BELLYDANCE CLASSES AT VMAC
Belly dance
Belly Dance Classes at VMAC
New series start the first week of every calendar month.
Once a monthly series has started, we don't accept late registrations.
$75 for months with 4 calendar weeks.
$93 for months with 5 calendar weeks.
NO DROP IN PASSES for Belly Dance 1
Each student must pay for the entire month-long series.
*Classes run 55 minutes to allow for transition to next class
All sales final, no refunds. No extensions.
We highly encourage all students new to VMAC to take these classes from level 1 Beginners, even if they have done belly dance before or taken classes at other studios; to become familiar with our studios, teaching style, vocabulary, and our VMAC culture and community.
About Belly Dance
Belly dance is a performance and cultural dance form that originated in the Southwest Asian and North African (SWANA) regions of the world. Known for its intricate locks and isolations as well as fluid and graceful movements, belly dance emphasizes intricate hip and torso articulations, shimmies, and undulations. This expressive dance style often incorporates the use of veils, finger cymbals, and other props, adding to its captivating performance. Belly dance celebrates the beauty and strength of the human body, promoting flexibility, coordination, and self-confidence. Whether performed as a solo act or in a group, belly dance offers a mesmerizing way to connect with the music and artistically express through dance.
Elinore offers the only authorized Salimpour School belly dance classes in Portland, Oregon, with group classes, private instruction, and workshops available.
Belly Dance 1, Beginners, Monthly Series:
Tuesdays 6:30-7:30
Thursdays 7:30-8:30
Learn to belly dance! Belly dance isolations, movements, traveling steps, and musicality will be learned from the ground up; and provide you with a strong dance language and movement foundation.
Requirements:
Belly Dance 2, Beyond Beginners/Intermediate, Drop-In:
Tuesdays 7:30-8:30
Let's dance! Building on what was learned in Belly Dance 1, you will expand your belly dance vocabulary with more complex movements and combinations, speed, finger cymbals, and improvisational techniques.
Requirements:
Belly Dance 3, Intermediate/Advanced, Drop-In:
Thursdays 6:30-7:30Time to level up! Belly Dance 3 is where we bring everything together from both Belly Dance 1 and Belly Dance 2 into layering, faster and more complicated dance combinations and choreographies, cymbal patterns, and more. Get introduced to dancing with props like cane, sword, veil, and more. Debke lines, choreography, improv, history, and performance skills are just a few of some of the fun things we do in Belly Dance 3.
Requirements:
WORKSHOPS:
Various Subjects
Check the Workshops tab for more information about workshops that will continue to grow and develop your Belly Dance technique, musicality and body movement.
Looking for finger cymbals?
Finger cymbals, also sometimes called zills or sagat, are an integral part of bellydance, and are required as a part of Bellydance 2 and beyond. The important thing is to look for cymbals between 2.5 and 3 inches in diameter, and that there are two holes in each cymbal for the elastic, rather than one.
Here are some types of finger cymbals I recommend, and some places to buy them:
https://turquoiseintl.com/collections/cymbals
Turquoise International has some great cymbals. They carry my most recommended cymbals:
Suhailas are great for outdoor and standard wear.
Isabellas are great for indoor and small venues.
https://www.saroyancymbals.com/
Saroyan cymbals are also a great merchant for finger cymbals. Their selection is HUGE, but keep in mind to look for cymbals that are between a 2.5" and 3" diameter.
If you are worried about making too much noise when you practice, you can find a wide variety of crocheted finger cymbal mufflers on Etsy, or if you are crafty yourself, there are patterns to make them yourselves. Just search online for “finger cymbal” or “zill” mufflers. You can also use lemon wraps!
Looking forward to playing cymbals with you!
New series start the first week of every calendar month.
Once a monthly series has started, we don't accept late registrations.
$75 for months with 4 calendar weeks.
$93 for months with 5 calendar weeks.
NO DROP IN PASSES for Belly Dance 1
Each student must pay for the entire month-long series.
*Classes run 55 minutes to allow for transition to next class
All sales final, no refunds. No extensions.
We highly encourage all students new to VMAC to take these classes from level 1 Beginners, even if they have done belly dance before or taken classes at other studios; to become familiar with our studios, teaching style, vocabulary, and our VMAC culture and community.
About Belly Dance
Belly dance is a performance and cultural dance form that originated in the Southwest Asian and North African (SWANA) regions of the world. Known for its intricate locks and isolations as well as fluid and graceful movements, belly dance emphasizes intricate hip and torso articulations, shimmies, and undulations. This expressive dance style often incorporates the use of veils, finger cymbals, and other props, adding to its captivating performance. Belly dance celebrates the beauty and strength of the human body, promoting flexibility, coordination, and self-confidence. Whether performed as a solo act or in a group, belly dance offers a mesmerizing way to connect with the music and artistically express through dance.
Elinore offers the only authorized Salimpour School belly dance classes in Portland, Oregon, with group classes, private instruction, and workshops available.
Belly Dance 1, Beginners, Monthly Series:
Tuesdays 6:30-7:30
Thursdays 7:30-8:30
Learn to belly dance! Belly dance isolations, movements, traveling steps, and musicality will be learned from the ground up; and provide you with a strong dance language and movement foundation.
Requirements:
- No prerequisites. Beginner level. All are welcome!
- Wear comfortable clothes to move in.
- You may want a hip scarf, ballet slippers or foot undies, water bottle, and a yoga mat for the warm up.
- Please no coin belts or wraps with glass beads, as they can be noisy and distracting, or pieces may fall on the floor that are dangerous to step on. Fringe, sequins, paillettes, lace scarves, etc. are some great alternatives!
Belly Dance 2, Beyond Beginners/Intermediate, Drop-In:
Tuesdays 7:30-8:30
Let's dance! Building on what was learned in Belly Dance 1, you will expand your belly dance vocabulary with more complex movements and combinations, speed, finger cymbals, and improvisational techniques.
Requirements:
- All 3 units of Bellydance 1 (at least 1 Teal, 1 Orange, and 1 Navy.) They can be taken in any order, but all 3 units need to be completed at least once before attending Bellydance 2. Salimpour Fundamentals 1 certification or instructor approval may also fulfill this prerequisite.
- Wear comfortable clothes to move in.
- Bring finger cymbals. See “Looking for Finger Cymbals?” for more information.
- You may want to bring ear plugs. especially if you are sensitive to the sound of finger cymbals.
- You may want a hip scarf, ballet slippers or foot undies, water bottle, and a yoga mat for the warm up.
- Please no coin belts or wraps with glass beads, as they can be noisy and distracting, or pieces may fall on the floor that are dangerous to step on. Fringe, sequins, paillettes, lace scarves, etc. are some great alternatives!
Belly Dance 3, Intermediate/Advanced, Drop-In:
Thursdays 6:30-7:30Time to level up! Belly Dance 3 is where we bring everything together from both Belly Dance 1 and Belly Dance 2 into layering, faster and more complicated dance combinations and choreographies, cymbal patterns, and more. Get introduced to dancing with props like cane, sword, veil, and more. Debke lines, choreography, improv, history, and performance skills are just a few of some of the fun things we do in Belly Dance 3.
Requirements:
- All 3 units of Bellydance 1 (at least 1 Teal, 1 Orange, and 1 Navy.) They can be taken in any order, but all 3 units need to be completed at least once before attending Bellydance 2. Salimpour Fundamentals 1 certification or instructor approval may also fulfill this prerequisite.
- Wear comfortable clothes to move in.
- Bring finger cymbals. See “Looking for Finger Cymbals?” for more information.
- You may want to bring ear plugs. especially if you are sensitive to the sound of finger cymbals.
- You may want a hip scarf, ballet slippers or foot undies, water bottle, and a yoga mat for the warm up.
- Please no coin belts or wraps with glass beads, as they can be noisy and distracting, or pieces may fall on the floor that are dangerous to step on. Fringe, sequins, paillettes, lace scarves, etc. are some great alternatives!
- Please have spent at least 12 weeks in Belly Dance 2, acquire instructor permissions, have a Salimpour Fundamentals 2 certification, or have an advanced understanding of belly dance movement to attend Belly Dance 3.
WORKSHOPS:
Various Subjects
Check the Workshops tab for more information about workshops that will continue to grow and develop your Belly Dance technique, musicality and body movement.
Looking for finger cymbals?
Finger cymbals, also sometimes called zills or sagat, are an integral part of bellydance, and are required as a part of Bellydance 2 and beyond. The important thing is to look for cymbals between 2.5 and 3 inches in diameter, and that there are two holes in each cymbal for the elastic, rather than one.
Here are some types of finger cymbals I recommend, and some places to buy them:
https://turquoiseintl.com/collections/cymbals
Turquoise International has some great cymbals. They carry my most recommended cymbals:
Suhailas are great for outdoor and standard wear.
Isabellas are great for indoor and small venues.
https://www.saroyancymbals.com/
Saroyan cymbals are also a great merchant for finger cymbals. Their selection is HUGE, but keep in mind to look for cymbals that are between a 2.5" and 3" diameter.
If you are worried about making too much noise when you practice, you can find a wide variety of crocheted finger cymbal mufflers on Etsy, or if you are crafty yourself, there are patterns to make them yourselves. Just search online for “finger cymbal” or “zill” mufflers. You can also use lemon wraps!
Looking forward to playing cymbals with you!
