Description
Raqqesat Badia is a Sahara Dance student company dedicated to elevating the fundamentals of belly dance for stage and mastering the Beginner I & II curricula. Raqqesat Badia is named after Badia Masabni, the godmother of Egyptian belly dance, and is a foundational company for students seeking to develop as belly dance performers and make new friends.
Raqqesat Badia’s summer choreography will be an exciting opportunity for members to learn a dynamic and uplifting choreography. The dance will focus on reinforcing key movements from the beginner 2 and 1 curricula, allowing participants to refine their technique while experimenting with theatrical expressions and stage presence. Costuming will be the current royal blue and turquoise skirt, bra, hip scarf and choli.
1) Previous completion of Sahara Dance’s Beginner I/II technique class or above; and,
2) Simultaneous enrollment in any Sahara Dance Beginner I/II or Beginner II technique class.
Sahara Dance Summer Caravan
Get excited to perform at our biggest theater show yet, Sahara Dance Presents: Bellydance Evolution, “The Jungle Book” and Sahara Dance Summer Caravan!
Summer company dancers will have the opportunity to perform at our grandest theater show to date (August 24th at the F. Scott Fitzgerald Theatre). Enjoy the camaraderie and magic of being part of a professional, theatrical belly dance production!
Summer Focus
The focus for Summer company dancers will be on performing large-scale visions of belly dance on the grand stage (theatre seating nearly 500!). Time to get in shape for summer and to showcase the best of our dancing and choreography, alongside the professional cast of Jillina’s Bellydance Evolution (BDE)!
Summer Caravan is the first act of a two-part show and each Sahara Dance company will perform a choreography (they will not be Jungle Book themed; that is the BDE act). BDE will perform “The Jungle Book,” following our act.
With Jillina in town we will restage a variation of our epic, 8-minute World Culture Festival (WCF) choreography! The WCF choreography will be a sizzling finale number to close the Summer Caravan show. Cast members may perform the drum solo as part of company class finale, or larger sections of the choreography as an additional performance offering.
As hosting BDE is a unique and huge undertaking, we will be organizing a special “Meet and Greet” with the cast for select audience members following the show. Don’t miss this unique opportunity to be part of Sahara Dance and BDE belly dance history, and enjoy dancing as part of an exceptional summer show. This special one-time show is sure to be a hit for the whole family, including children!
Summer company members may have additional performance opportunities at Summer festivals, including Friendship Heights Alliance Makers Market on May 18th.
Enjoy the camaraderie, growth, and dance mastery that comes with a full semester to learn a new choreography and perform at a professional theater show. Special focus is placed on projection, stage presence, upper body carriage, movement extension, musicality, cultural context, and performer camaraderie.
- Limited Availability for In-Person (Hybrid) Classes: In-person (Hybrid) class spots are first come, first serve, with limited space available.
- Your hybrid 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.
- Miss a class? No problem! Registered students have access to video recordings of each class for the duration of the semester, so you can dance on your own schedule.
- Curious about the curriculum? All registered students receive a password to access to the Sahara Dance curriculum for each level, including class choreography sheets.
- Classes are held at our Sahara Dance studio in Tenley: 4433 Wisconsin Ave, NW, Washington DC.
- 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.
- 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.
- Concurrent enrollment in a technique or specialty class is required for all performance students.
- >75% live attendance (in-person or live-streaming) 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- Classes are non-refundable and non-transferrable.