September 12th and 13th, join Rom Deussen in welcoming HELM and Asharah for workshops and a show, plus our very own Thia from Salt Lake City.

Asharah, who can be seen on the Gothic Bellydance DVD's, and star of Modern Tribal Bellydance with Asharah (www.asharah.com/dvd.htm) is an amazing dancer. While known for her fusion work, she has also studied cabaret, musicality, and her technique is undeniably strong. This is the woman, ladies, who turned down the BDSS (I love fellow scientists who love their jobs).

Helm, most known as the band who plays for Fat Chance Belly Dance, is coming in a rare opportunity to take workshops with Mark, Ling Shien, and Larry, individually and as a group teaching. They are nationally and internationally known, playing at Rakkasah, Tribal Girona in Spain, and elsewhere. They have played for some of the best in the industry, and are highly sought after musicians and instructors. (www.helmmusic.com).

Thia has won the titles of Grand Dancer of 2006, Headliner Dancer of 2000 and 2005, Contributions to Utah Dance 2007, and was certified in Gypsy Caravan #1 in 2007. She has also studied Classical Indian dance and Tribal as well. An amazing cabaret dancer with more experience than many of us will ever have, we are thrilled to have Thia with us this year.

Workshops held at the Good Shepherd Presbyterian Church, 611 N.2450 East, St. George, Utah. Easily accessible off of I-15. E-mail Rom for directions.

Friday, September 12th:
4:00 HELM--Mark Bell (workshop topic to be announced--settling in final details), $30

5:00 THIA--Tribal and Classical Katak Indian fusion, (a fusion of Gypsy Caravan and Classical Indian movement that gives the best of East meets West), $20.

Learn to add some ethnic and fusion flair to your choreographies and dance. Katak is a beautiful, intricate Classical Indian dance whose grace and elegance adds to any dancer, and we all love our Tribal!

6:00 Asharah. The Sinewy Spine, $30
Strength and Flexibility for Backbends and Floorwork
Maximum Class Size - 10 students.
Experience Level: Intermediate and above.
Asharah has been known for making backbends and floorwork look elegant and effortless. In this workshop, Asharah will lead you through an intense warm-up, then we'll do a series of yoga poses and pilates exercises to strengthen the abdominals, thighs, and back muscles as well as lengthen the spine to prepare you for backbends and floorwork. Students will then spot each other as they try out laybacks, berber walks, and backbends on the floor, taking care of our lower backs and knees as we try these difficult, yet impressive movements. Tips for keeping your spine happy and healthy will be discussed throughout the workshop.

SATURDAY, September 13th:
9:00 ASHARAH, $25
Danse Mécanique
Integrating Elegant and Technical Movement for Tribal Fusion Bellydance
Experience Level: Intermediate beginner and above.
This workshop will help you refine your technique and add elegance to your bellydance movement. While sharp pops and locks are an essential part of the tribal dancer's repertoire, grace and polish are equally, if not more, important for conveying expression and feeling from the stage to the audience. Asharah will lead students through an intense warm-up that will prepare the body for fluid arm-work, well-defined isolations, and dramatic extension. We will drill smooth bellydance movements (such as arm waves, interior hip circles, and undulations) and hard contraction movements (such as chest locks and hip work in various directions), and Asharah will teach a short combination using these moves in a choreography, emphasizing flow and musical interpretation.
11:00 HELM with Ling Shien--workshop specific topic TBA, $30

1:00 HELM with all three members, teaching a choreography that all workshop participants will be welcomed to dance to in the show, $30

2:30 If there is interest in this topic, ASHARAH, $25
Pops, Locks, and Tick Tocks
Technical Tricks to Mechanize your Movement
Experience Level: Intermediate beginner and above.
Inspired by robots, experimental electronic music, and poppin' and lockin', Asharah has integrated mechanical movements into her expressive tribal fusion performances. In this workshop, Asharah will lead students through an intense warm up and then will show students how to break down traditional bellydance movements such as vertical hip figure-8s, shoulder rolls, torso undulations, turns, and arm waves into smaller and sharper parts to give your performances a robotic and creepy edge. After drilling these movements, she'll teach a short combination that demonstrates how these movements can be used in a performance. She'll also briefly discuss concepts of electronic music, how it is created, and how to listen to the nuances of music made by machines and computers.



6:00 HELM and ASHARAH show!!! $20 a ticket.
Held at The Space Between Theater Company in Kayenta, Utah. In this gorgeous outdoors theater, where you can see the sun set and the band of the Milky Way, come see Helm, Asharah, and some of Las Vegas' and Utah's best talent. Helm will be playing music from their CD, Spice Box. Tickets are limited to 150 seats, since this is an intimate venue. Kayenta is an art village, so there is a locally owned fantastic restaurant and some shops, but it is not an urban area. This is truly dancing in the desert. Slots are still open for dancing--e-mail Rom for details. LIne up includes Asharah, Rom Deussen, Black Star Dance Company, Maha Devi, and more!


EARLY BIRD SPECIAL if tickets bought by August 25th: All 3 Helm workshops for $75 instead of $90. Both Asharah Saturday workshops $40 instead of $50.

Contact Rom for details, and the website will be up soon!
www.romdeussen.com, romdeussen@romdeussen.com