About How I Teach

For the past 12 years I have been studying Middle Eastern Belly Dance in as many forms as I can find. From Egyptian cabaret and Turkish Romany to Folkloric dances and Modern Tribal. I have been featured on television in Asia and have taught workshops there as well as in the New England area of the USA.

My teaching style emphasizes three things; technique, history, and self expression / self awareness.

• When teaching dance technique I use different avenues of learning such as visualizations, muscle memory, step by step breakdowns, follow-the-leader, and so on. I also have a section on basic rhythms and music appreciation.
   
• I try to bring a basic awareness of the dance as a folk dance as well as an ever changing art form. I do this through videos, props, stories and print materials exposing students to everything from 16th century Persian court dance and costume to elements of classical Indian dance.
   
• As for self expression/awareness, I am a perfect example :-)  I am a plus-size, minority, female dancer. As a dancer and teacher I am constantly reaffirming my students that "If I can do it, YOU can do it" and that it's not so important that you dance like everyone else but that you dance like YOURSELF. At the end of each of my classes we take 5 minutes out to have "Free Dance" where I play music and tell the students to dance, in anyway that they wish, and to feel the music and express themselves in a safe and supportive environment.

Workshops and Classes:

Want to bring me to your area for a workshop? Click here to read about some workshops I have run. I can also create a custom workshop to fit your specific needs. Email Pacita@FolkloricFusion.net for more information.

Private Lessons –

Contact for an appointment

Regular Classes –

May 1 - June 30 (Manhattan, NY) Tuesdays 9:00 - 10:00 am at Smart Workout Gym. You must either download a guest pass or be a member of the gym to take classes and you must call ahead to reserve a spot. Go to http://www.SmartWorkout.net/ for more information. 

March 13-May 29 (Scotch Plains, NJ) Tuesday 7:30 - 9:00 pm at The Scotch Plains-Fanwood Adult School. For more information and to enroll, go to http://www.TheEnrichmentCenterAnnex.org/adult.html *There are NO classes on April 3 and 10 or May 1 and 8*

Special Workshops –

May 19 (Bennington, VT) Shimmy Workshop and Improvisational Drum Solos Workshop sponsored by Bennington Beledi http://www.BenningtonBeledi.com/

July 10, 17, 24 (Hillsdale, NJ) Beginner Middle Eastern Belly Dance Intensive series sponsored by Just Off Broadway Academy http://www.JustOffBroadwayAcademy.com/

August 1-10 (Slippery Rock, PA) Beginner Middle Eastern Belly Dance Intensive Series and “Learn to Love 9/8”. Sponsored by Pennsic http://www.pennsicwar.org/penn36/index.html or the “unofficial” site, http://www.Pennsic.net/

November/December (Manila, Philippines) Workshops for that part of the world are still being planned/scheduled. Contact me for more info or to schedule a workshop.

Performances and “places I’ll be”:

Many of my “performances” tend to be rather impromptu, spur of the moment occurrences. They usually happen when I get a chance to get away from my booth at events. To see where Materialis and I will be, go to http://www.Materialis.com and check out our calendar. You will definitely see me dancing there. 

Below are the places where I am scheduled to be performing. If you are interested in booking me for a performance, e-mail Pacita@FolkloricFusion.net

April 28 (Keene, NH) Moving Company 11th Annual Belly Dance Gala http://www.moco.org/performances/performances.asp * CANCELED* Well the show is still going on but I won’t be there. See my note about class changes above.

August 7 (Slippery Rock, PA) Pennsic 36 Middle Eastern Dance Exposition http://www.pennsicwar.org/penn36/index.html

November/December (Manila, Philippines) 2nd Annual Belly Jam! *pending*