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Close All | Open AllGirls Classes (when applicable) & Beginning group lessons in Charlottesville are $10/lesson (1 hr class) & Intermediate/Advanced group lessons are $15/lesson (2 hr class), payable on the 1st week's lesson. Please note that some months may have more or less than 4 weeks & prices adjust accordingly.
Harrisonburg group lessons are $12/lesson (1 hr class), payable 1 month ahead on the 1st lesson. Please note that some months may have more or less than 4 weeks & prices adjust accordingly.
Sheperdstown, WV Beginning group lessons (1 hr class) are $48/month, payable on the 1st week, or $15/lesson.
Private Lessons are available. Please contact Shaheen directly for more information.
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Read More ...Yes, on Dec. 1, 2008, Charlottesville & Lovingston classes are combining & moving!
The Dance Oasis
1837 Seminole Trail, Charlottesville, VA 22901
Behind the Kohr Bros. on 29N
We meet on Monday nights:
Beginner - 6 pm for 1 hr
Intermediate/Advanced - 7 pm for 2 hrs
We're growing & need a bigger space!
Read More ...Shaheen teaches a Belly Dancing Class for University of Virginia Short Courses 2008!
Short Courses are 6-8 weeks long & are held on the UVa campus.
Both UVa Students & Non-Students can register for them.
At the end of the short course, Shaheen's class will present a dance for UVa's annual Spring Fling Festival.
(Spring Fling is held in April & has an attendance of approximately 4000 people.)
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Want something tasteful, unusual & exotic for your next promotional?
Is Fata Morgana available for promotions?
Absolutely!
Contact Shaheen for information, rates & booking.
Read More ...Upcoming Event
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Content View Hits : 55211| History of Belly Dancing |
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HISTORY OF BELLYDANCE An ancient art form, bellydance has roots in many cultures across the eastern part of the world. Often referred to as 'Raqs' or 'Raks Sharquy'-'Dance of the East'- bellydance developed as a social and familial way of having fun. Originally improvisational, each culture passed on its own particular style to successive generations within villages and family units, and as such was not taught in classes as is done today. Some of the countries which have contributed greatly to the modern bellydance aesthetic are Persia, Turkey, India, Egypt, Ethiopia, Tunisia, and Saudi Arabia. Many dances of Eastern Europe and the Orient bear strong similarities to Middle Eastern and North African styles.  Bellydance has historically been greeted with suspicion and negative assumption by every culture to which it was not native. Part of this problem was that the dance itself embraced the body and movement as something beautiful. Most Middle Eastern countries swathed their women in as many layers as those of the West--stomachs were not shown-- except that those layers still provided freedom of movement, which seemed to signify enticement. Once bellydance became a performance art, people continued to assume that any woman who danced in front of men must also be of questionable virtue, a misconception that continues to plague dancers today. Traditionally, men danced as well, most often at family gatherings. During performances, men often danced with swords or tahtib (an Egyptian word meaning 'stick'.) There are at least as many misconceptions about male bellydancers as female-- the most common being that only feminine men would be dancers. I personally know a number of very skilled male bellydancers; two of the top five dancers in my list are male. Please go into bellydance with your mind and ears open!!!
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