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PLAYING WITH FIRE! |
Bring the mystery and enchantment of fire into your solstice and
holiday celebrations with friends, family, and special loved ones.
Twice-yearly Candle Dance Workshops
are held near Summer and Winter Solstices. (The Summer 2009 workshop
is closer to Lammas Day, in August.)
To
book Alay'nya for a candle dance performance, contact alaynya@alaynya.com.
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Different music selections and choreographies used each year. Check this site in a month or two
in advance of each workshop to get a preview of upcoming workshop selections and details.
Alay'nya produces a unique "Candle Dance Choreography Book" for each workshop. The "Book" contains
detailed choreography notes and music. You will get your book as part of your workshop participation.
SESSION 1
Session 1: Saturday AM for the Summer Weekend Workshop, and first Sunday & Tuesday of December for the Winter Weekend /
Within-Class Workshops
Note: During the Winter Workshops -- embedded during regular class times -- we have many repeat / continuing
students, and so will likely accelerate the topics described below to accomodate their more
advanced level of practice. However, we will review all topics for any Beginner Candle Dancers
in the group.
- Candle
Dance-Specific Warm-Ups:
Hand and wrist alignments - Hand and wrist warm-ups,
other stretches unique to candle dance positioning
- Candle
Dance Basics:
Holding your candles, - Basic hand and arm movements,
framing, key positions to use within your choreography, concealing and
revealing your candles, opening a candle dance
- Candle
Dance as Ritual:
The psychology and archetype of dancing with fire.
- Candle
Body-Mind Integration Basics:
Holding your candles, - "Total body breathing," connecting your hand gestures
to your entire body awareness, expansion / contraction when holding candles
- Technique
Basics:
Moving with candles
- Stepping, turning, arm movements; timing, creating patterns and dynamic
contrast. Timing. (You need to slow down some things so the flames don't go out.) Modifying classic
steps / poses to take advantage of flame.
- Choreography
Basics :
Blocking out the choreography, selected choreography sections.
- Improvisational
Basics :
Get in touch with your inner muse
- express your
connection with the "sacred" and the "profane".
- Practice
on Your Own:
Keeping Your Palms Upright While You Move! - It's
so much better to learn how to do this BEFORE you
start working with live fire.
SESSION 2
Session 2: Saturday PM for the Summer Weekend Workshop, and second Sunday & Tuesday of December for the Winter Weekend /
Within-Class Workshops
- Advanced
Movements:
Special Candle Dance Hand Techniques - Rotations
& overheads
- Psychology
of Candle Dance Continued:
Building Emotional Intensity - How to build to
a "climax" in your dance; expression and phrasing, introducing
more compelling techniques, introducing "breathing space"
into your dance.
- Continued
choreography and improvisation:
- Complete blocking out the selected choreography, identify opportunities
for improvisation within that choreography, ideas for transitioning
your candle dance choreography into improvisational dance.
- Floorwork
with Candles:
Introduction: - Floorwork-specific
techniques, getting to the floor, coming back up. .
- First
Light-Up:
Assembling and lighting your candles - Experiment with actual "candle" assembly,
test how the flame works over the course of your dance; experiments with amounts of oil in your candle set-up.
- Lit Candle Movement
Review:
Practice large and small-scale movements with live flame. - Experiment with the distance that
you need to hold candles from your body for each of the different techniques.
Video Study:
Stretch and unwind while watching Alay'nya's collection of candle dance vids / DVDs; group
commentary / discussion; identify key strengths you'd like to bring into your own dance.
Possible Workshop Inclusion: Late evening (after dusk) photo shoot.
Details will be posted prior to event.
SESSION 3
Session 3: Sunday AM for the Summer Weekend Workshop, and Third Sunday & Tuesday of December for the Winter Weekend /
Within-Class Workshops
- Candle
Dance-Specific Warm-Ups:
Hand and wrist special stretching - Now you know what to look for --
a slightly deeper practice. Include practice and review of rotations and overheads.
- Technique
Precision:
Critical Technique Focus
- "Springing up" to present candles, keeping your candles at precise
levels and visable to audience, etc. Feedback and technique correction
/ refinement.
- Continued
choreography and improvisation:
- Complete and review choreography. Check off your choreography against
notes.
- Individualized
Adaptation :
Finding your key strengths - Each of us has unique
gifts and abilities -- the final wrap-up session will help you adapt
the choreography you just learned to your unique strengths
as a dancer!.
- Group Photo:
Final group mug shot - and choreography review with camcorders if you have brought them -
Final review, Q&A, huggy-kissy, get on the road! (Light lunch buffet will be available for you to grab-and-go
as you head out the door.)
<TO TOP>
Workshop Schedules
We
now have a Summer Weekend Workshop as a complement our ongoing
annual Winter Workshops.
Summer Weekend Workshop:
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Summer 2009 Candle Dance Workshop
scheduled for August 22nd - 23rd.
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Welcome-in gathering
will held Friday evening, August 21st.
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Late evening (after dark) Photo Shoot
tentatively planned for Saturday evening, August 22nd.
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Go to the
Calendar
for other Alay'nya workshops
in the local area - posted as "Hot Flashes!" at the top of the page.
Winter Weekend and In-Class Workshop:
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November/December candle dance workshops
are held at regular class times and at regular class locations
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November/December candle dance workshops
are held at regular class times and at regular class locations
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Go to the
Calendar
for specifics
Workshop Locations
All regularly-scheduled Candle Dance workshops are held at Alay'nya's private studio in McLean, VA.
Studio size limitations mean that we keep the number of workshop participants to a maximum of eight persons.
Please contact Alay'nya early if you want to sign up!
Transportation, Food, and Lodging
Alay'nya's Studio is very near the Capital Belway (I495), and also near Tyson's Corner in VA. It is accessible
by car; you would need to take a cab or arrange for someone to pick you up if you're coming in by Metro to either
the West Falls Church or Dunn Loring stations. There is ample parking for workshop participants.
If you are staying overnight (for a Saturday - Sunday workshop), there are several hotels in the area -- but they are
all expensive. You can either book a hotel room for multiple people, and come in as a group, or contact Alay'nya
about finding local area students who would be willing to offer a "bed and breakfast" arrangement for the workshop
weekend.
There are numerous wonderful restauarants within an easy drive of Alay'nya's Studio. However, we will also provide
a nice array of teas, snacks, and other goodies during the workshop, along with a buffet lunch and a continental
breakfast (coffee and orange juice included!). In terms of food-budget, you only need to think about your evening meal.
<TO TOP>
Workshop Costs
Costs TBD for the Summer workshop.
If you are a REGULAR MEMBER of the Alay'nya Studio, and attending the Winter Workshop, you pay
"per class" as usual with a class certificate; no additional fees.
If you are NOT a REGULAR MEMBER of the Alay'nya Studio, we will make a special offer of the class
certificates you'd need to attend the full workshop at a special workshop price -- less than having
to pay a full year's Registration fee plus the certificates. Details TBD.
<TO TOP>
Candle Dance Kits and Choreography Music & Notes
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Candle Dance Kits
Kits will be available for purchase in class.
You will not need to purchase a kit -- you can
use some of our "Practice Sets" during the workhsop. You can also bring in your own kit
if you have one already assembled.
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Candle Dance Kits
- available to purchase.
Please visit Candle Dance Kits.
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Choreography with Music and Notes
Available in class.
Included as part of Workshop registration - no extra fee.
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