~ Canadian E-zine:
(Ariellah Workshop Toronto, Canada - January 26/27, 2008)

Workshop Weekender - by Aeriesha

Hello shimmiers!

I am feeling quite pumped at the moment because I just had a great weekend in Toronto. Audra, of Cleopatra's Bazaar and Dark Side Studio, had the usual amazing good taste to host a workshop with Ariellah as the teacher! Now, I'm not a tribal fusion dancer myself, but this workshop was advertised as a techniques and drilling workshop, which is good no matter what aspect of belly dance you love, so I sent off my registration. And, let me tell you, Ariellah delivered the goods.

We got some new warm up and stretching techniques. We got drills (oh boy did we get drills, just ask my aches!). We got techniques, and refinement on techniques we already knew. And new combos! Everyone loves new combos! She continually stressed safe posture - which some of us, as we've focused on other aspects, have gotten a bit sloppy with.

Areillah is a beautiful dancer with such grace in her dance. And she did her best to pave the way for her students to develop their own graceful motion. Among the drills there were some to develop hand and arm movement. There were drills to develop strength and improve isolations. The combos were started from a basic drilled movement and then built on until you had a nifty traveling sequence or an attention getting dramatic move.

On the last day, Ariellah began to put more emphasis on the students taking something she gave taught, and putting their own personal spin on it.

One other thing she did, which was also a bonus, in my mind. Some workshops you go to, there is quite a bit of time taken out of "workshop time" - for breaks, which turn into chat sessions and the workshop loses its momentum. If you're taking a workshop with Ariellah - come prepared. She is a machine. Out of the 4 hours each day, we got perhaps 20 minutes total in breaks. Any other time out you needed you took on your own, and you hustled back so you didn't miss out! Thank goodness I brought my own water and some quick snacks, or I would have had to leave the room for a few minutes, and I might have missed the satellite combo! Or that nasty hip opening stretch I need to work with!

So there you go people - if you want someone who will really refine your technique, and give you some new isolation drills and nifty combos, then Ariellah should be one of the teachers you need to study with...and I know Audra has already asked for her to come back, so all we need to know is the date...