LEARNING ZYAMA

Welcome to the BellySlink Troupe! 

Your weekly dose of Goddess Goodness with the Zyama Goddess Format.

Classes are available Mondays on Zoom, or Wednesdays either in person in Perth, or on Zoom, whatever suits your schedule or location best. We have regional and interstate dancers in both classes, so all classes are available online, even if you're just not feeling like driving to the studio on any given day.

About Zyama

Zyama is the sanskrit word for 'darkness', as to achieve balance, you must dance with both the sunshine and the shadow.  The BellySlink Troupe has a gorgeously dark and gothic aesthetic (most of the time) and we enjoy playing in that ethereal, regal realm. The Zyama Goddess Format explores various Gods and Goddesses from different pantheons and each Goddess Series comprises 8 moves inspired by the deity's personality and stories. So you will learn Hathor 1-8, Melusina 1-8, Devi 1-8 etc etc....

Goddess Series

During the term you will learn each of the eight moves in that Goddess Series (Hathor 1, Hathor 2 etc) and learn the cues and how to pass leadership of the group, so you will be able to perform this as an improvised style. As this style is slower and more deliberate, focused on the breath, intention and completing each move in a graceful and unhurried manner, you usually won't get through more than 8 moves in any one piece of music, so if you meet up with other Slinkers, you can find a common Goddess and perform together without running out of moves or repeating a move. Neat huh? 

Zyama can also be used as a moving meditation and stretches the body gently (low-impact if you must) and reconnects you with your breath, similar to tai-chi, so it is very enjoyable to dance every day.

ShadowDance

For those who prefer choreography to improv, I run an annual project called ShadowDance that is run online and presented at the WAMED Festival each year. See the ShadowDance page for more info.

Goddess Worship Sessions

I schedule in a monthly drill session so we can keep previous Goddess Series’ alive and so we don’t lose any of our moves. It will be a one-hour, no-teachin’, just drillin’ sesh through all the Goddesses. For our newer members, we’ll do the ones you know first, and then you can either scarper, or follow along with some of the previous Goddesses to get up to speed with the pantheon. Zoomers – these will also be streamed from the studio so they’re accessible to everyone. 

Facebook events will follow to remind you as they come up. Sessions will be $10.

Weekly Classes

Please let me know about any injuries so I can prepare options that allow you to complete a Goddess series without discomfort. As with anything, if anything hurts - please stop immediately and alert your teacher.

Wear something that makes you feel luscious, something that won't restrict your movement and avoid things with loads of coins or noisy things. Think lustrous fabrics, stretchy stuff and anything comfy!

The Zoom classes are arranged in terms, so the Zoom link will be the same for each week of that term - so you won't have to fiddle about looking for today's link. Handy!

Payments

Classes are $15 casually or $120 for a ten-week term and you can pay either by cash in the studio, bank transfer or paypal to PrincessFeeBellydance@gmail.com. 

Please contact me if you have any questions, otherwise I look forward to boogieing with you soon!