-Friday, 4/10, 10-12pm

Intro to Saidi Raqs Assaya:

This workshop introduces the fundamental movement, footwork, and stick handling for the earthy and energetic raqs assaya. A short lecture and video will accompany this workshop to put the folk dance into context with what has become a dance of entertainment. Technique drills will be followed by short dance combinations. No experience necessary. Please bring a straight stick.

-Saturday, 4/11, 3-5pm

Rhythms and Combinations for Raqs Sharqi:

Become more musical by moving through 4 fundamental rhythms in Arabic music. Deepen your dance by learning how to vocalize, count, and feel each rhythm. Combinations will be broken down and drilled with rhythms and classic pieces of music in the raqs sharqi canon.

-Friday, 4/10, 10am-12pm

Zoe's Book of Shimmies:

Let your hips take the lead with this non-
stop shimmy show! We will work on huge hips and articulation of movement, while exploring lots of different styles of shimmies, and give you new ways of doing them. So whether you are new to Belly Dance, or looking for something to add to your repertoire, this is the workshop for you. It’s all here, 3/4 shimmies, 4/4 shimmies, sharp and smooth shimmies, traveling shimmies, layered shimmies, timed shimmies, and non-timed shimmies...WHEW! So.. let’s dance!

-Saturday, 4/11, 12:30-2:30pm

Zoe: Pop, Lock & Layering Drills:

The technique behind her signature locking stylization will be broken down and
taught in an easily digestible format. Students will receive many tools to help
unlock the more challenging aspects of layering, as well as lots of fun drills in
class to get the movements in their bodies. be prepared to sweat!

-Sunday, 4/12, 9:30am-11:30am

The Way Of Layers:

Approach Layering with the mindset of mastery! Your brain needs to work just
as much as your body, and Zoe has many techniques for helping you learn
layering faster. This workshop is for intermediate to advanced dancers (and the adventurous beginner). We will get the brain-body connection going and then learn how to stack in ways that are challenging but accessible. Stuck? Can’t
seem to get past a certain point? I got you!

-Friday, 4/10, 12:30pm-2:30pm

Beginning Tableh: Form and Tone:

Beginning tableh: Form and Tone
In this workshop, we will focus how to make the 4 basic sounds of the tableh and bring that tone out of the instrument using listening, alignment and strengthening exercises. We will cover some of the more common rhythms in Arabic music, plus exercises that will be
useful in establishing a home practice.

-Saturday, 4/11, 12:30pm-2:30pm

Basic Rhythms: maqsum, beledi, malfuf, chiftiteli:
In this workshop, we will work with rhythm groups, practice changes, and continue to develop tone, internalized tempo and dynamic range. Maqsum and Beledi, Ayub and Masmoudi, Wahda and Chiftitelli are the rhythm groups that
we will explore.

-Friday, 4/10, 12:30-2:30pm

Combinations with Finger Cymbals:

Dance Cohesion Combinations with Finger Cymbals: Maqsum Jewel Combo
Dance Cohesion Combinations with Finger Cymbals: Saidi Kick Combo
Dance Cohesion Combinations with Finger Cymbals: Chifteteli Slay Combo
Dance Cohesion Combinations with Finger Cymbals: Malfuf Build Combo

Expand your repertoire of bellydance movements and combinations to use in your improvisations and choreographies. In this workshop you’ll learn one of April Rose's signature Dance Cohesion combos and several stall movements to thread everything together improvisationally. Because each of these movements and combos are associated with a specific Middle Eastern rhythm, they’ll help you better interpret music in the moment, whether it’s a classic or fusion song. Bring finger cymbals to learn the accompanying multi-tonal finger cymbal layers!

*Please bring finger cymbals of any kind*

-Saturday, 4/11, 3-5pm

“Agua de Estrellas” Veil Choreography:

Guide a silk veil through the air like water from the stars. Set to the song “Agua de Estrellas” by Gro, this veil choreography is an act of devotion to Mother Nature and includes breathtaking maneuvers designed to bless and entrance your audience.

-Sunday, 4/12, 11:45am-1:45pm

Technique Drills to Skyrocket your Skills:

Never be bored or confused about your dance practice again! In this technique workshop, April Rose guides you through her own drills practice, which can be scaled to any level of difficulty. You’ll integrate body posture awareness and elegant arm carriage with various torso-based isolations while traveling. The formalized exercises you will learn in this class can be taken home and reproduced to help you catapult your skills to new heights.

-Friday, 4/10, 3-5pm

Fit for Folklore:

This class is for all levels of dance and
genres of Arabic dance. We will train
techniques on proper weight distribution,
execution of muscles , while maintaining
proper dance posture and how to strengthen those muscles to stay grounded in your dance. We will condition the whole body from head to toes on how to strengthen your body
while creating amazing folkloric techniques.

-Saturday, 4/11, 10am-12pm

The Nubian Groove:

Nuba has many different dances and each of
them have a unique purpose and name.
Dances such as the Arageed , Balajeh, El kaf, Kenzi dance and many others. The diverse styles of the Nubian people on the Egypt/Sudan border. Nubian people have beautiful /rich darker skin than Egyptians, have their own language, own culture, and traditions. Aswan is the sunniest place in Egypt. It is situated in the south of the country and in ancient times was a borderline city. Life here is very slow. It’s very pleasant to walk on foot along the Cornesh or by boat down the Nile River, to seat in the small restaurant with Waterview, to listen to old
Nubian music. Nubian dance is traditionally performed as a group dance. Colorful costumes, special jazzy rhythms. People from Nubia are very cheerful and like to dance all together. On the occasion of marriage hundreds of people come together and just dance.

-Sunday, 4/12, 12-1pm

FREE LECTURE ON THE MAIN STAGE

What is the definition of being a true Ally?
—> Becoming an "actionable" ally:

An ally is any person that actively promotes and aspires to advance the culture of inclusion through intentional, positive, and conscious efforts that benefit people as a whole. Everyone
has the ability to be an ally! Disclaimer: This will NOT be a platform for blame, shame, and guilt. In this workshop we will discuss scenarios and ideas when it is wise to rise up or to fall back
in an effective way, learning when to speak up or when to simply listen. This is a rare opportunity to have safe & quot;round table" discussions with a MENATH / BIPOC woman and men to learn tips, gain ideas and how to bring awareness and spread knowledge throughout your community.

-Friday, 4/10, 3-5pm

Tutting for Bellydancers:

Unlock the power of precision and geometry in your dance! In this class, Dytto breaks down the foundations of tutting—using clean lines, angles, and rhythmic shapes—to blend seamlessly with bellydance stylings. Learn how to frame isolations, enhance storytelling, and create mesmerizing hand combos that add a whole new layer of structure to your flow. No popping experience needed—just your curiosity and a love for sharp detail.

-Saturday, 4/11, 12:30-2:30pm

Animation Fusion: Controlled Illusions for Bellydancers

Ready to make your audience do a double take? Dytto guides you through the mind-bending world of animation—covering glides, tics, strobing, and illusion-based movement—then shows how to layer them into your bellydance vocabulary. This class is all about control, contrast, and crafting moments that feel almost unreal. Explore how stillness and subtlety can become your most powerful tools.

-Friday, 4/10, 12:30-2:30pm

Shift Happens:
This workshop is all about transformation in motion—where slow isn’t sleepy, it’s spellbinding. We’ll conjure bold formations and sly transitions to morph from one to the other, turning simple formations into something new completely, and explore the spaces between us into something downright magical. Expect laughter, teamwork, and a few “how did we end up here?” moments as we experiment with
timing, flow, and formation trickery. It’s part skeletal choreography, part improv, part optical illusion, and 100% WildCard.
Come ready to slow it down, shake it up, and shapeshift—because in WildCard world, even stillness has attitude.

-Saturday, 4/11, 10am-12pm

The (r)Evolution will be Improvised 

The (r)Evolution will be Improvised 
Every dance language starts somewhere—and ours is no exception. In this workshop, we’ll explore how inspiration becomes innovation by tracing movements back, looking at where they came from, where they’ve been, and then branching out into something fresh. We draw inspiration from many dance styles from hip hop to flamenco—taking inspiration from their classic moves, rhythms, and stories—and evolve them into new movements that can be cued seamlessly from the foundational FCBD® vocabulary.” We’ll play with how to tweak, twist, and transform them into movements that still feel at home in the WildCard family—whether that means a subtle evolution or something completely new. We’ll also dig into how we develop new cues to keep things clear (and avoid those “wait, was that that cue?” moments), keeping communication sharp while letting creativity run wild.
This workshop celebrates the evolution of group improv—the idea that our movement family tree keeps growing, with deep roots and new branches reaching toward whatever comes next. Come ready to experiment, honor your dance ancestors, and maybe create a brand-new cousin in the WildCard lineage.