Interconnected III - workshops with Nivetha Shree and Ali

Curious Verses are delighted to present Interconnected III: A Dance Gathering! Join us on Saturday 17th August for a day of dance workshops with special guest teachers Nivetha Shree and Ali. And we'll party for a good cause on Friday 16th at our Hafla for Palestine: https://curiousverses.co.uk/interconnected_iii/

Workshops schedule:
11:00-12:30 Astitva – The Indian Fusion Approach with Nivetha
13:00-14:30 Dabke workshop with Ali
15:00-16:30 Sangraha – Bringing It Together with Nivetha

1 workshop £25 (+booking fee)
3 workshops £50 (+booking fee)

Secure your spot now at https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/curious-verses-presents-interconnected-iii-tickets-946566324357

Location:
Studio 2, Flow Dance (aka Unit 3 Studios), Kennington Business Park, London, SW9 6DE

Workshop descriptions:

11:00-12:30 Astitva – The Indian Fusion Approach with Nivetha
In this workshop we will focus on learning the essence of moving mindfully with intention. Deriving from the nuances of Indian classical form we will explore and learn aspects that would be gracefully fused with Tribal Fusion Bellydance. Further focusing on the body language and subtleties that bring in grace to our movements and help us express deeper. We will culminate the learnings into a combination.

13:00-14:30 Dabke workshop with Ali
During this workshop Ali will cover the fundamentals of Dabke (Palestinian folklore dance) including formation, direction and connection. Then introduce the basic steps from different countries in the Levant. Once we are familiar with the basic steps, we will dance as a group incorporating the various steps we have learnt in the same way it’s generally danced at events. Following this we will progress to more intricate moves. During this workshop Ali will be assisted by Miriam, an accomplished Tango and Raqs Sharqi dancer who runs her own events in Colchester.

15:00-16:30 Sangraha – Bringing It Together with Nivetha
In this workshop we will be focusing on conditioning drills and techniques to transition from staccato to fluid movements and build a seamless flow. We will also have energy flow exercises to bring in different textures and build a connect across different movement qualities. Additionally focusing on musicality we will learn to bring it all together.

About our guest instructors:

Nivetha Shree

Fascinated by arts as a child, Nivetha began studying Belly dance 11 years ago and trained under several renowned teachers across the world. During her training in both Belly dance and Yoga, she discovered and fell deeply in love with Tribal Fusion Belly dance.

Adding to her dance repertoire, she has also trained in Odissi and hip hop and has successfully completed two Fusion Belly Dance courses: (1) Dancecraft Key of Diamonds by Zoe Jakes and (2) Krysalis Invocation by Kami Liddle. She has finished her 200 hours Yoga Teacher Training and is a certified Level 2 practitioner from the Yoga Certification Board Government of India.

Over these years, she has been exploring and building her style by mindfully fusing the nuances of different dance forms that she is proficient in while keeping the base element as Bellydance. Being a solo performing artist and the director of the Dance company named Saara – The Tribe, she has been creatively expressing her explorations vividly across critically acclaimed dance platforms.

Her teaching journey started in the year 2015 when a small group wanted to learn her style. She takes immense pride in being a teacher who has had the privilege of training hundreds of enthusiastic students. To further impart the knowledge of this art form, she started her Dance school Saara – The Bellydance Space which has a structured approach towards learning, thus, helping beginner and intermediate dancers upgrade and grow. Apart from her regular certified classes, she has taught workshops and performed in various belly dance festivals. She also had the privilege of organizing Tribal Nritta – the first ever festival dedicated to Tribal Fusion Belly dance in Bangalore, India.

Nivetha’s dance vision is to express and revive the inner world using the physical body as a tool thus bringing a harmonious connection between body and mind.


Ali Al Zoubi

Ali is an experienced Dabke teacher and dancer, he teaches a monthly Dabke class at an Oxford based community event ‘Confluence Café’.

Over a number of years he ran Dabke workshops and classes at Essex and Oxford Unis, and in May 2024 he ran a class at a Tango dance event in Felixstowe to raise money for Médecins Sans Frontières Gaza appeal. He also welcomed Amal the 10 foot tall Syrian refugee puppet with a Dabke dance when she visited oxford during her UK tour.

Ali is passionate about Argentine Tango which he dances regularly, and over the past 18 months has been teaching Tango to beginners at his workplace in Oxfordshire. His other dancing interests include Acrobatic partner dancing and modern Jive.

https://curiousverses.co.uk/interconnected_iii/