dancingleaf

First off I have to admit to going into this workshop a little star struck. I first saw Bozenka when she came to Detroit with the Bellydance Superstars in March 2004 and was wowed by her performance.

I have to congratulate the Habibi Dancers, the organizers of this event, the location was first rate. A gymnasium with a 3 foot stage at the front of the room, enabled easy viewing of the instructor. There were some sound difficulties initially with the mike, however, Bozenka and the organizers struggled through and eventually it was fully functional. There was a wonderful (free) buffet breakfast laid out when I arrived, coffee - full and decaf, hot water for tea, as well as trays of fresh fruit, donuts, bagels and cream cheese.
Great venders were arranged along the sides and back of the room with a wide selection of merchandise, from t-shirts, music, jewelry and basic hip scarves to the fully beaded, beautifully made (and expensive) professional performance costumes.
The limit of 100 applicants for the workshop was enforced and the room was more than adequate for the number.
Two minor complaints, the rest room was some distance down the corridor from our location and they did not permit food or drink in the auditorium (understandable but dehydrating).

The Workshop
The morning was dedicated to Locks and Shimmies.
Locks are a heavily accented movement, a sharp pronounced pop in a pelvic move or chest lift.

The shimmies that she covered were: the Basic Egyptian, the twist, a different Egyptian which seems to involve (briefly) popping the knees into a back and locked position, a bounce shimmy, a forward and back pelvic shimmy, the ¾ shimmy and an Algerian shimmy which I believe is a ¾ shimmy with a forward hip crescent on the first count. It was my first time encountering some of these (italics) so I'll need some practice with a mirror. She did do some drills employing some of these moves across the room from one side to the other.

The afternoon was a drum choreography using many of the mornings moves. Several people broke the rules and had water bottles present, including me. The choreography was simple enough that even I could follow most of it, but challenging in that it incorporated many of the new moves. Implanting choreography into my memory is something that continues to elude me,personally, one day I may be able to retain something. Rotation of the room (front people move back etc.) was well done and orderly. There was not a great deal of traveling which made it ideal for a workshop setting or small stage. Bozenka told us that she had choreographed it specifically for this Michigan workshop and I think it was well designed. She had limited copies of the song available on CD ($5 - I got one!). The written instructions for the choreography are broken down by time units so can be easily cued up on your CD player for later learning/review.

After the workshop she autographed photos which she had brought with her and distributed earlier in the day. She was very nice and spoke with each person individually.

I was very sorry to miss the evening performance, but I had sitter limitations and because I was just at the Cassandra workshop in Sarnia, I couldn't swing another weekend away.

I would highly recommend any opportunity to study with Bozenka. She worked really hard to present the information to us in a clear manner that was easy to learn. She was a great instructor and an amazing dancer with a lot of flair and feeling. WOW!

crossposted to bellydance and my personal journal.