Saturdays  11:15 am – 12:15 pm (HST)

Starting April 1, 2020

This is not your typical belly dance class. You will improve your cardiovascular capacity and increase muscle strength through basic and unique movements. While the focus will be on the hips and abs, this belly dance helps you to vibrate all the muscles in your body, which in turn helps to increase cell activity. Vibration is key to any health regime in fitness, but belly dance vibration will magnify this element to a higher degree. You increase internal strength, becoming more confident in yourself and freeing your personality through the belly dance workout. You will release your stress, smile, laugh, have fun and sweat.

Directions for getting to the online Zoom class:

1. One hour in advance, kindly sign up for your live online class on in MindBody / on our website. Our desk staff will then email you a link to your class on Zoom.

2. Please use the link to sign into Zoom, 5-7 minutes before class, allowing extra time to download the the app if you are  new to Zoom.

3. Contact the desk staff at 808.397.7678 for troubleshooting.

Mondays 7:15 – 8:15 pm (HST)

Starting March 23, 2020

Sign up now!

An excellent class for the brand-new to belly dance, in a fun and safe learning environment, as well as for those who have belly dance experience! Increase your awareness of movement, musicality and get your heart rate up, while you discover your feminine power – all through DANCE! This introductory class will offer insights on traditional and contemporary styles, while placing the dance within a musical and cultural context. We’ll focus on muscular isolations, musical interpretation, strength building and flexibility. A full body workout for the spirit, mind and heart!

Returning and continuing students welcome!

Willow Chang is committed to the creative process, learning experience and sacred practice. A life-long dancer, she started dance early, studying hula for 10 years with Kumu Alicia Smith. After living abroad performing in Egypt in a Hawaiian Show (1994), Willow began to study bellydance with her first teacher, Glo Ayson, in Hawai’i. Willow holds a BA in Dance/music minor, (UH, ’02) and has also studied Classical Indian dance, Balinese, Flamenco, Argentine Tango, Ballet and Modern dance. For the past 18 years, she’s focused on Middle Eastern/Northern African dances. She’s recognized as Hawai‘i’s premier Middle Eastern Dance artist, with her emotive and elegant dance, on spot musicality and exceptional costumes of her own design. Willow is respected for her commitment to the innovation of the art of dance, as well as it’s traditions. She travels annually to study and perform with master teachers, as well as give workshops. She’s always honored to share the beauty of this ever evolving art.

Miss Willow lives and walks her yoga practice. If you have ever seen Willow spin like a perfectly balanced top for minutes at a time, you recognize her flawless posture that provides the still axis of her rotation. In addition to her training and accomplishment in the dance and music disciplines, Willow has faithfully followed a wealth of yoga practices since age 15. Synthesizing her studies in yoga, biomechanics and dance, Willow shares a yoga that celebrates safe form, cultural hallmarks, fluidity, breath work and mind-body awareness. Her students experience grace and joy through movement.

Price: $39.

American Tribal Style (ATS) belly dance is a celebration of feminine and evocative movements that are rooted in the earth. It has been designed to bring out the best in people of all ages, shapes and sizes. The dance is created through group improvisation using a common vocabulary of movements, steps and cues. ATS combines movement from folkloric inspired dances to a fusion of modern and ancient dance techniques from North India, the Middle East, Spain and Africa. For more information about ATS, please visit http://fcbd.com/about/ You’ll learn several of the basic moves on which to build your repertoire! Open to beginning and intermediate dancers and movers of all ages, genders and abilities.

What to wear/bring to the workshop: Full skirt or comfortable dance pants (no jeans or non-stretch pants), tank top or T-shirt, bare feet or dance shoes, a scarf to tie around your hips (no coin belts), water, pen and paper…and enthusiasm!

Dayl Workman

Anyone who attended our 2016 Diwali performance of the Ramayana will recognize Dayl as the detestably alluring demon princess Shurpanaka!  In 2017’s performance she poured herself into playing the jealous stepmother Kaikei. This woman knows how to enter a character, explore it, and seek its soul message.

As a teacher, Dayl creates a great space in which to learn, injecting humor and encouragement in the class environment whilst catering to all learning styles

Dayl’s passion for tribal belly dance extends to the love of community, bringing people together to move and dance the same “language”. She believes that creativity is a vehicle for good health, and what better way than to express it than through the art of dance! Dayl creates a great space in which to learn, injecting humour and encouragement in the class environment whilst catering for all learning styles.

Dayl fell in love with ATS® belly dance during her first class in January 1999 and has been performing and teaching ever since. Dayl has performed with several professional troupes in Oklahoma (Gypsy Fire), Texas (Tribal Evolution, Wild Sky Tribal) and Sydney (Urban Turban, Tribal Spirit) She has studied the dance form extensively in the USA and Australia, taking classes from such greats as Carolena Nericcio-Bohlman and Megha Gavin of Fat Chance Belly Dance, achieving her Teacher Training Certificate in 2016. Dayl incorporates zills, sword, veil, flags, fire fingers, poi/ fire poi, and fire lotuses in her performances, classes and workshops.

Price: $39.

American Tribal Style (ATS) belly dance is a celebration of feminine and evocative movements that are rooted in the earth. It has been designed to bring out the best in people of all ages, shapes and sizes. The dance is created through group improvisation using a common vocabulary of movements, steps and cues. ATS combines movement from folkloric inspired dances to a fusion of modern and ancient dance techniques from North India, the Middle East, Spain and Africa. For more information about ATS, please visit  http://fcbd.com/about/  You’ll learn several of the basic moves on which to build your repertoire! Open to beginning and intermediate dancers and movers of all ages, genders and abilities.

What to wear/bring to the workshop: Full skirt or comfortable dance pants (no jeans or non-stretch pants), tank top or T-shirt, bare feet or dance shoes, a scarf to tie around your hips (no coin belts), water, pen and paper…and enthusiasm!

Dayl Workman

Anyone who attended our 2016 Diwali performance of the Ramayana wiill recognize Dayl as the detestably alluring demon princess Shurpanaka!  This year she pours herself into playing the jealous stepmother Kaikei. This woman knows how to put on a show!

As a teacher, Dayl creates a great space in which to learn, injecting humour and encouragement in the class environment whilst catering to all learning styles. Dayl incorporates zills, sword, veil, flags, fire fingers, poi/fire poi, and fire lotuses in her performances, classes and workshops. She also facilitates mask making workshops working with dance-related themes.

Sign up now!

Price $22

Come study with Willow before she heads to Canada to present at the Belly Blossoms International Dance Festival!

Creating stronger, aware and centered dancers for a better you! In this workshop conditioning will include various warms ups, stretches and asanas. Willow will lead various drills, all designed for bellydance, to strengthen the body.

Come explore of weight shifts, shimmies, snake arms, and articulated hip work. All set to a cross section of world dance jams that span from the desert to the disco, Arabia, Istanbul and beyond. Open to all levels and dancers who strive for finesse!

Looking for a girls’ day out? Learn to creatively and confidently express yourself while experiencing an exhilarating way to exercise with sensual movements from Egypt. Amala invites students of all ages, shapes and levels to explore traditional Near East movements, music and culture. Utilize nearly every muscle and joint in your body to improve strength, coordination, balance and grace with an emphasis on proper posture, hip articulations and body isolations. She is eager to share a fun and original choreography to an upbeat Egyptian pop piece. Allow Amala to show you how empowering and therapeutic the beauty of belly dance is for your body, soul and mind.

Amala Gameela is a passionate Middle Eastern Dance Artist specializing in folkloric Middle Eastern Dance and Egyptian Orientale based out of Honolulu. She is a sought after performer, enthusiastic event producer and generous instructor who presents traditional Middle Eastern Dance with beauty, culture and professional artistry. Amala continues to study with renowned professionals from the United States, Egypt and Europe. After over fourteen years of Middle Eastern dance studies she is an advocate for preserving the traditional art form. Amala invites students of all ages and shapes to explore the art and beauty of Belly Dance. In her day job she leads people through the wonders of the island as a nature and bird guide.

This video clip shows you some of the playful and alluring ways that Amala dances – with veil, sword, finger cymbals (sagat or zill) and even a cane!  

Join returning Swiss dance artist Meissoun, and our own Still & Moving instructor/performer, Willow, for a joyful Spring dance hafla! Hafla is an Arabic word meaning a party or social gathering. In the belly dance world the term hafla is an event where students, professionals, and members of the public come together for the sake of the dance.

Our dance showcase features Oriental Belly Dance, Indian Bollywood, Turkish Belly Dance, American Tribal Belly Dance, Contemporary, Vogue and more, by our hosts and special dance artists, including Murat Demirtas! A feast for the spirit – and not to be missed!

Bio:  Meissoun is Switzerland’s most internationally-known dancer and teacher for Oriental and Bollywood dance. Her experience spans over 20 years of performances, workshops and other events all over Europe and the American continent. As a dancer, Meissoun impresses with her gracefulness, expression and musicality – as a teacher with her clearly structured, well researched and good-humoured classes.

Meissoun lives in Zurich and travels around the globe to dance. MEISSOUN is an Arabic name meaning “she with the grace and the walk of a gazelle.” She started her dance education in 1990 with Layali Römer, then continued with Karin Azaria Siegrist, Nelly Mazloum, Mo Gedawwi, Raqia Hassan, Lilo von Hugo, Tania Cook, Helena Cremona and many other well respected teachers. Meissoun also studies Bharata Natyam (classical Indian dance) with Barbara Dejung as well as Indian folk dances like Bhangra and Dandiya. She has danced and taught Bollywood dance since 2000. Meissoun started performing regularly in 1994 at various events in many various styles of dance.  www.meissoun.ch

with Meissoun, Switzerland’s most internationally known dancer/teacher for Oriental & Bollywood dance

Sunday, Oct 7

3:00 – 5:00 pm

$30

Would you like to achieve a deeper understanding of how steps in dance are built up and how to master fluid transitions? Meissoun teaches her special concept for steps in Middle Eastern dance, that applied to ALL dance! By learning a few basic steps, these develop into interesting, and varied combinations. The basic understanding of steps will allow you to learn complex step combinations with ease and give you the confidence to create your own.

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with Meissoun, Switzerland’s most internationally known dancer/teacher for Oriental & Bollywood dance

Saturday, October 6

3:30 – 5:30 pm

$30

Choreographies can be used in many ways: To excel at a performance or simply to practice certain movements. In this workshop Meissoun will teach typical movements of famous star belly dancers like Dina, Amani, Suheir Zaki etc. to the song “Rakset Ludmilla” from the CD “Very Cairo Vol. 1”. Have fun exploring the wealth of diversity of this beautiful dance. 

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