Zoe Jakes
Zoe is a proud member of The Indigo, and is currently touring with the new Miles Copeland bellydance project, Le Serpent Rouge, with Rachel Brice and Mardi
Love. She began touring with Bellydance Superstars in the fall of 2005, and can be seen performing on the new tribal solos DVD, out this summer. Zoe has
studied with many of the incredibly talented performers in Northern California, Jill Parker, Rachel Brice, Frederique, and performed with the Suhaila Dance Company in 2003. Her other talents include music producing, and she is co-creating a tribal
bellydance album with David Satori and Sidecar Tommy, coming out April 10th, under Miles Copelands label CIA records. When not with the Indigo, she tours with The Yard Dogs Roag Show, a cartoon circus sideshow of wacky dimension, and has been seen tearing it up with the Extra Action Marching Band. An innovative dancer, Zoe has been said to have her own unique take on Tribal bellydance. She takes her influence from Art Nouveaux, tango, hip hop, and indian classical
dance. She loves unicorns and has never once doubted their existence.

Saturday class:
Kicks and Spins class - where I show the students how to incorporate other elements into their tribal basics, drawing from tango and Classical indan Kathak, for leg extensions and stomping. I focus on quick spins as well, showing basic exercises for turning techniques, and how to train yourself to stop on a dime, which always looks impressive. Spotting basics, as well as non spotted turns, are covered, and techniques for using legs and arms to initiate a turn are also covered.

Sunday class:
Sultry moves with an old timey sensibility! Zoe will be incorporating a touch of her burlesque influence into a slow and playful choreography she will be teaching. All that ooey gooey stuff that is so fun and delicious to watch and do will be focused on in this class. If Mata Hari was around today, she might have done a few of these moves.....

Dave Hall

David Hall graduated from The Musician's Institute "P.I.T." in Hollywood, CA. in 1988 and has studied with some of LosAngeles' top studio drummers including Chuck Flores, Ralph Humphrey, and Joe Porcaro. Since then David has been working as a freelance musician in orchestras, musical theater, jazz ensembles, rock bands, and world music. He has worked with the South Coast Symphony, Downey Symphony, San Bernardino Symphony, Orange County Symphony, Laguna Playhouse Theater, International City Theater, Saddleback Civic Light Opera, Fullerton Civic Light Opera, Tibbies Dinner Theater, and the Marc Seal band "A.S.R." as well as playing with strolling bands at Knott's Berry Farm and The Queen Mary. Currently David is playing with world music groups "Solace" and "Knossos" of EMP records as well as playing with "The Contemporary Artists Percussion Ensemble". David has also been teaching privately for the last 18 years and owns his own teaching studio, "The Music Stand", located in South Orange County. He has been the drumline instructor at Fountain Valley, Huntington Beach, Edison, Aliso Viejo, Rancho Santa Margarita, and Oceanview High Schools and has taught workshops on hand drumming around the country. David has also written his own drum method book titled "Rock Beats in 4/4 Time".

Saturday workshops:
Drum Ensemble Workshop
In this class, you will learn how to perform the basic Middle Eastern rhythms in a group setting. We will explore drum ensemble etiquette, creativity with the rhythms and how to make your drum ensemble sound like it's performing songs instead of rhythms. This class is for all ability levels and any type of percussion instrument you have. So bring what you have!

Tempest
Tempest is an artist, designer, dancer, and writer recently relocated from Bay Area of California to the Jersey Shore. Although she enjoys studying what tradition has to offer, Tempest loves exploring the dance through unusual music and creative costuming, pulling on her visual arts background to "paint a picture" with the dance; engaging the audience through dramatic embodied storytelling, passionate expression, and sensuous, mesmerizing movement.

She finds inspiration for her dances in many eras, places, and faces, from ancient cultures and spiritual myths worldwide, to the work of silent film star and original vamp Theda Bara, and turn-of-the-century dance goddess Ruth St. Denis.
She is most well-known for her Gothic Belly Dance performances and instruction, and is featured on the first ever GBD performance DVD produced by WorldDanceNewYork entitled "The Darker Side of Fusion", it's sequel "Gothic Belly Dance: Revelations", and Hollywood Music Center's "Bellydance Underworld". She also has an instructional DVD geared towards the alternatively-minded entitled "Bellydance for Beautiful Freaks" produced by WorldDanceNewYork.
Websites:
-Med'Devi Ink (art, design, the original corset belt...) www.meddevi.com
-Tempest's Nouveau Noir Dance: www.darklydramatic.com
-The Gothic Bellydance Resource: www.gothicbellydance.com

Saturday class:
Dancing Darkly: The Ultimate Foundation for the Art of Gothic Bellydance: Gothic Bellydance is the union of Middle Eastern Dance with the aesthetic, sound, and emotion of the Gothic subculture. More than just a look or a sojourn into alternative music, discover the theatrical elegance and drama that truly gives "Raks Gothique" its soul essence, from Tempest - creator of the Gothic Belly Dance Resource (www.gothicbellydance.com). We'll discuss and illustrate the concepts that create the foundation for this dance, and focus on key elements for performance, including movement, attitude, aesthetic, and presentation. All levels welcome.

Sunday workshop:
Strange Presence: Dance Drama: it's all about bleeding your soul out to audience, serving it to them on a platter, and then eating THEM for lunch instead. A truly successful performance does more than show how well you can do the moves-it should really speak to your audience and exude expression. You CAN learn how to have a stronger personality on stage and channel that energy for a more dynamic performance. Discover the key aspects of capturing your audience with your stage presence and develop your own onstage drama! We'll particularly focus on improvisational technique, character development, and learning to be more "in the moment." This class is especially for any dancer who is ready to perform or is considering it.

Kajira Djoumahna
Kajira has devoted her career to the proliferation of American Tribal Style (ATS) BellyDance. Though skilled in many other traditional dance forms, this specialty chose her due to its "no borders" sense of creativity, its modern approach to ancient ways and its capacity to bring dancers together nearly psychically through its unique structured group improvisational dancing. After 8 years under the tutelage of Carolena Nericcio (creatrix of the form and director of FatChanceBellyDance), Kajira went on to develop her own particular format for the ATS Style that sets it apart from that of her teacher's and others in the genre. Kajira has enjoyed teaching in Germany and England and looks forward to more confirmed dates in Austria, Germany and Taiwan for 2007. She has taught for many years across the U.S. and in HI where her ongoing classes were held. She is author of The Tribal Bible, writes an ongoing tribal Q-&-A column in the int'l. bellydance magazine "Zaghareet!" and has 2 instructional DVDs. Besides ATS, Kajira performs Tribal Fusion Belly Dance, Moroccan Guedra, Turkish Romani and Romani-Oriental Dance, American Classical Belly Dance, Gothic Belly Dance and theatrical dance. She has been the recipient of numerous awards, including 2 for Instruction and 2 for Event Production. Kajira is the producer of the first and largest Tribal BellyDance festival in the world, Tribal Fest (held in the Northern SF Bay Area of CA each May), as well as the Maui Intensives (held on Maui, HI each July). Kajira oversees BlackSheep BellyDance - CA and - HI. Currently she studies a classical East Indian dance form, Odissi, with Sarala Dandekar. Her goal in life is to HAVE FUN and to spread JOY and INSPIRATION through Dance!

Saturday workshop:
Title: Moroccan Guedra Blessing Ritual
Type of Class: Traditional Trance Blessing Ritual
Skill Level: Open to Everyone

This ritual comes from the branch of Tuareg Berbers known as The Guedra, who are also one of the several Tuareg branches known as "The Blue People" or "Kel Tagelmous". Guedra tribes inhabit parts of Mauritania, Morocco and the High/Upper Atlas Mountains. This group of people are unique in that they are matrilineal and councils are egalitarian. In this unique Berber branch, the men veil but the women do not (the reason will be revealed in class). The word "Guedra" has many meanings as well and handouts will be provided, as well as supporting material passed around. Your handouts will include one of the many chants with translations, which are sung in a language called Hassanic Berber, a mix of Arabic and Berber dialects.

You will listen to actual field recordings, learn call-and-response chants as well as claps and counter-claps. You will learn the meanings behind the gestures and the movements that go with T'bal (the optional standing portion) as well as Guedra (done kneeling). A CDR of these field recordings will be available for purchase before and after class for a low fee.

It is important to know that Guedra is not at all like Hadra or Zar, as is not an "exorcism" or a "dance" but an actual ritual used only for blessing purposes.

If time allows, we may have a Guedra circle in which at least some of the participants will be able to come out for a few minutes and try it while being supported by your tribe of classmates who will be clapping and chanting for you, creating the possibility of a light trance state. You will have the tools to go deeper with your friends outside of the busy classroom setting by the time you leave, to try on your own!

Please bring: An open heart and inquisitive mind! A non-slippery dark opaque piece of cloth or textured veil (not silk). Any shade of blue or black are preferred. This cloth need be only large enough to cover your head and can be larger. The remainder of the costume for this ritual will be discussed, photos passed around and components talked about in class. Bring kneepads. People with knee, back or neck problems will be asked to take it easy and know your personal limitations. You can still do the T'Bal (standing) section, which is done traditionally as well.

Sunday workshop:
Title: Odissi Temple Dance Basics from India
Type of Class: Classical East Indian Odissi Dance
Skill Level: Open to Everyone

Odissi Dance is consciously spiritual and done with purpose for The Divine. You may be amazed by how similar - and dissimiliar - the 2 forms's Sacred Geometry are, even though the concept is used much more consciously in Odissi than in BellyDance, both forms use deliberate ancient movements to create a Sacred Dance. The difference is that BellyDance can also be done for "mundane" purposes, while Odissi Dance is always for The Divine. In essence, this Dance form is Yoga, which means "Union" (of Body, Mind & Spirit) in Sanskrit.

In our time together, we will work on a few of the 10 Basic Steps used for creating the Odissi Dance repertoire in both Chowka and Tribungi, the 2 basic positions used in this Classical Form. If time allows, we will work with walks, poses and their meanings (such as Shiva Nataraj and Uma), perhaps a pranam (class prayer), mudras/hastas (hand gestures) and their meanings, and maybe a bit of Abhinaya (Storytelling).

I will work with the class as to how to best structure this short introductory class by getting and giving feedback from the students as we go. Be prepared to sweat as this form will use muscles not used in bellydance (as well as some that are), so bring a hand towel just in case. You will be guided in a careful, safe manner by Kajira precisely how to get into both basic positions and what not to do as well as what to do to keep safe. You may leave with some shaky thighs, but they will thank you for the healthy workout!

Of course I will warm you up thoroughly and quickly as well as cool you down with some great stretches before and after class. Drink lots of water that day as well, your muscles will thank you! East Indian Dance is very popular these days to fuse with and to perform separately by BellyDancers everywhere! Even by just learning the 2 basic positions and a couple of steps or poses, you may find a base from which you can add an authentic Indian "flavor" to your own Fusion BellyDance presentations.

Heather's diverse movement and arts background feeds her creativity and her innovative approach to choreography. Urban Tribal Dance Company is known for it's contemporary dance style, a pared down costume emphasizing body movements over ornamentation, athleticism and the use of the dance form as a means of personal expression and interpretation. Their creativity has twice earned them the title of "Troupe of the Year" in Zaghareet! Magazine's Golden Belly Awards. In addition to teaching several weekly classes in San Diego since 1999, Heather Stants and Urban Tribal Dance Company have been touring
extensively since 2004 sharing their love of modern tribal bellydance with dancers in the U.S. and abroad.

Read more about Heather and Urban Tribal on their site: www.urbantribaldance.com
and on their tribe: http://urbantribaldance.tribe.net

Jeremiah Soto
Jeremiah M. Soto describes his musical endeavors "Solace," meaning comfort. In 1992, Jeremiah first experimented with the doumbek and realized his fascination and talent for Middle Eastern drum rhythms. To better his knowledge, Jeremiah attended classes in Frame Drum, Conga, and African poly-rhythms by world-renowned percussionist Ronnie Engle, and later studied Classical Arabic Style with master percussionist, Souhail Kaspar. In 1995, Jeremiah released the first Solace album Rhythm of the Dance. Sha'waza (eve 03) came into the world; catapulting Jeremiah's music and popularity to the forefront of the Middle-Eastern Dance Music genre. In 1998, Sha'waza was nominated for a IAMED Award for Best Belly Dance Music. Since then Jeremiah as released seven Solace albums, including his newest release, Nagari. Jeremiah also has expanded Eventide Music Productions, his independent record label to include Tim Rayborn, Dann Torres' Knossos, Ruben van Rompaey, and Maduro.

Jeremiah hopes to break the confines of typical Middle Eastern Dance Music and inspire others through his unique compositional style and love of Arabic rhythms and music. Solace music is not just great belly dance music; it is a journey into the heart and mind, where others may fear to tread. www.empcds.com www.soundofsolace.com

Sunday workshop:
Rhythm Composition
Utilizing various Arabic rhythms students will learn to combine patterns to create interesting compositions. Basic drum technique will be covered. This class is suitable for dumbek, frame drum, and riqq students.

Frèdèrique
Frèdèrique began studying American Tribal Style belly dance in February of 1997 with Jill Parker of Ultra Gypsy. After performing as a core member of Ultra Gypsy for almost 3 years, Frèdèrique steered her endeavors in a new direction and founded 'Romani - Urban Tribal Belly Dance' in January of 2000. Romani was the first professional belly dance cooperative that pioneered and popularized the underground electronic Middle-Eastern / Indian flavored music used by most tribal fusion belly dancers today. In December of 2003, Romani disbanded and Frèdèrique reserved the name Belly Groove with the vision for a future dance collaborative meanwhile focusing on redefining and fine tuning herself as an Artist while performing and teaching workshops around the U.S. As well as her dancing ability, Frédérique is known for pushing musical boundaries by arranging music to enhance her conceptual narrative. She is also known for reinventing herself from one show to the next; her core focus being to improvise every performance in concept, narrative, costume, and dance resulting in a unique performance every time. Her style, referred to in the belly dance community as 'Tribal Remixed' and 'Avant Garde' to the public, is a compilation of dance forms, life experiences, and passion all integrated and filtered through her imagination to share with you.

Sunday workshops:
Gooey Pops
Wanna learn the fundamentals in pop 'n lock with the gooey-groove in effect?
This class will guide and drill you through your Gooiest moments how to pop 'n lock then flow right back into your groove. These exercises will build muscle memory in order to apply the nuances, details, tempo change and most importantly, control you need for the deed.