SACRED DANCE
Poetry in Motion from your inner Body Truth
Schirin places emphasis on a safe learning environment with a solid technical foundation as well as a holistic experience for women in which they can feel strengthened in their unique femininity, creativity, sensuality, joy, grace, power and a sense of communal togetherness. Schirin offers group classes, workshops, multiple-day intensives and privates. The level of intensity is relative to the group's/individual's ability.
SACRED, CLASSICAL AND FOLK DANCES
In the Perfumed Garden of Dance…. Nature is Schirin’s deepest inspiration. As dance imitates life, each dance carries the beauty of a flower. Each dancing woman is a flower. Many blooming exemplars together make for a fragrant garden with intoxicating beauty. One can spend eternity contemplating on the fragrances, shades of color, light, seasonal changes, visiting insects and birds. Thus, Schirin continues to tend the inner garden for each flower to come into full bloom through continuous dedicated discipline.
Belly Dance ~ Dance of the Womb and Heart
Often referred to as Oriental Dance or Raqs Sharqi, Belly Dance is considered one of the most ancient known dance forms, its roots planted in the Middle East, Mediterranean and North Eastern Africa. Initially a reverential dance to the Great Mother Goddess, this dance served as an intimate ritual dance during feminine rites of passage such as birth, moon flow, marriage, motherhood and menopause. Praying, dancing, drumming and singing together, women strengthened their bonds and enhanced their feminine fullness within the sanctity of the ‘Red Tent’.
The dance with its serpentine movements, circles, sways, shimmies and undulations is focused around the navel and pelvis, the seat of life. Physically, the dance serves general feminine health by toning and aligning the sexual organs. Spiritually the dance activates a strong connection for women to their womb wisdom and the awakening of the Kundalini Shakti serpent.
All movements done with the pelvis can be identically danced with the chest, the center of the heart.
Nowadays, Belly Dance has become an evolved art form, drawing from folkloric dances and fused with other forms such as Ballet, Classical Indian, Flamenco and Persian. The dance appears to have multi-faceted healing benefits whether one chooses to connect on a deeper level or not. Please scroll down for more technically detailed Bellydance class descriptions.
~*~ Belly Dance for birth and beyond
Belly Dance is known to have its roots in ancient birthing rituals as the movements drop the center of awareness into the life cradle of the hips. The circular motions around the heart and womb as well as the undulations of the abdomen, naturally aid women during pregnancy, childbirth and birth recovery. Mother and baby get to bond deeper through a sacred dance together, while in her belly and later in her arms. In this workshop, we bring Belly Dance into a modern-day ritual setting for the mothers to join into their shared journey to alleviate archetypal related challenges.
Through gentle, flowing dance movements, sacred sound, pre- and post natal yoga, meditation and breath work, this format may benefit the reproductive organs and holistic matrix before and after birth. The dance serves to empower a woman in her innate birthing body wisdom with confidence, joy and deep relaxation.
Additionally, information on holistic herbal and nutritional care for pre- and post natal stages is provided. Midwife approved. No previous dance experience is needed.
~*~ Rajasthani Kalbeliya ‘Gypsy’ Dance / Dances of the Serpent ‘Sapera’
Rajasthan is a magical land with a culture that offers passionate songs and devotional dances from the dawn of gypsy culture, full of immense charm and potency. Joyful, wild and sensuous, the Kalbeliya gypsy dancers accentuate the movements of a serpent and their lives connected to the raw red Earth. Emphasis is on technique as well as cultural and spiritual contexts of the dance.
Suitable for all level dancers, the approach to spinning is suited to each participant.
Mystical Persian Dance
Persian Dance is the embodiment of delicacy, elegance, grace, beauty, poetry, art and spirituality. Rooted in Persian aesthetics, the dance form with its curvature, steps, hand gestures, facial expressions, mood and subtleness resembles the intricacy of miniature art and calligraphy.
Throughout the class, we will explore Classical and Contemporary Persian Dance technique, 6/8 musicality (as well as more rhythmic occurrences in Persian music) and Persian culture. We will draw inspiration from some of the greatest Persian Sufi poets such as Hafiz and Rumi and explore Sufi inspired ecstatic whirling techniques, thus allowing ourselves to be intoxicated by Divine Love just as the great Mystics intended for us.
Rumi Poetry in Motion ~
Turning Towards the Heart
Let us be inspired by the great Sufi mystics Rumi and Hafiz to go on a journey towards the Beloved by letting their poetry ‘intoxicate’ us with Divine Love.
By incorporating elements of focused breath-work, prayers, various turning practices, ritualized movement, and intentions, we will create personally meaningful and interpretative dances. In the Sufi Dervish whirling tradition, Sema (listening with the Heart) opens up a channel in us through which we receive the blessings of the Heavens, guide them through our Hearts and offer them out the Earth.
'Pranam' ~ devotional dance of the ancient temples of India
Pranam is a Sanskrit word meaning a reverential greeting to the Divine. We draw inspiration from the Shakti Tantra path as well as Classical Odissi and Kathak dances as we move through yoga and dance sequences that evoke a greeting of the divine presence.
The workshop will culminate in a devotional combination upon which the dancer can explore her personalized ‘Pranam’ gesture to integrate into her own practices.
~*~The Roma (Gypsy) Trail ~
Dances from India to Andalucia
There is romantic air about 'Gypsies' which inspires most people with nomadic, wild, free, musical and colorful dreams. However, the culture of the many different groupings of 'Gypsies' is complex, sophisticated and at times tragic. Mostly, they prefer the term 'Roma' over 'Gypsies' for their own people. They tell their stories through the medium of music and dance.
In this workshop we explore their migration routes, the different geographical zones which influenced different types of dance and music. We will cover dance technique such as hand/arm movements, stomping, belly-work, turning and expression of the 'Roma' dances from India, Turkey, Russia, Spain and more
