Move your body with Despina.
WORKSHOPS COMING UP!
⭐ASTERIA⭐ Dance & Despina Present:
Angelique Hanesworth
"The Art of Contrast:
Creating Depth and Drama in Dance"
DATE: 06/15/2025
TIME : 01:00-5:00PM 3.5HRS INSTRUCTION
LOCATION: VibeSpace
147 W 25th St 8 floor, New York, NY 10001
"The Art of Contrast: Creating Depth and Drama in Dance”
In this open-level bellydance workshop, we'll explore how opposites—fast and slow, sharp and soft, expansive and contained—can add texture, drama, and emotion to your performance. Through guided movement exercises and creative prompts, you’ll experience how contrast can transform choreography and improvisation, helping you make bold artistic choices and deepen your connection with the music.
We’ll explore dynamic oppositions such as rise/fall, push/pull, light/dark, and open/close—not just as physical tools, but as expressive languages. After foundational drills, you’ll have space to play: crafting your own short combos or improv phrases using the principles we’ve explored. Regardless of your dance style, this workshop is designed to meet you where you are and expand your movement vocabulary.
Come ready to move, reflect, and be creatively challenged!
Angelique discovered bellydance in 1997, initially drawn to it as a creative outlet. What began as curiosity quickly deepened into a lifelong passion that has taken her into the studios of some of the most renowned teachers in the world.
With a commitment to honoring the cultural roots of this rich and expressive art form, Angelique continues to study with master source instructors, cultivating a nuanced understanding of the movement vocabulary, music, history, and cultural context of bellydance.
She is an authorized instructor in the prestigious Salimpour School of Dance and brings her depth of knowledge, training, and performance experience to both the classroom and the stage. Known for her thoughtful teaching style and respect for the dance’s origins, Angelique creates an environment where students can grow with intention, creativity, and cultural awareness.
ATTENTIONS ATTENDEES. IT IS REQUIRED TO FILL OUT THE LIABILITY FORM BELOW IN ORDER TO ATTEND.
PAST WORKSHOPS
RAQS REMIX NYC EDITION with
Donna Eileen Manalo
Asteria Dance Presents:
⭐RAQS REMIX⭐Belly Dance Fusion Drills & Combos with Donna Eileen Manalo
12/12/24
TIME : 7-9PM, Q&A 9-9:30PM
Limited spots available, so secure your spot today and don’t miss this opportunity to deepen your connection to dance with Donna Eileen!
Welcome to Donna’s dance party – where modern belly dance comes to flirt with hip hop, street jazz, and more. Shake it off with fun and exciting combos infused with Donna Eileen’s signature styling, and get a glimpse of the method behind her cymbal madness.
Taught by Licensed Salimpour Instructor Donna Eileen, this class will draw from the Salimpour format, including core movements and Salimpour step vocabulary. All levels welcome; some belly dance experience is helpful. Movement can be learned with or without cymbals.
Whether you're a seasoned dancer or just beginning your journey, this is an opportunity to step into a deeper understanding of yourself through the power of movement. Please bring a notebook and pen as we embark on a journey of self-discovery and creative exploration.
Known for her fiery stage presence and sophisticated cymbal work, Donna Eileen is a dynamic performer and instructor based in Sterling, VA. She strives to create innovative expressions of music through joyful and passionate movement. Donna values her role as a storyteller - tenaciously chasing refinement, clarity, honesty, and respect. She has performed internationally with Suhaila Salimpour’s Bal Anat and serves as the Group Leader Liaison for Salimpour Collective DC. A Foundational Licensed Instructor for the Salimpour School, she focuses on an approach to belly dance and dance fusion that aims to balance strong somatic training for effective movement with a deep understanding of SWANA music and culture. Donna Eileen teaches regular technique and choreography classes in northern Virginia, and she is also available for private lessons by request.
CONTACT INFO:
Website – https://donnaeileen.com
Instagram– @yellowliongrrl
FB – https://www.facebook.com/yellowliongrrl/
YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/@donnaeileen/
Early Bird Price: $60+PayPal Fee $2.58
After December 2nd: $75+PayPal Fee $3.11
Thursday, December 12th
2-hour Workshop
7-9PM
Location: Vibe Space 147 W 25th St 8 floor, New York, NY 10001
Doorbell: 011
ATTENTIONS ATTENDEES. IT IS REQUIRED TO FILL OUT THE LIABILITY FORM BELOW IN ORDER TO ATTEND.
Emotional Connection to Choreography
with Izabela Salimpour.
Asteria School of Dance Presents:
A⭐ FLASH POP UP ⭐
09/28/24
TIME CHANGE: 12:30-2:30PM, Q&A 2:30-3PM
Discover the art of authentic self-expression through the timeless movements of BellyDance in a transformative workshop led by Izabela Salimpour. Known for her deep connection to the Salimpour legacy and her innovative approach to dance, Izabela will guide you through an enriching experience that blends BellyDance choreography with journaling techniques, cultural storytelling, and body awareness practices.
Designed for all levels, this workshop invites you to explore your personal movement style while deepening your emotional connection to the dance. Through a combination of cultural insights and guided reflection, you’ll uncover new layers of expression that resonate both on and off the stage.
Whether you're a seasoned dancer or just beginning your journey, this is an opportunity to step into a deeper understanding of yourself through the power of movement. Please bring a notebook and pen as we embark on a journey of self-discovery and creative exploration.
Price: $50 +PayPal Fee $2.32
Date & Time:
Saturday, September 28th
2-hour Workshop
12-2PM
Location: Vibe Space 147 W 25th St 8 floor, New York, NY 10001
Doorbell: 011
Limited spots available, so secure your spot today and don’t miss this opportunity to deepen your connection to dance with Izabela!
ATTENTIONS ATTENDEES. IT IS REQUIRED TO FILL OUT THE LIABILITY FORM BELOW IN ORDER TO ATTEND.
Join Debbie Despina at
ART OF THE BELLY
Friday April 5th, 2024
DANCE WITH DESPINA AT THE BOUZOUKIA
Join Despina for a choreography class featuring a classic old-school Greek song that people dance Tsiftetelli to in the Greek nightclubs, Bouzoukia. The short choreography will be a medley of both vintage and modern belly dance vocabulary. When Despina choreographs to Greek music and instructs her students, she takes them on an immersive journey to feel and experience the music on a profound level. Her goal is to empower her students to dance freely, enabling them to incorporate what they learn from her into their own unique dance journeys. Despina provides the students with the translation/meaning of the music and even teaches a few words to sing along, which is highly encouraged! The choreography taught will consist of mini clusters of movement that dancers can use when dancing in social settings, also partnering up with their dance friends. -Dancers will be provided with Despina's Greek music Spotify list so they can practice to later on.
Join Debbie Despina for a fabulous workshop:
Get your "*S Together"
*Spins ;-)
SOLD OUT
Join Debbie Despina for an exhilarating holiday dance workshop in Manhattan! Lets come together to enhance your dance skills while supporting the arts through Menagerie NYC.
Workshop Highlights:
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Suitable for open-level belly dancers looking to enhance their spinning technique and those wanting to add creativity to their dance routines.
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Learn slow and fast turning combinations adaptable to any belly dance style.
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Gain insights into spinning techniques and Despina's tricks for calibrated spins and fast barrel turns.
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Dive into the intricacies of slow and fast spins.
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Get inspired by the line design presented during the workshop.
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Style: Medley of modern and vintage belly dance inspired by Despina's Greek heritage and her teachers: Dalia Carella and Suhaila Salimpour.
Venue and Date:
Re-scheduled date!! - January 12th, 2024
Beautiful studio, conveniently accessible via many train lines.
Ripley-Grier
Room 17U
520 8th Ave, New York, NY 10018
6:30-8:30p.m.
Cal time: 6:15p.m.
Workshop Details:
Duration: 2 hours (1.45min setup-tear down)
Price: $45
Music:
Be inspired by upbeat Greek Balkan and pop music / translation provided.
Fundraising:
50% of the workshop's proceeds support Menagerie NYC's 2024 showcase, championing the arts.
Bonus:
You will enjoy the ambiance of a remarkable dance studio in the garment district. Depending on attendee interest, we may capture the workshop's end with a videographer.