The DVD explores techniques for dancing to slow bellydance rhythms and rhythmless taqsim. It is open level, but a special section reviewing the foundation movements of bellydance makes it accessible for beginners.

 

Slow dance leaves room for emotional expression and story-telling. Elements of styling, such as arm positions, poses and body angles and hand flourishes become crucial. Pacing must be dynamic and versatile to keep your audience mesmerized. Celebrated for her lyrical, highly-emotive dance and improvisational style, Sarah Skinner teaches you to combine structured and technical dance with organic movement - poses, body angles and natural expressive motions. Sarah’s improvisational method relies on story-telling and visualizations that prompt you to find organic gestures and modes of expression that will infuse your dance with meaning.

 

In the Rhythms & Movements section Sarah analyzes the structure of popular slow bellydance rhythms - ciftetelli, masmoudi, slow maksoum, slow 9/8 rhythm and rhythmless taqsim. 

 

In the Movement Sequences section Sarah mixes structured bellydance steps with organic movement including expressive gestures, walks and turns. Sarah breaks down the slow dance sequences step-by-step, and then offers a non-stop practice flow that will help you explore your own response to the music, and discover ways to get in touch with the emotional potential of your dance.

 

In the Musicality and Expression section Sarah performs a number of improvised slow dances and explains how she blends classic bellydance techniques with organic. She discusses which types of movement work best with different musical instruments. She narrates the stories she enacts in each improvised dance and offers advice on how to turn plain technical dance into a true show, where every step and gesture is meaningful and deeply emotive. This section also includes Sarah’s performances with dance props (candelabrum and swords) where she demonstrates how using a prop transforms the mood and the styling.