The 2011 New York Theatrical Bellydance Conference Held

The Near East is the cradle of civilization, and also the cradle of dance. Some ancient Near Eastern dance forms are still practiced today, most widely is oriental dance, raqs sharqi, or it's most common name, bellydance.

Bellydance can be as simple and superficial as a nightclub entertainment but it is so much more than just that. Gifted and well-trained practitioners of this primal dance have always made it into an expressive, theatrical art form that transcends mere entertainment.

To that end, dancers across the country and around the world are packing their bags this summer for the New York Theatrical Bellydance Conference, an event that will combine 4 days of intensive instruction with 3 curated stage productions at the Dance New Amsterdam theater, all happening in downtown Manhattan July 6-10. Curated stage performances will feature a diverse away of professional bellydance artists. The conference is co-directed by Ranya Renée and Anasma, internationally known bellydance teachers and performers.

Over the course of 4 days of intensive instruction, students will participate in workshops with 20 teachers whose styles run the gamut of the bellydance genre, from modern Egyptian to Hip-Hop Bellydance fusion and Gothic. A description of all workshops and full conference schedule is available here:
http://theatricalbellydance.com.

Artisans and costume vendors will be selling gorgeous bellydance stagewear, gifts and accessories during the conference as well.

"A growing number of shows in the bellydance community present the dance as a theater art, and our conference seeks to highlight this movement," notes Ranya. Adds Anasma, "Ranya and I share the belief that theater techniques facilitate dancers' capacity to be connected to themselves and to their audience."

In addition to the co-directors, the conference's dance instructor lineup also includes several instructors returning by popular demand from last years conference, plus an exciting lineup of new instructors: Fayzah, Ayshe, Yael Becker, Autumn Ward, Zoe Anwar, DaVid of Scandinavia, Lena Helt, Dalia Carella, Wendy Buonaventura, and the legendary Elena Lentini. For more information on instructors and featured performers, please visit the conference's bios page.

Ranya Renée earned her theater degree at Yale, and has been a fixture on the New York Middle Eastern dance scene for 18 years, including performances at Lincoln Center Out-of-Doors Festival and Central Park Summerstage. Her style is characterized by musicality, cultural integrity and humor in interpreting traditional and modern Egyptian music. Anasma, based in New York and Paris, is known for her innovative fusion of bellydance with theater, mime, hip hop, salsa, martial arts and other dance arts. Anasma started performing Middle Eastern dance in 1997. Since 2006, she has toured in 20 countries, and been featured in 8 DVDs and CDs. Recently, she was nominated for the Unique Arts Awards. Anasma and Ranya have both taught and performed extensively in North America, Europe, Asia and the Middle East.

Conference registration is available for single day ($149) and three-day packages ($550).Tickets may also be purchased separately for the evening theatrical performances. For more information, to register or to purchase show tickets, please visit http://theatricalbellydance.com/
The dance workshops will be held at Ripley Grier Studios, 520 8th Ave., 16th Floor NY, NY on July 7, 8, 9, and 10. Vendors will also be selling their wares at the workshops location.