Fri, June 12,  3:30-5:30 pm HST / 6:30-8:30 pm PDT / June 13th 6:30-8:30 am GMT+8 (Hong Kong)

Sun, June 14, 9:30-11:30 am HST / 12:30-2:30 pm PDT / 3:30-5:30 EDT / 8:30-10:30 pm BST

$39 / per workshop

$29 / per workshop Shoe String option

Learn how to paint a picture with your hands to convey emotions and storytelling as the highlight of your dance piece. In this workshop you will pay special attention to an often-neglected part of the body in dance, the hands! To do so, you will gain experience in traditional training practices of Central Asian dance forms, which traces its roots back thousands of years to the royal courts of the Emirs. Pantomimed folk styles of dance also used hand gestures to reflect daily chores, environment, rites of passage or seasonal occasions. This workshop will enhance your ability to vividly express meaning through your hands, whether on a stage, on the dance floor – in any style of dance – or in your daily life.

You will gain body intelligence through dancing with Tara. Her movement approach emphasizes a foundation in discipline and clean technique balanced with passionate abandon. Through exploring the ‘cartography of the body’, mapping the unique territories of your own body, Tara invites you as a student to unlock both your physical and emotional potential to access fuller dance expression. 

Tara’s in-person workshops can be rigorous and intensive sessions, focusing on technique and performance practices. Online, you as a student are free to adapt Tara’s teaching to your own body’s way of moving and comfort level. 

Dancers of all styles and ability levels are welcome.

Tara Pandeya

The daughter of a dancer, Tara Pandeya has gained world renown as a dance performer, teacher and choreographer, as well as a scholar and cultural activist dedicated to the promotion of dance forms from Central Asia. Tara worked as a principal dancer with Cirque du Soleil and is the first westerner to perform with Lola, the National Ensemble of Tajikistan. Tara has performed & created dance programing in over 35 countries. 

She balances her work as a practitioner with theoretical work, conducting dance research through the Rockefeller Foundation & CECArtslink in Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, East Turkestan, Pakistan, India and Russia. Most recently, she has created original dance works for UNESCO, the Bauhaus Festival & at Royal Albert Hall. Tara holds an MA in Dance Anthropology from London’s Roehampton University and is a 2019-20 Fulbright Scholar. Her solo work has been featured on BBC, in the New York Times and in Dance Magazine.

Dancing with Tara, you will also gain an understanding of folklore and cultural traditions through dance gestures, aesthetic theories, musicality and intention. Along with gaining exposure to traditional dance practices through a system of ‘kinetic orality’, you will also learn to analyze your own movement patterns and ways of moving in your unique anatomy.

Wednesdays 7:30 – 8:30 am (HST) / 10:30 am (PDT) / 7:30 pm (Berlin)

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Started September 2, 2020 * Last class October 26th, 2020

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Though the phrase ‘Silk Road’ has a more mythical than historical reference, it connotes some of the mystery, allure and deep nuance in the dances from this part of the world, stretching from India through all the “Stans” (Afghanistan, Tajikistan, East Turkestan, Uzbekistan) through Persia and beyond. As a Fulbright Scholar in Dance with decades of personal experience dancing in these countries, Tara brings you the authentic flavors of dance from each of these regions, while mixing in the spice of her own signature approach. 

Tara draws you along on her fascinating dance journey through the lands of Central Asia in this continually evolving class. Enjoy learning unusual footwork, hand and head gestures that you may never otherwise be exposed to. No matter what other dance styles you may be acquainted with, Tara’s masterful expressivity and precision will seep into and uplift your body and soul.

This class rotates week by week on a 4 spoke cycle, focusing on: 

• Musical receptivity & creativity for dancers: interpretation of odd & even rhythm patterns
• Personal expression & commanding space: staccato stops, isolation, body alignment for dance 
• Strength & rooted movement: nuanced foot & hand execution
• Fluidity & float: spirals with the spine & dynamic spin sequences.

For months with 5 Wednesdays, you’ll get a Silk Road surprise focus for the last week!

Tara Pandeya

The daughter of a dancer, Tara Pandeya has gained world recognition as a dance performer, teacher and choreographer, as well as a scholar and cultural activist dedicated to the promotion of dance forms from Central Asia. Tara worked as a principal dancer with Cirque du Soleil and is the first westerner to perform with Lola, the National Ensemble of Tajikistan. Tara has performed & created dance programming in over 35 countries. 

She balances her work as a practitioner with theoretical work, conducting dance research through the Rockefeller Foundation & CECArtslink in Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, East Turkestan, Pakistan, India and Russia. Most recently, she has created original dance works for UNESCO, the Bauhaus Festival & at Royal Albert Hall. Tara holds an MA in Dance Anthropology from London’s Roehampton University and is a 2019-20 Fulbright Scholar. Her solo work has been featured on BBC, in the New York Times and in Dance Magazine.

Dancing with Tara, you will also gain an understanding of folklore and cultural traditions through dance gestures, aesthetic theories, musicality and intention. Along with gaining exposure to traditional dance practices through a system of ‘kinetic orality’, you will also learn to analyze your own movement patterns and ways of moving in your unique anatomy.

(This class is taking the place of Morning Masala Fitness class)