Classes &Videos

• Brief discussion of the history and culture of this beautiful dance
• Positive affirmations and deep breathing exercises
• Thrilling work-out excellent for core strength, spine flexibility, and achieving and maintaining healthy body weight
• Password to the video and choreography resources available on Google Drive
• Instruction of the highest quality by Cecilia Rinn, a nationally recognized performer and instructor with 20 + years of experience, and members of the Starbelly Dancers
• Basics of Arabic, Egyptian(Raks Sharki) and Turkish (Vintage Am Cab) to prepare you for 200 Drill class, or the 202, and 203 level classes after completion

With 200 and up classes students get:

• Additional benefits for continuing Starbelly Students.
• Performance opportunities, including but limited to quarterly Student Showcases & possible inclusion in the Student Troupe
• The option to purchase custom made professional costumes made by Cecilia Rinn of Starbelly Creations

Arabic Style Belly Dance In this class we will lean the basic Fundamentals of Belly Dance. Starting with the foundational posture, arm & body positions and footwork patterns, all the way to shimmies! 

 Arabic for “Dance of the Orient”, is a modern style with its roots in folkloric dance that is known for detailed hip work and an emotional and graceful connection to the music. 

 AmCab for short is an energetic Turkish influenced style of belly dance that originated in America in the 1960s and is known for fast hard shimmies, sharp isolations and lively finger cymbals. 

Starbelly Dance Squad (formerly known as Tribal Style) is a form of belly dance that has a grounded feel and allows for dancers to improv as a group.  Inspired by Romany traditions it incorporates movements from Egyptian folkloric, North African/Middle Eastern, Spanish and Eastern Indian dance forms.  Starbelly teaches a mixed form that combines Myra Krien’s Pomegranate Improvisational Dance with Starbelly’s own unique style.

  In these Belly Dance Fusion classes we will explore the differences and similarities of Arabic Dance with Rock, Ballet, Flamenco, and others, and how to tell a story with movement. This class will also alternate with Pop classes, where we explore Arabic, Turkish, and American pop music expressed through Belly Dance.

  Saidi is a folkloric dance from Sa’id, a rural area in Upper Egypt that features bouncy horse-styled steps and large chest and shoulder movements. It frequently incorporates a stick or cane, called an Assaya, which is twirled in various ways and used to frame and accent movements.

Tahtib is the term for a traditional stick-fighting martial art originally named fan a’nazaha wa-tahtib. The original martial version of tahtib later evolved into an Egyptian folk dance with a wooden stick.

Dabke, is an Arab folk dance native to the Levant. Dabke combines circle dance and line dancing and is widely performed at weddings and other joyous occasions.

Khaliji is a mixture of modern style and traditional folkloric dance from the Persian Gulf. The name of the dance literally means “gulf” in Arabic and it is danced by local women in weddings and other social events. Recently it has become very popular among belly dancers.