| Sensual dance... you know it the moment you see it. It radiates from deep inside; the dancer’s whole body flows like silk, her movements are beautifully interwoven, breathing with meaningful, effortless grace. The ability to move fluidly in this organic, connected way begins with an intuitive knowledge that arises when we are sensually awake.
Sensuality begins inside: It is your enjoyment of the world and your own physicality as perceived by your senses. Sensuality radiates outside: When your mind is receptive to physical pleasure, it translates your sensory experience into sensual movement, giving a fluid, languid, mesmerizing quality to your dance.
As a form of body language, dance speaks the truth of your thoughts and feelings. In bellydance, sensuality has always been one of the most highly prized qualities. Aware of your sensual joy, your audience instantly knows that you are "comfortable with your body" and enjoying yourself. This allows the gift of your dance to be experienced on a higher, richer level.
Sensuality is not a special talent or skill—it is present in all of us. The task is to discover it, cultivate it, and translate it from an internal state to an expressive, easy-to-understand language of dance movement. In Sensual Bellydance, Blanca, a star bellydancer in New York City acclaimed for the languid, effortless, intoxicating quality of her dance style, shares her ways of expressing sensuality and of adding the flair of sensual grace and ease to every bellydance step - from basic to more evolved.
The core of the program is the Sensual Bellydance Flow [beginner-intermediate] - sequences of steps building from simple isolated moves to layered. Footwork, arm/hand patterns and head angles are gradually combined for the effect of total coordination and effortless control. Sensuality is translated into dance through "connectedness" — the wave-like echoing and interweaving of movements. A special section of sensual poses and fluid transitions is designed to improve your pacing. Slowing the pace into a still pose helps you to learn measured, uncluttered dance phrasing: In sensual dance every movement is distinct and meaningful; every phrase has its highlight.
This section offers the “music only” option — you can follow Blanca’s voice prompts, or enjoy the music-only 40-minute non-stop flow of dance combinations.
In the Technique section Blanca offers a step-by-step breakdown of the movement vocabulary for the Flow and introduces her core method: Progressions —the gradual layering of bellydance moves on footwork with a special attention to body and head angles, arm positions, and patterns.
The last section includes a step-by-step breakdown, a demonstration, and two performances of Blanca's "Venus" choreography [intermediate] - a perfect opportunity to practice sensual bellydance! |
Dance
