Astarte Studio Online Classes

From October 2021 all our classes and courses will be entirely online.
As an opening special we are offering one weekly live Zoom class for $125, or $200 for unlimited access to our timetabled classes for 10 weeks. Both options will include access to our Astarte Studio Belly Dance & Fusion Library for 12 weeks, which will be a work in progress over the next few months as we grow our content base. 
Term 4 classes begin Tuesday 12th October 2021, and run until December 15th. All classes run for approximately 45-50 minutes, allowing for check in and chat time, as well as questions. 
Our Belly Dance Styles
Bellydance is a beautiful and diverse art with many different traditional and modern forms. Always evolving, yet with roots that run deep, it is an art that one can continue to learn and grow in for a lifetime.

TRADITIONAL BELLYDANCE
(Bellydance Beginners and Beyond, and bellydance Technique & Choreography)

Also known as Raqs Sharqi or Oriental Dance, bellydance is a beautiful and diverse dance form, with its origins across Egypt, the Middle, the Levent, Turkey, and even into India and Greece. 
Our bellydance classes focus primarily on Egyptian and Contemporary styles of bellydance, utilising Keti Sharif’s A-Z Original and Advanced bellydance dialect as a foundation for movements and combinations. This provides our students with a solid basis in bellydance technique, and provides a strong platform from which to explore the colour, beauty, and diversity of different styles within the bellydance genre.
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WORLD FUSION BELLYDANCE (FCBD Style)
Beginners & Beyond World Fusion (FCBD style) and Open World Fusion Bellydance

Our World Fusion bellydance classes are founded in FCBD (FatChanceBellyDance®) Style (formerly American Tribal Style®). It is a modern, group improvisational style of belly dance created by Carolena Nericcio with movements inspired by folkloric dances of the Middle East, North Africa, Spain, and India.  It is a uniquely modern creation that does not represent an “authentic" dance from any particular region.
FCBD®Style is a method of improvisational choreography, using a vocabulary of natural movements and cues allowing the dancers to communicate via gesture and eye contact when dancing together.

Dance Safety for Online Classes

In any dance or exercise program, your health and safety always comes first. Please read through the following information to ensure you are aware of potential risks, and how to alleviate them. 
  • Ensure you have completed a pre-exercise health screen, and that your information is up to date (available at www.bellydanceshellharbour.com ).
  • Please inform your teachers of any illness, injury or unusual pain that may be interfere with your ability to exercise at the beginning of any live class. If you wish to keep it private, you can use the personal message option on Zoom.
  • Please ensure you have a clear and clean space to dance in, with no obstacles that could be a potential trip hazard, or loose or hanging objects that could pose a danger, or potential threat in terms of injury.​
  • Be aware of the surface you are dancing on. Slippery surfaces may require soft soled shoes.
  • Every physical activity, however gentle, can still pose an element of risk. Understand that you are participating at your own risk, and that self monitoring is essential.
  • Move within your personal capacity. If a specific movement causes you unusual pain or discomfort, cease the movement immediately, or choose a modified variation.
  • Please do not hesitate to ask questions or seek advice, especially in a live Zoom class. Your teacher is there to help you and will be happy to offer a modification or variation.
  • If a specific exercise or movement results in continuous or chronic pain, or you experience unusual shortness of breath or change in heart rate not related to exercise, please cease the activity and seek the advice of a health professional.
  • If you are arriving late to class, or catching up online, please ensure you are adequately warmed up in your muscles and joints prior to commencing the class. If you are not sure what to do you can refer to our Astarte Studio Belly Dance library, where you will find a variety of different 3-5 minute dance warm ups posted.

Setting Up a Dedicated Home Dance Space

Ensuring you have a dedicated space for dancing in will assist you in creating a mindset and routine for regular classes, as well as providing you with a space for personal practice. Your dance space doesn’t need to be expansive, just big enough for you to be able to move relatively unencumbered with most basic movements.
  • Choose a space with a level floor, and adequate lighting.
  • Ensure you have enough space to travel forward, back and to the sides, and that you have room to stretch up and lift up your arms.
  • Clear your space of any potential trip hazards or unstable objects. Take note also of any hanging lights or fixtures that may inhibit movement or need to be worked around.
  • Have your dance props stored in the designated space or close by. A stylish basket or small shelves or bookcase can store most bellydance items.
  • Room dividers and screens are handy for creating the feeling of a whole new space, and also for maintaining an element of privacy.
  • Set up your screen so it can easily be seen. If you are fortunate enough to have a space set up with a smart TV, this is the best option. However, laptops and tablets can also work extremely effectively when positioned on a table or at eye level.​
  • If participating in live classes, ensure that your teacher is able to see your whole body, and if not, that your camera can be adjusted if needed for any focused work.
  • Add a personal touch to your exercise space that makes it feel nice to be in, such as a plant, an inspiring image, motivational quote, a splash of colour, draping fabric, or piece of decorative furniture. Mirrors are entirely optional.
  • This is the space I have set up for teaching live Zoom classes from home. It is in my front lounge area, close to my wi-fi router.

Tips for getting the Most out of your Online Dance Classes

  • Make sure you have the latest update of Zoom installed on your device.
  • Ensure that your device screen can easily be seen from your exercise position, and/or adjusted accordingly.
  • Ensure you have all the dance props you need close by or set up for each session. Your teacher will let you know what you need ahead of time.
  • Check in at the allocated time for a pre-class chat, and discussion of any tips, techniques, or things you need to know.
  • Do not be afraid to ask questions at the beginning or end of each session, or even throughout sessions. Zoom classes are meant to be interactive and your teacher is there to help you.
  • Use the comments/chat box if you are having difficulties with your microphone, or wish to send a message to your teacher or the group.​
  • Try not to watch the screen the whole time. Once you are settled into a movement, focus on your posture and alignment, and how the movement feels in your body.
  • Get to know your fellow online attendees, and feel free to engage in positive discussion with them both onscreen as well as in your class groups. Although we may not be in the same physical space, we are all here to support each other in the virtual space.
  • Dress up for class and practice, even if it is just adding a hip scarf, putting a flower in your hair, or adding some lip gloss. Make it feel like a special occasion, or a special date with dance.
  • Mirrors are entirely optional. If you do not have mirrors, but want to check your movements, you can put your camera on reverse and use it like a mirror, or even film yourself dancing.