Rising.
Click on link below
http://www.onebillionrising.org/events/flashmob-9/

Flash Mob details

"Fire in your Belly" . Our flash mob a part of International Belly Dance Fusion Festival to be held on 8th March at Carter Road, Bandra is ready to be rehearsed.
Flash Mob rehearsal details are as follows:
Date: 1st March 2015
Time : 1:00-4:00pm
Venue: Oscar Studio, near Infiniti Mall, opposite Mainland China, Lokhandwala, Andheri.
Make sure you wear comfortable clothing, you will be on camera!!!
Get ready to groove!!!
Ladies the entry is open, get your friends along and have fun!!

Saturday, 21 February 2015

Ready to compete??

Are you ready to set the stage on fire?
Details of competition are as follows.
- your track should not exceed more than three minutes.
- Categories of competition are solo/troupe/duet.
- Theme of competition is FUSION.
- Registration fee is 250/- per person.
Send in mail to bellyfusionfest@gmail.com with your details of your name, contact details.
Please note registration is not complete until the payment is done.

Get ready. Get groovy!!!

Friday, 20 February 2015

I do what my mind says...


The woman of today speaks her mind....


The woman of today speaks her mind....


Archana speaks her mind....

Do you feel restricted, shy, worried about others’ opinions? The body doesn’t lie and our inner world shows up in our body language, especially in our dancing- it is not free and therefore less conscious. IT IS TIME TO LOOK WITHIN and Archana will safely guide you through that process. 

KALI- The Archetype of self Empowerment, of death and rebirth!!!The time to come into your authentic power as an individual with personal dreams and goals as well as your vision to change the world and live your deepest soul purpose to serve the universe, is not somewhere in the future, it is in the here and NOW.Claim your empowered Feminine force within your own self,to stand up for your own being, for your own body, mind and soul that are being manipulated, abused and devoured by patriarchal domination across India and in the world,to tap into that rage, that has been repressed into our unconscious, because that rage is going to be the key/the doorway to your Divine Infinite untamed inner power and wisdom!
What will your own personal life look like then? what will the whole world look like then? We will be invoking the goddess kali and learning about her throughritual, dance/movement, stories ,art, poetry.

Rs.750

--- Archana Sachdev ---
Archana Sachdev started her dancing career 20 years ago, she has been a performer/teacher of Indian classical inspired Bollywood dancing in Bombay, Los Angeles and San Francisco!!!She holds a Masters degree in Philosophy from Mumbai, has studied Expressive arts therapy in San Francisco, Women's studies and is a trained Yoga instructor specializing in Pranayama and chanting.She currently leads retreats and workshops for Feminine spiritualiy focusing on Women's empowerment, Feminine Embodiment and more.In her spare time she loves to work with kids, write Sufi poems, acting in theater, singing ghazals, painting, photography etc....her path, she says is the path of unconditional love and of reviving the Divine Feminine!

Bombay Times 20th February 2015

We are proud to say it we got written about.
Bombay Times news paper, a prominent newspaper of the country, carried an article about us on their Culture, TV page 10.
It's very dear and special to us because they gave us our much needed place in Mumbai "Culture".

Thursday, 19 February 2015

Our Brand New Poster


New Schedule of our event



SATURDAY 7TH March
9.30-11
11-12.30
1-2.30
2.30-4
4-6
7pm
Katerina Jiva
Yoga for Dramatic Tribal Moves
Payal Gupta
Chunky Funky Drum Solo
Leena Viie
Sassy Burlesque
Daniel Alnuma
Liquid Bellydance
Competition
Gala Show
Y&S
Lavni Bellydance
Raksha
Flamboyant Turkish
Y & S
Kathak Bellydance
Tatiana Wegner
Indian Fusion:  Bolly-Dub-style
Mar Gonzalez
Thai Nails Fusion
Chantelle
Infusion: Central Asia and India
Chaitalli
Bellydance in Pregnancy
Petra Skodova
Tribal Fusion Bellydance

SUNDAY 8TH March
9.30-11
11-12.30
1-2.30
2.30-4
5-6
7 pm on
Mar Gonzalez
Flamenco Tribal Fusion
Petra Skodova
Burlesque Fusion
Arun Bhardwaj
Fluid Tribal Bellydance
Drill for
“Fire in your belly”
Women’s Flash Mob
  
Flash Mob
Open Stage
Hafla
Chantelle
Infusion: Middle East (Egypt, Turkey)
Archana
Awaken the Kali Goddess
Payal Gupta
Fan Veil Fantasy Fusion
Daniel Alnuma
Contemporary Bellydance
Leena Viie
Flamenco Bellydance Fusion
(with Skirt work)
Katerina Jiva
Tribal Fusion Choreography




Fusion2015

Tuesday, 17 February 2015

Flash Mob for all you ladies!!


Leena Viie - Founder- International Belly Dance Fusion Festival 2015, Mumbai

Leena Viie
Leena Viie is a passionate belly dance fusion dancer. While focusing on bellydance, she has cross trained in other forms - contemporary and classical forms (Ballet, Oddisi, Kathak) which lends flair and solidity to her technique while serving as a resource for fusions.
Leena has developed a dance style which is individualistic,  free spirited, fiery, flamboyant and graceful.
She performs for corporate shows, live musical bands and stage  productions. Some of her performances include The Theatrical Bellydance (New York), New England Dance Camp (Boston), HIPNOSIS – International Bellydance festival (Bangalore),  The Nile Bellydance festival  (Egypt), The International Musical Production -  HAIR, Delhi International Arts Festival
Her training spans across New York, London and Egypt and with several renowned bellydance artists such as Anasma (New York), Nour (Russia),, Khaled Mohammed (Egypt), Leila Haddad (Paris), Farida Fahmy (Egypt), Ahmed Refaat (Saidi dance, Egypt), Amir Thaleb (Argentina), Dalia Carella (New York), Kaaeshi Chai (New York), Cera Byer (California), Colleena Shakti (India), Quincy Kendell Charles (India) among many many others.
She has also trained in Attakkalari (India’s only premier professional dance school)
Apart from performing, Leena also teaches  bellydance technique classes as well as Belly Fitness sessions.
workshop Details:

a. Indian Fusion: Dub-Bolly workshop
Unleash your inner pin-up girl! Dare to be a seductress with panache.
It’s time to strut like a showgirl and learn to tease in the retro-burlesque style. In this class you will learn a bit of the rich history of Burlesque and it’s most legendary, glamorous stars. You will learn showgirl walks, boa work, turns, cute hip and torso accents, and vintage-style strip tease mechanics ( with the emphasis on “tease”) and then combine them into short routine and learn how to throw in Burlesque in Oriental Choreographies as well. We will also touch upon costuming, stage presence and showgirl attitude.
Bring high heels, a pair of gloves, a feather boa (or a veil to use as a boa). Please dress as you would for any dance class! 
Leena studied with Princess Farhana in New York (Princess Farhana is not only a well known belly dancer, but for over a decade was one of the stars of America’s first and most well-known neo-burlesque troupe).
After having performed in Burlesque shows in New York, Boston and India she is ready with hot steamy tips. Grab them before they get cold!!!
b. Flamenco Fusion Bellydance (with skirt work)
Experience the fiery Flamenco with the softness of bellydance. 
In this workshop we will delve into details of Flamenco posture, arm styling, floreos together with innovative skirt work.  
Tips on using skirts and also manton/veils in Flamenco which can enhance any flamenco-belly fusion will be included Bring a long flared skirt and veils to class.  

Raksha Kumar - Dance Inc.




Raksha Kumar is a Bellydance Artist hailing for Mumbai, India. An IT Software Engineer by profession, dance has been her passion since childhood. Her passion for Bellydance motivated her to make a career change.
She has been learning and performing Bellydance since the past 8 years, now teaching in collaboration with a dance company called Dance Incorporated in  Mumbai. She specializes in Egyptian style Oriental Dance and has an impressive dance repertoire consisting of a wide range of Bellydance styles such Baladi, Turkish, Lebanese, Polynesian and American Cabaret. She also teaches Yoga and Bellydance for Pregnancy.
Her first inspiration and mentor in Bellydance was her teacher PreetiKochar from Mumbai.  She has also studied Tribal Fusion Style of Bellydance in an intensive course with Bellydance superstar Moria Chappell.  Other key, influential moments in her education include constant online classes and research about the beautiful art form of Oriental dance.
She has conducted specialized Bellydance workshops in Mumbai catering to a wide variety of audiences, mainly in college festivals and also has been very active in conducting workshops for Pregnant women for a company called Babycell.
Currently, she conducts regular classes at Bandra, Ghatkopar and Malad and also organizes Haflas for her students every quarter. 

Bellydancing for Raksha is creating a positive feeling of sensual expression and freedom with the artistic and feminine movements of Bellydance. She is known for looking strong and graceful at the same time while performing Bellydance. She loves improvisation and can depict the most unusual nuances in a performance. 

Workshop Details:
Flamboyant Turkish
Fast, Furious and Fun defines the beautiful Turkish style Bellydance workshop with Raksha Kumar! Having deep roots in Turkish Romani dance, this style is flamboyant with large & earthy movements having high energy and playful attitude. In this workshop, you will learn a lively and playful Turkish choreography defined by strong movements, bold hair tosses, kicks and sassy bellydance isolations. Let go off the energy and do allow a bouncy playful feel during the entire workshop! .

Contest no.2

Here's our second contest!!!
Complete the following sentence
When I Belly Dance I feel.....
You have to reply in the comments & we will choose the winners.
Winners will get 2 passes to Gala Night worth Rs. 1000/- free.

Saturday, 14 February 2015

Katerina Jiva



Jiva a graduate of The Russian Academy of Art. She started dancing professionally at the age of eighteen. As the lead dancer in  Latin dance band "Baila Con Migo" founded by Oliver Parades she grew in fame and started teaching dance.
Soon Jiva went on to discover the sensual moves of Bellydance. Rachel Brice and Tribal Fusion caught her imagination and she never looked back.  Diving deep into Hatha Yoga for several years under Leonid Gartcenshteyn, Jiva developed a strong, flexible body which she believes is the main foundation for Tribal Fusion Style.
Yoga is her way of life as opposed to ‘a warm up’ which has transformed the quality of her dancing and personality.
Her workshops delve into technique for precision of isolations, deep full-range movement as well as flexibility and strength that will gives a serpentine quality to the dance.
Jiva currently tours to teach and perform in France, Germany, Spain, Switzerland, Europe, Russia, Ukraine, Latvia, Thailand and India.

Apart from her dance carreer Jiva is a founder of a project "Sacred Tribe Project" that consists of creative dancers from around the world.

Workshop Details:
a. Yoga Approach to Dramatic Tribal Moves
Have you struggled with backbends? There is a tendency to attempt backbends that overarch the lumbar (lower) spine, which can be painful and sometimes cause long-term injury. This workshop works to strengthen the muscles of the back and spine. These exercises will help you do backbends safely, without misalignment or injury. Jiva will guide you through a basic hatha yoga backbends sequence, giving tips on spinal and pelvic alignment, and working to open the chest.
A veteran yoga teacher with many years of practice, training and teaching experience, Jiva will share secrets on correct and safe backbending technique designed to increase the flexibility in your back and create awareness of the muscle groups to call upon when executing backbends.
She will also share secrets on Splits and how to ensure increased flexibility for effortlessly getting into a spilt.
Time permitting more secrets will be taught for stunning, dramatic tribal moves.

b. Tribal Fusion Choreography
Jiva will teach a Tribal Fusion Choreography open to all levels.
She will teach her own dramatic and unique interpretation of Tribal Style in this workshop.
She will also leave you with inspirations on creating unique stylizations and personal signatures to differentiate your Tribal Style from others. 


Mohamed Alnuma: Singer and Oud player

Mohamed Alnuma:  Singer and Oud player
Born in Kuwait in 1963 to an Iraqi family.
Very early his interest goes not only to the musical colors of his native region, but also to the contemporary western music.
Mohammed arrived in Paris in 1980 to study Music Theory at Ecole Nationale de Musique and improvisation at "The American School of Modern Music". He give his first concerts as a jazz guitarist.
Later Mohammed started  exploring his own roots with the Oud and Oriental singing. Some of the key projects which he led in France were  "Pêcheurs de Perles" in Greece, "Roubayyat" in India and "Hawa" in Turkey with local musicians.
With the dancer, choreographer and partner Daniell Alnuma he formed "Jalajil trio" and the duet "Afikna".
Together they founded the company "Orientations with which they have travelled to many countries



Chantelle Dances - Saccred Dances & Beyond



Chantelle Gomes
Chantelle is an international performing dance artist from Portugal. She left her home in Lisbon when she discovered Odissi, Classical Indian Dance and embraced India and immersed herself in the country’s  art, sacred dance and music to deepen her practice.
As a researcher and devoted student, Chantelle has traveled around the world in search of masters to teach her the direct transmission of Eastern and Asian dances and devotional practices. The thrive for travelling and seeking art has brought her great knowledge and understanding about the true essence of what these cultures represent. This has shaped her personal growth as an artist and her way of transmission which is based on bridging all cultures to find her own expressionl
Besides being trained in Odissi Classical dance, Chantelle is trained in Bellydance and Tribal Fusion, Gypsy dances and Sufi Dance.
She is the the artistic director of Nakshatra Productions, an entertainment and management company.
Her new project called Azadeh, and serves as a portal for vending mystic arts and exotic adornments for dancers.


Workshops by Chantelle
Infusion Bellydance
Infusion Bellydance is a concept that incorporates all the styles that are part of Chantelle’s repertoire. Infusion is a culmination of her life journey through dance and holistic living brought together with her new creative interpretations.
All workshops will start with breathing techniques designed for dancers, a complete 20-minute warm up of Yoga and Pilates and a 7-minute cool down.
a Infusion Bellydance – Middle East (Egypt and Turkey)
We will travel to the Middle East and learn basic hip movements and combos from the Gawazee tribe of Egypt fused with lyrical and fast rhythmic dance phrases of Turkish Gypsy Rum.

b Infusion Bellydance- Central Asia and India
Learn Persian dance and Sufi Whirling. An art that is forbidden in Iran today but has many enthusiastic Iranians and non-Iranians around the world who work hard in keeping it alive. Here, Chantelle will focus on teaching basic lyrical movements and poses, various techniques for turning, dancing while whirling, all fused with bellydance.

Archana Sufiana Tulsidas Sachdev



Archana Sachdev
Archana Sachdev started her dancing career 20 years ago, she has been a performer/teacher of Indian classical inspired Bollywood dancing in Bombay, Los Angeles and San Francisco!!!
She holds a Masters degree in Philosophy from Mumbai, has studied Expressive arts therapy in San Francisco, Women's studies and is a trained Yoga instructor specializing in Pranayama and chanting.
She currently leads retreats and workshops for Feminine spiritualiy focusing on Women's empowerment, Feminine Embodiment and more.
In her spare time she loves to work with kids, write Sufi poems, acting in theater, singing ghazals, painting, photography etc....
her path, she says is the path of unconditional love and of reviving the Divine Feminine!










Workshop Details:
a. Awaken the Goddess Kali Within
Do you feel restricted, shy, worried about others’ opinions? The body doesn’t lie and our inner world show up in our body language and esp. in our dancing it’s less conscious. Time to look within. Archana will safely guide that process. 

KALI- The Archetype of self Empowerment, of death and rebirth!!!
The time to come into your authentic power as an individual with personal dreams and goals as well as your vision to change the world and live your deepest soul purpose to serve the universe, is not somewhere in the future, it is in the here and NOW.
Claim your empowered Feminine force within your own self,
to stand up for your own being, for your own body, mind and soul that are being manipulated, abused and devoured by patriarchal domination across India and in the world,
to tap into that rage, that has been repressed into our unconscious, because that rage is going to be the key/the doorway to your Divine Infinite untamed inner power and wisdom!
What will your own personal life look like then? what will the whole world look like then?
 We will be invoking the goddess kali and learning about her through ritual, dance/movement, stories ,art, poetry.

Mar Gonzalez Garcia



Mar Gonzalez Garcia
Mar is a Tribal Fusion Belly dancer from Spain. She has been training with many master teachers across Europe and US. Some of inspirations have been Samantha Emanuel, Ashley Lopez, Illan Riviera. Post delving in Flamenco and Contemporary Dance, Mar decided to study Oddissi in India. She has dedicated herself to Odissi which forms the main resource for  creating interesting fusions with Flamenco and Tribal Style Bellydance.

At present she is based out of between Amsterdam and Spain where she teaches and peforms and regularly visits India for her continued training in Odissi.

Workshop Details
a. Flamenco Tribal Fusion
The Sevillanas dance is a folkloric Spanish dance seen in fairs and festivals in Spain. It’s a cheerful, happy, celebratory dance form. Mar will fuse Sevillanas with Tribal Fusion Style to create interesting sequences that can be applied for solo, duo, trio, quartet and a group!
This workshop will explore key details such as tribal-flamenco posture,  grand flamenco arms, eye contact, cues, , expression, articulate hand movements ‘floreos’
A short choreography will be taught to be applied to spice up your tribal flair!

b. Thai Nails Fusion
Fan Leb (“Fan” means dance and “Leb” means fingernail in Thai) has inspired Mar to create her own innovative Bellydance concoction.
These beautiful extended bronze fingernails worn in every finger except the thumb are great props to accentuate sinuous, graceful arms
Discover the power and energy that flows through your fingertips out to the audience.
The workshop will focus on hand and arm movements inspired by Odissi and Tribal Fusion vocabulary creating beautiful geometries to spice up your fusions.  

Thai Nails will be provided during the workshop and participants can purchase them too. 

Chaitali - CK Raqs Sharki



Chaitali Soparkar Kohli has been learning Belly Dance since 7 years. She has also trained and performed in dance forms like kathak, salsa and bollywood. But she found her passion in Belly Dance. 
Mentored by Payal Gupta and done intensive workshops with  master teachers like Leena Viie, Sonia Ochoa, Smita Kadam, Moria Chapell, Alla Kuschnir, Didem Kinali, Tito Seif, she travels far and wide to train and update herself . ''I feel dance is a never ending study and a journey where you never reach destinations. You just learn and grow with each class, with each performance.''

She has developed a programme in name of Belly Dance in Pregnancy -  Dance your way to fitness, when she herself was pregnant. She believes it’s the most safest way to exercise when pregnant. One of first indian women to come up with a special programme like this.

A mother of one and currently in third trimester, she is  passionately managing and assisting in Bwitches – International Bellydance Fusion Festival.

Workshop Details:
Bellydance in Pregnancy
                                                       
This class is designed for specifically for pregnant women wishing to dance in a fun but safe manner for their baby & their body.>
The workshop will focus on moves to enhance strength & flexibility in women. It would include movements which would favor pregnancy & would not have hard hitting movements. Music used will be soft & subtle, which can be used later on for practise at home. It will also include breathing techniques, yoga for relaxing back pain & releasing stress. 
The workshop is open to women pregnant for more than 13 weeks, women who are trying to conceive & for ones dealine with post pregnancy stiffness. 

Tatjana Wegner



Tatjana Wegner
Training from the age of 4 in ballet, Tatjana went on to perform as a ballerina  before she fell in love with Bollywood style. She was magnetized and enchanted by it and began exploring all the Indian elements within it – Indian Temple Dance, Bhangra, Rajasthani.  She then went on to train in Indian classical form and bellydance.
She was the first to bring Bollywood to Germany and formed the Bollydance Company in Europe.
She is a tantalizing dancer who fuses with ease ballet, Indian classical and folk with bellydance!

Workshop:
a. Contemporary Bolly-Bellydance
Tatjana will impart her expertise of performing across world stages into this workshop. She will teach Bolly-Bellydance with a contemporary flair. New tips, tricks and moves to add freshness and innovation to the usual Bollywood routines to add a unique masala to your fusion. 

Arun Bhardwaj - Indian Tribal school



Arun Bhardwaj
Arun is India's 1st Tribal Fusion Male Belly Dancer.He started his career in belly dancing since the age of 16.
Arun has been trained under various international artists like Colleena Shakti , Marwa & Tuna, Klara Daila Jansikova, Anasma Viyong. He is
He currently teaches American Tribal Style(ATS), Fluid tribal Style , Improvisational Techniques (IT's) and other styles of Bellydancing such as Egyptian Classical
Arun has also been an active part of many fastivals such as Bellywood, Jashn-e-Banjara, Neon-Hafla, Kathak Fest In Symbiosis, HIDC ( Hyederabad International Dance Congress ),  Steptime 1.0  and many more.
He started the Indian Tribal School in Pune, India – its forte being fusing Indian dance moves with Tribal Style.


Workshop content by Arun:
Fluid Tribal Belly Dance :-
Fluid Tribal Belly Dance explores technique and styling of Tribal Fusion with and emphasis on musicality and fluidity of movement.
 Fluid Tribal moves are inspired by the organic motion found in nature - the wave-like and shimmering movement of animals and marine creatures, and their ability to instantly switch between a tension-charged steady glide, a sudden freeze, a burst of explosive motion, and complete softness and release
FLUID TRIBAL BELLYDANCE + MODERN BALLET WORKSHOP :
WARM-UP
* Rib cage mobilization warm ups 
* Movements based on lower body and pelvic mobilization 

* Upper arm extremity - warm ups with movement in all planes and direction 

*Ends with full body movement & dance drill

The Tribal Fusion Foundation Movement section reviews the core dance vocabulary of Tribal Fusion, including turns, abdominal isolations, popping, waving, glute accents, hip drop patterns, and much more.
Choreography will be based on modern ballet + fluid tribal style
* relax shimmy technique
* Tribal Walk 
* Relax shimmy along with locking each body part. 
* Fluid arms and arabesque etc.