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	<title>Sophianna &#8211; Sahara Dance</title>
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	<description>an artful approach to belly dance</description>
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	<title>Sophianna &#8211; Sahara Dance</title>
	<link>https://saharadance.com</link>
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		<title>Egyptian-Greek History &#038; Combinations Workshop with Sophianna, July 18, 1:30-3:30 pm</title>
		<link>https://saharadance.com/product/egyptian-greek-history-combinations-workshop-with-sophianna-july-18-130-330-pm/</link>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[An Nguyen-Gia]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Thu, 30 Apr 2026 18:40:24 +0000</pubDate>
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					<description><![CDATA[In the 19th century, Alexandria became a hub for Greek immigrants who ended up integrating deeply into the entertainment scene of Egyptian music, theater, and cinema. A few notable dancers of the Greek-Egyptian community during that time included Nelly Mazloum, Kitty Voutsaki, and Nadia Gamal. While the Greek population in Egypt dropped significantly after the 1950's due to political exodus, the influence of their presence remained. In fact, a cultural resurgence, "Nostos: Reviving Roots" program began in the late 2010's, aimed at reviving the Greek heritage of Alexandria and honoring the "Egyptiotes" (Greeks of Egypt). In this workshop, we will do the same!

Nowadays, it's very common for Egyptian and Greek pop-stars to collaborate and create Greek-Egyptian mashup songs. In this workshop we will learn a little history, and practice combinations to a variety of Egyptian-Greek music, so you'll shimmy away with an increased awareness and understanding of this wonderful fusion.

This class is recommended for Intermediate and above as it will incorporate a variety of fundamental technical skills.]]></description>
										<content:encoded><![CDATA[<div class="content_block" id="custom_post_widget-18573"><p><strong>In-Person: </strong>Your <b>In-Person </b>workshop registration secures your physical spot in the studio, as well as access to the class online. Workshops are held at our Sahara Dance studio in Tenley: 4433 Wisconsin Ave, NW, Washington DC. You may attend the workshop live, in-person, or live-streaming, online. Registered students have access to video recordings of each class for 30 days following the workshop.</p>
<p><strong>Online Only Access: </strong>Your <strong>Online</strong> workshop registration allows you to attend the workshop live-streaming, online. Registered students have access to video recordings of each class for 30 days following the workshop.</p>
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]]></content:encoded>
					
		
		
		<post-id xmlns="com-wordpress:feed-additions:1">35680</post-id>	</item>
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		<title>Romani Performance &#8211; Raqqesat Romani</title>
		<link>https://saharadance.com/product/summer26sdc-raqqesat-romani-sundays-400-455-pm/</link>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[An Nguyen-Gia]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Mon, 23 Mar 2026 18:57:01 +0000</pubDate>
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					<description><![CDATA[Turkish Romani dance is a lively social tradition rooted in musical improvisation, expressive individuality, and community celebration. In this performance company, we bring this dynamic form to the stage, honoring its cultural roots while highlighting its rhythmic complexity and deep connection to live music.

Choreography reflects both the energetic vocabulary of Turkish Romani dance and the fluid expression shared with Greek Tsifteteli. Students will develop their personal expression while learning to move in dialogue with the music and with
one another on stage.

This class is geared toward experienced dancers (Intermediate and above). Costuming will be developed collaboratively by company members, the instructor, and the studio director.
<ul>
 	<li>May 31 class is rescheduled to July 12 from 3:00-3:55 pm</li>
</ul>
<p class="requirements">Prerequisites:
1) Intermediate 1 or at least two years of belly dance
2) Any Sahara dance technique or specialty class, with a strong recommendation to take the Romani &#38; Tsiftiteli technique class adjacent to the performance class</p>]]></description>
										<content:encoded><![CDATA[<div class="content_block" id="custom_post_widget-18563"><div class="fine-print">
<ul>
<li><b>Limited Availability for In-Person (In-Person) Classes: </b>In-person class spots are first come, first serve, with limited space available.</li>
<li>Dancers will perform at the Sahara Dance Summer Caravan: featuring Marta Korzun on Sunday, Aug 23rd, 3pm and 6pm at Imagination Stage in Bethesda, MD (plan for a full day of technical rehearsal starting in the morning).</li>
<li>Your In-Person performance class registration secures your physical spot in the studio for all classes within the semester. You may attend the class live, in person, or virtually, live-streaming.</li>
<li>Miss a class? Registered students have access to video recordings of each class for the duration of the semester.</li>
<li>75% live attendance (in-person) is required to perform; extended absences need approval from the teacher to be included in the performance. Please communicate absences to the teacher in advance, when possible.</li>
<li>Curious about the curriculum? All registered students receive a password to access to the Sahara Dance curriculum for each level, including class choreography sheets.</li>
<li>Classes are held at our Sahara Dance studio in Tenley: 4433 Wisconsin Ave, NW, Washington DC.</li>
<li>Performance Classes will culminate in a performance that is open to the public, at a local venue to be announced at the beginning of each class series. (Venue locations change throughout the year). Save the entire day for tech rehearsal and performance(s). It is possible there will be two shows.</li>
<li>The DC-MD-VA local region has many festivals and there will likely be additional performance opportunities for company members, including the Fiesta Asia Street Fair in the summer and Tenleytown Art All Night in the fall.</li>
<li>Concurrent enrollment in a technique or specialty class is required for all performance students.</li>
<li>In-person attendance will be required in select classes to set blocking. Required in-person class attendance dates will be set by the teacher during the first two weeks of class, after polling enrolled students to accommodate schedules as best as possible.</li>
<li>Costumes for performance classes are selected by the teacher, in consultation with company members. Costumes are individually purchased and owned. Performance companies almost always reuse costumes for multiple semesters. Sometimes costumes may be borrowed, or purchase used, from previous dancers. Efforts are made in coordination with the company members to keep costume costs reasonable and styles flattering for all bodies.</li>
<li>Registration confirmation and Zoom link will be sent approximately one hour prior to class. The class Zoom link will remain the same each week. Registration will remain open up until 30 minutes prior to the class start time, or as spaces remain available.  The live-streaming access to classes are offered through Zoom and are Eastern Standard Time zone.</li>
<li>Classes are non-refundable and non-transferrable.</li>
</ul>
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		<post-id xmlns="com-wordpress:feed-additions:1">35291</post-id>	</item>
		<item>
		<title>Romani &#038; Tsifteteli Technique Brush Up</title>
		<link>https://saharadance.com/product/summer26sdc-romani-tsifteteli-technique-sundays-500-555-pm/</link>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[An Nguyen-Gia]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Mon, 23 Mar 2026 18:27:20 +0000</pubDate>
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					<description><![CDATA[Explore the musicality, stylization, and expressive depth of Turkish Romani dance and Greek Tsifteteli, two interconnected dance styles with unique qualities rooted in shared Anatolian and Eastern Mediterranean cultures.

Both styles are grounded in improvisation, musical interpretation, and personal expression. Turkish Romani dance brings energetic, grounded footwork, rhythmic torso articulations, and expressive gestures shaped by the distinctive 9/8 rhythm, while Greek Tsifteteli offers fluidity, subtle isolations, and strong emphasis on emotional connection, often in social or interactive settings.

Each class will include cultural context and focused technique work, balancing
combination drills with improvisation. Students will explore both social and
performance approaches while developing musicality and individual expression
across these interconnected styles.
<ul>
 	<li>May 31 class is rescheduled to June 28 from 6:00-6:55 pm</li>
</ul>
This class is recommended for Intermediate and above as it will incorporate a
variety of fundamental technical skills
<p class="requirements"><em>Prerequisite: </em>Sahara Dance Intermediate 1 Technique.</p>]]></description>
										<content:encoded><![CDATA[<div class="content_block" id="custom_post_widget-18509"><div class="fine-print">
<ul>
<li><b>Limited Availability for In-Person Classes: </b>In-person class spots are few and capped to allow for social distancing if necessary.</li>
<li>Your <strong>In-Person</strong> class registration secures your physical spot in the studio for all classes within the semester. In-Person registrants may attend the class live, in person, or virtually, live-streaming.</li>
<li><strong>Online</strong> registrants may attend the class virtually, live-streaming.</li>
<li>Miss a class? No problem! Registered students have access to video recordings of each class, so you can dance on your own schedule.</li>
<li>Curious about the curriculum? All registered students receive a password to access to the Sahara Dance curriculum for each level, including class choreography sheets.</li>
<li>In-Person classes are held at our Sahara Dance studio in Tenley: 4433 Wisconsin Ave, NW, Washington DC.</li>
<li><b>PLEASE NOTE: Registration confirmation and Zoom link will be sent approximately one hour prior to class. The Zoom link remains the same each week. </b>Registration will remain open up until 30 minutes prior to the class start time, or as spaces remain available.  The live-streaming access to classes are offered through Zoom and are Eastern Standard Time zone.</li>
<li>Classes are non-refundable and non-transferrable.</li>
</ul>
</div>
</div>
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