Delilah's Belly Dance Retreats
Fusion: East Meets West
Delilah's Deluxe Belly Dance Retreat
April 29–May 7 2006
Dear Dancers,
Join me for our next big Deluxe Belly Dance Retreat on the captivating and enchanting Big Island of Hawaii. This will mark our 16th year of annual retreats in Hawaii where we dedicate 9 glorious days of our life exclusively to the pursuit of belly dance, alongside the vacation of a lifetime. We try to make it as easy as we can for everyone, so you can leave the planning to us. We have years of successful retreats under our hip belts. Each year I cook up a unique theme and itinerary of classes plus performance opportunity. It’s never the same and it’s always fun and richly rewarding!
This year’s theme is Fusion: East meets West.
Belly dance has become wildly popular in America today. We will look at how belly dance was once seen as an exotic import from the East but now, with over 30 years of popularity in the West (as well as world wide), it has taken on many of its own characteristics derived by fusing together elements from many cultures and adding its own two cents. We see the Eastern flavor in styles of belly dance, costuming, musical mix, and attitude. Then, in return, we will look at how the western belly dance culture has influenced and actually helped support the art in the East.
This year I am proud to feature as my guest instructor, Rachel Lazarus, founder of Devadasi dance troupe along with the return of her partner, Jeremiah Soto of Solace music fame. He is doubly excited about this year's theme because his musical evolution rides the tide of East/West fusion!
Also on staff will be Laura Rose as our beginner's dance coach and musician Erik Brown on bass and added percussion... and of course, I’ll be there too!
Yours truly,
Who comes?
Absolute beginners, intermediate dancers, hobbyists, professionals and teachers from all over the world participate and enjoy our retreats. How does that work? Because of our well organized excellent support staff, experiential classes and unique exercises, everyone can learn something new and enjoy themselves (even non-dancing spouses). It’s an opportunity to meet Delilah and network with dancers worldwide!
Can husbands, partners and other Family
members attend also?
Yes, we love it. We ask that they be supportive and excited to be part of our group. We have drum workshops and field trips and fun performances to enjoy as well as all the amenities of the facilities. We only have a certain amount of space reserved for our group so they must pay the same as a dance participant. Every year we have had husbands, mothers, and others join us and they love it. Leave all the arrangements to us.
Where will we stay?
Nani Loa in Hilo– Fabulous ocean view rooms on Banyan Tree Drive, pool, gym, meeting room and spa facilities.
Kalani Resort– Remote Puna coast, pool, hot tubs, sauna, massage studio, watsu, holistic therapies, great food – and right across the street from the ocean!
Package Includes:
• Classes with Delilah: Classic American Style: a fusion of solid belly dance physical culture and artistic expression.
• Powerbelly Weight Belt training with Delilah
• Classes with Rachel Lazarus: a Fusion of Style: Turkish, Tribal, Indian...
• Classes with Jeremiah Soto: Classical Egyptian Style hand drum as well as Make-up Class with Laura Rose
• Class with Richard: East meets West in the lovely island Hula
• 2 Nights at Nani Loa Hotel; spectacular ocean view room
• 6-7 Nights all food and amenities at Kalani Resort
• Ground transportation
• Field trips to the world's most awesome Volcano National Park with its active lava flows, amazing steam vents, hot pools, caves, beaches and waterfalls.
• Performance Nights at Kalani
• Ritual Dance into the Sea and Costume Contest with Prizes
• Amenities; pools, hot tubs, sauna, watsu, massage and more
• Certificate of student’s course study with Delilah and guests, suitable for framing.
• Class notes, promotional souvenirs
Extra Support Staff:
• Additional music accompaniment by Erik Brown
• Additional beginner dance coaching by Laura Rose
• Kalani Resort Coordinator Lauren Gardner
Itinerary
Before you begin reading and envisioning how each day will unfold, know that our goal is to deliver quality dance instruction with a big dose of creativity and inspiration. This is why our retreats have been so successful for so many years. Delilah’s Visionary Belly Dance Retreats are original and integral. We hope you can join us this April/May.
Day One, Saturday April 29
• Leave your home destination and arrive in Hilo by the afternoon.
• Take the 2 minute shuttle from the airport and check into the Nani Loa. Relax, enjoy fabulous view of quaint Hilo Town, Mana Loa Volcano, the tide pool bay and the ocean. You can unwind by the pool, hot tub, use the gym or take a dip in the ocean. Dancers will be arriving from all over the world, gathering in the lobby, and joining up for dinner next door at Uncle Billie’s or the Chinese restaurant downstairs. It’s exciting!
• 8:00-10:00 Orientation Party.
Meet the staff and set the theme Fusion: East Meets West!
Day Two, Sunday April 30
• Breakfast on your own
• 11:00 Divide into car pools
We’ll stop at a giant shopping center on the way to get any supplies, snacks and extra items you may want to take with you to the retreat center.
Lunch on your own!
• 1:00 Scenic drive to Kalani Beach Resort (roughly 1 hour 15 minutes drive).
• 2:30 Check in and facility orientation, then swim, hot tub and relax!
• 4:00-5:45 Class with Delilah, Jeremiah and Erik– A simple dance choreography called with live percussion! (Don’t worry it’s not too hard for beginners) Also learn about Power Belly weight belt training.
• 6:00 Dinner
• 7:30-9:15 Drum Class with Jeremiah– Understanding the traditional rhythms of the dance is essential to growth as a dancer. Once a good foundation is acquired the student can stretch and fuse creative inspirations. If you have never played a drum before, this is going to be an amazing opportunity for your dance development. Do not miss this opportunity, be sure to bring a drum.
• 9:15-10:00 Belly Talk with Jeremiah. Jeremiah talks about how the Solace music collection has evolved as a fusion of East and West; what inspires him and has challenged him along the way as an American composer for belly dance
• Free Time: Hot tub and pillow talk
Day Three, Monday May 1
• 6:30/Dawn: Class with Delilah - Grounding and Centering Ritual Practice.
This is a simple movement meditation to help cultivate centering of the body. Delilah has shared this practice with dancers all over the world. It is best danced in nature in the presence of some of the awesome natural spectacles: ocean bluffs and beaches, steam vents, volcano crater, moving lava, dolphins and sea turtles, jungle, mountains, caves...
• 7:30 Breakfast
• 9:00-10:30 Class with Delilah: Beginning Belly Dance with Delilah for Students and Teachers– asserting basic alignment and energetic strategies inside the body for executing clear isolations. Working on fast movement and textural vocabulary.
• 10:45-12:15 Class with Delilah: Slow arms, hands, hips and belly rolls.
• 12:30-1:30 Lunch
Free Time to relax or field trip: Snorkel in hot pools, bask in steam vents,
lay on the beach.
• 4:00-5:50 Drum Class with Jeremiah
• 6:00-7:00 Dinner
• 7:30-9:00 Class with Rachel Lazarus and Jeremiah:
Pops and Locks for Tribal Fusion
Hip Hop meets tribal fusion with this energetic and exciting class. Become acquainted with the tricks that make isolations, pops, and locks look sharp, and contrast them with the beautiful fluidity of belly dance.
• 9:00-10:00 Belly Talk: East meets West with Delilah and Rachel. Discussion about the history of belly dance, our current day experience, and the future.
• Free Time: Hot Tub and star gazing.
Day Four, Tuesday May 2
• 6:00 Grounding and Centering Ritual practice on your own or sleep in
• 7:30 Breakfast
• 9:00-11:00 Class with Delilah - Undulation Circle Dance. This is a simple, short yet meaningful choreography that uses belly rolls and empowering gestures. We will also explore the connection between movement’s original meaning and the connection with dancing in nature.
• 11:00-12:00 Hula Class with Richard - You will love him!
• 12:00-1:00 Lunch and perform Hula on dining lanai
• 1:15 Field trip to the Volcano National Park with drum and dance!
• 7:30-8:30 Late night dinner
• 9:00-10:00 Guided Dance Journey led by Delilah to Jeremiah’s new music release.
Day Five, Wednesday May 3
• 6:00 Grounding and Centering Ritual practice on your own or sleep in
• 7:30 Breakfast
• 9:00-10:30 A fanciful make-up class with Laura Rose. Bring mirrors and your cosmetic bag to class.
• 10:30-12:00 Dance Class with Rachel Lazarus:
A Taste of India: Mudras and Arm Movements
Movement with purpose and intent are the hall marks of classical Indian dance styles. Enhance your feeling of intent and give your dance a purposeful flair by combining elegant Indian arm movements, classical hand mudras, direct gaze and tribal belly dance movement.
• 12:30-1:30 Lunch
• Free Time: Pool or Beach
• 4:30-5:50 Drum Class with Jeremiah
• 6:00-7:00 Dinner
• 7:30-10:00 Kalani Performance Night
Theme: Fusion and our famous Seafaring Costume Parade and dance jam!
This is a night we put on a casual show for the staff at Kalani Resort as well as invite the local belly dance community on the island to visit. All levels of our group are welcome to perform and share their talents on this evening or on our second performance night. Everyone is invited to model and ogle each other’s seafaring costumes in a parade for the audience and the judges of our costume contest. Next morning we will put them on again for our ritual early morning dance into the sea.
Day 6, Thursday May 4
• 6:00 Sun Rise: A Ritual Belly Dance into the Sea in our seafaring costumed glory! Jeremiah, Erik and friends will drum up the sun on the black sand beach (across the street and down the way a bit from Kalani). We will don our seafaring costumes for group belly dance into the sea. A fusion with the sea! What unites all ethnic backgrounds in this dance form is nature. The sea is the primordial soup from which all life arises. Each time we dance, our dance is born into our present moment. On this day we will celebrate the continual fusion, the evolution and regeneration of our dances alongside the beauty and cycles of nature. This will be our first dance into the sea on the Big Island. Laura Rose will videotape us for posterity.
• 7:30-8:30 Breakfast
• Field trip Day: Your chance to see more of the Big Island.
Hit the road early for a full field trip day to see amazing sites or stay close by and play at Kalani. Choices involve car pool cooperation:
• Hamakua in the North: cool town, waterfalls, spectacular view, hike or horseback ride down into the valley if arranged in advance.
• Green Sand in the South: beautiful, involves a hike. All day event.
• Hapuna on the West Side: see waterfalls, caves, ranches and enjoy white sand beaches. All day trip.
• Hilo shopping and museums– half day.
• Steam vents, snorkeling, hot ponds, and local explorations– half day and close by.
• Lunch on your own. Oh, and stop for coconut ice cream!
• 7:00 dinner is later to give people plenty of time to get back
• 8:00-10:00 Class with Delilah and Rachel: Tribal Veil and Veil Therapy
Bring 3 yards of light fabric– silk or chiffon.
Day 7, Friday May 5
6:00 Grounding and Centering Ritual practice on your own or sleep in.
• 7:30 Breakfast
• 9:30-12:00 Class with Rachel and Jeremiah: Fluidity
The seamless flow of one movement into the next are the trademarks of today’s most popular dancers. Use Tai Chi concepts to learn sensual tribal slow movement techniques.
• 2:30-4:00 Class with Delilah– Belly Dance Wave. Hot and sweaty dance using all Jeremiah’s music. We will explore the use of the character of movement and its dynamics as it applies to music and beat. Great for weight belts.
• 4:30-5:30 Drum Class with Jeremiah
• 7:30-9:00 Second Performance Night. The second half of the dancers on our retreat will perform for the rest of us - a smaller audience night.
Day 8, Saturday May 6
• 7:30-9:00 Breakfast
• 9:00-10:00 Pack up suitcases
• 10:00-12:00 Class with Delilah and Rachel - Review past week, revisit movement vocabulary and answer questions. Hand out certificates.
• 12:00-1:00 Lunch
• 1:00 Drive back to Hilo; stop for an excursion to an awesome cave on the way– the womb of the earth! Let us light a candle, say a blessing, roll our bellies, and together visualize world peace.
• 4:00 Check into the Nani Loa, relax
• 7:00 Last night’s supper together at a local restaurant. Then party from room to room with our fabulous view lanais!
Day 9, Sunday May 7
Breakfast on your own, kisses and good-byes in the lobby all morning.
Check out by noon.
Shuttle to airport.
Seafaring Costume Contest
You make your costume before you come to the retreat. This year’s theme is "fusion". Your costume should be something you don’t mind subjecting to the elements - sand, water, wind or heat. Be creative! This is always an amazing aspect of our retreat. More details will be sent at the end of February.
Prizes
We don’t mean for this to be an arduous competition, but an opportunity to be creative. Prizes will be simple and plentiful.
Performance
There are two performing opportunities for you to choose from on your registration form.
1. Public performance for staff & friends of Kalani Resort.
2. Intimate show just for the retreat participants.
Note: No one has to perform who doesn't want to. We know that for some people, belly dancing is a very personal and private love affair.
Instructor Biographies
Rachel Lazarus Soto
Rachel began studying Turkish Orientale belly dance in Central California. After nine years, she discovered Tribal Belly dance and was hooked. In Southern California she married the love-of-her-life, Jeremiah Soto, writer and producer of Solace. She began developing her own style of Tribal Belly dance– taking classic tribal moves and fusing them together with her own roots and became a pioneer in developing the Tribal belly dance scene in Southern California.
Rachel is a dedicated teacher and performer whose enthusiasm, love, and passion for belly dance is apparent in her every move. She has a clear and concise teaching style that lets even the beginning student feel comfortable and confident. Rachel’s own dance style is powerful and dramatic, with a healthy shot of humor and sass, keeping it all in balance.
Solace
Jeremiah Soto has been composing music since 1986, and has evolved through several genres of music including Industrial, Gothic, Electronic, Contemporary World and currently Middle Eastern Dance music. Arabic percussion has always fascinated Jeremiah. He has taken classes from renowned dumbek master, Souhail Kaspar, and studied African polyrhythms and frame drum technique with Ronnie Engel.
Since forming Solace in 1995, Jeremiah has used every bit of instrumentation and technology to accomplish a final musical product uninhibited by tradition or culture. “Providing an alternative” has always been Jeremiah’s motto. He strives to provide music that keeps the community fresh and leaves the door open for exploration and discovery through music and dance.
Laura Rose
Group coordinator, videographer, dance coach, make up artist– Laura Rose wears many hats this year. She will be our onsite group coordinator as well as videographer. She has studied with Delilah all her life (since she is her daughter). She started dancing professionally in 2003 and toured the East Coast with the live band, Sirocco. She was graduated from The Evergreen State College in film and video production and is the staff video editor/producer at Visionary Dance Productions. On retreat she will be video taping clips for a short video collage as a souvenir of your retreat experience. Laura Rose is a valuable assistant teaching coach for dancers who need extra help. She will teach a fun make-up class on retreat.
Erik Brown
Erik Brown is a musician and percussionist. He will also serve as additional support staff on our retreat. His job is to keep all of us smiling (which he is extremely good at) and help any of us with anything that might come up in regard to car pools, baggage, field trips, errors or other logistics. He is also the director for middle eastern drum ensemble at Delilah’s dance studio in Seattle. He will be playing with Jeremiah and be a drum coach for the beginners if need be, so Jeremiah can spend more time with any intermediate and advanced drummers. He also plays bass guitar.
What should we bring?
A drum, dance class attire, performance costume, seafaring costume, bathing suit, hat, sun screen. Don't worry– a list will be provided.
Video
Every year we have offered a video documentary of the retreat. This is a short but very special collage of event clips from our time together made especially for your enjoyment . A very special remembrance. Cost $50 payable after the retreat – any custom video you may want is extra.
Weight Belts
In Hawaii we will introduce you to the concept of using weight belts during belly dance workouts and encourage you to use your belt in any of our classes. The weight belt is a perfect tool to help you get in shape, feel stronger, younger, more agile and flexible before you come to Hawaii. It helps dancers learn how to belly dance faster and develop core body awareness, grace and balance at the same time. Start today!
Drums
Order an Egyptian Darbouka from Visionary Dance! $79 with case. Call 1-866-22BELLY or safely shop online. We can ship it to be waiting for your arrival at Kalani.
How do I sign up?
Please make sure you read all the information in our printed brochure. Download the official registration form, sign and mail it in with your deposit and payments due current to the date at hand. We will confirm by phone and mail that we have received your registration. Around the beginning of February we will send you a second information packet with a list of what to pack and more course details. Don’t delay! Register Early! Space is limited– it fills up fast.
Photo & Bio
Please send Delilah a photo and a fun, one page bio with your deposit, so I can begin to get to know you before we meet on the Big Island. Be sure to read about our easy payment plan and mark your calendar. This plan makes it possible for individuals to put this trip in their budget. Make it a reality. Hope to see you on the Big Island!
Send payment (check or money order) to:
Delilah c/o
Delilah's Belly Dance Retreat
4128 Fremont Ave North
Seattle, WA 98103
Contact Us:
1-866-22BELLY
1-206-632-2353
1-206-632-1906
Cost:
$2299
Includes: Belly Dance classes with Delilah, Rachel Lazarus, drum classes with Jeremiah Soto, a Hula Class, extra coaching and exotic make up class. 9 days 8 nights shared accommodations (2 nights at Nani Loa Hotel, 6-7 nights Kalani Resort), all meals at Kalani Resort, car pool ground transportation, performance night, Costume Contest with prizes, field trips, party, events, student certificate of course completion and souvenirs. Wow!
(dancers in foreign countries can call to arrange payment via international wire transfer).
Booking a flight
Fly the airline of your choice. Dancers come from all over the world to our retreats, so there is no way to include airfare in our packaged price. If you are using flyer miles be sure to book early.
There are two airports on the Big Island. This time we are flying into Hilo airport and out of Hilo airport. The other airport is in Kona. It’s a lovely 2-3 hours drive away from Kalani Resort. If you find you need to fly into Kona, you will need to rent your own car.
Update (June 05): Hilo residents report a decline of daily flights into Hilo, so you may want to make sure you have your reservation secured early this year.
Visas
Make sure you get the correct information about the kind of visa you need to acquire and start the process immediately. Some countries take a long time. We are glad to provide foreign dancers with letters and documentation of the educational nature of our long-standing retreats. You will receive a student certificate of completing the course.
Ground Transportation
In order to minimize environmental wear-and-tear on the island, to save you from having to rent a car, and to give us the luxury of freedom of movement around the island, we arrange van pools. This is a more of a community-building experience than if we each rent our own car. The cost of the van is included in the retreat price but the insurance surcharge and gas is not because the costs are harder to know in advance. (see below)
Insurance and Gas Surcharge:
We will be picking up vans or SUVs in Hilo on the morning of the 21th and dividing into car pools. We will stop at a major shopping area so you can pick up supplies you did not want to pack in your suitcase but want to have at the facility (snacks, wine, sodas, beach mat). You can change car pools day to day during the retreat depending where different vehicles are going.
There will be a surcharge for extra insurance we take out on each van so that the car pool driver is more fully covered. The rate is figured closer to the retreat and divided evenly among car pool riders (estimated at $45).
• Important: All participants are responsible for this surcharge unless they explain to us in writing by March 20th that they are renting their own car and are opting out of our car pool arrangements.
Van Pool Volunteers
To apply to be a car pool driver you must be between the age of 25-58, have a major credit card, and a spotless driving record. Being a car pool driver means you will be the only driver of that vehicle and will be obliged to go on field trips during the afternoons if people are up for it. You do have a say in where you want to go and you are not obligated to run errands for people outside of assigned group activities. Usually it’s a very easy workable situation and people like the power position of being car pool driver.
Van pool Disclaimer: van pools are voluntary.
Let us know December 2 if you would like to opt out.
Visionary Dance Productions arranges van pools for everyone’s convenience, but does not assume liability for anything that may happen on the road. You participate in the van pools by your own choice and at your own risk. You are free to rent your own car at your own expense if you so desire. We apologize for the necessity of this disclaimer. In fact, the van pools are lots of fun, and we’ve never had any problems on the road.
Extra treat: van pool driver volunteers will receive a 'Visionary Dance Eye of Horus' sweatshirt as a thank-you gift.
A bit about Delilah
Delilah is an internationally acclaimed belly dance performer and instructor of the “American Classic” belly dance style. She grew up in Southern California, learning the dance form as it was passed on and popularized in this country by first and second generation immigrants from Lebanon, Armenia, Iraq, Syria, Iran, Egypt, Israel, Turkey, Morocco and Greece.
When Delilah was 18, belly dance was fast becoming an American phenomenon. As thousands of women absorbed this dance by way of diverse cultural experience, a new style of American Belly dance evolved. Delilah is an active part of this transformation. While dancing in ethnic nightclubs, fairs, theater productions and folk style house parties for almost 20 years, she has learned many styles of dance, and has also learned about music, food, customs, religions, politics and people. Her belly dance experience fuels her interest in studying the fields of mythology, archeology, history, women’s studies, bio/ecology, psychology, healing practices, and other movement forms such as Tai Chi, yoga, modern dance and movement therapy.
In 1978, Delilah moved her home base to Seattle, and began teaching and performing the dance all around the world. By 1988, she was disseminating her philosophies, techniques and performing artistry on a highly acclaimed instructional video series produced by Visionary Dance Productions. These tapes cover a wide range of material: hip lifts, undulations, belly rolls, veil work, makeup, costuming, finger cymbals, conditioning exercises, philosophy, and include performances demonstrating a multitude of styles. Her emphasis is always on health, creativity, and fun!
Delilah supports diversity in the dance and enjoys all its styles; she sees the belly dance as never stationary, but always in a state of creative flux and growth. She encourages the student to examine and experience the dance in its variety of disciplines, in addition to openly sharing her technical knowledge with her students. Delilah imparts the idea that by opening our bodies to these ancient, earthly and natural movements that connect us physically, emotionally, and spiritually, we will become more aware environmentally. This gives the dance greater purpose...
“When we are more aware, we are better artists, enjoying a fuller life experience. When we stretch our awareness, we are more equipped to heal our bodies, our relationships and our earth.”
Delilah’s Visionary Belly Dance Retreat is a unique and extraordinary experience. Dancers from all over the world, of all ages and all levels, from beginner to professional, join Delilah in Hawaii each year to retreat from the hustle and bustle of their everyday lives and dedicate their bodies and spirits to the sacred indulgence of music and dance. They experience dancing, playing, learning, performing, practicing, celebrating, swimming, sunning, exploring, laughing, bonding with dancers and friends, new and old. This retreat is an opportunity to expand your belly dance horizons, to find the deeper meaning of dance in your life, and to have the time of your life doing it!
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