Turkish Groove
August 30 - September 1
Early Bird Prices (until June 15)
Full Package: $400
Weekend only: $360
Regular Prices (after June 15)
Full Package: $500
Weekend only: $460
How to Register?
For Canadian participants: E-transfer to asli@aslirakkas.com
For International participants: PayPal to asli@aslirakkas.com
Email proof of your payment to asli@aslirakkas.com
All prices are in CAD dollars
Please note that registration is non-refundable.
We will be having a Gala Show, please let us know if you want to perform at the Gala Show or not. Performance spots are limited but we will also have a waiting list. Performance spots are only reserved for workshop participants
Location:
Winchester Street Theatre: The Toronto Dance Foundation
80 Winchester Street Toronto
Meet Your Instructors
Azad Kaan is a pedagogue of dance and choreographer for contemporary and oriental dance arts. A.K. belongs because of his extensive expertise, knowledge in dance, academic dance education, and over 25 years of experience as one of the most successful and well-known teachers worldwide. Due to his professional dance education in one of the most renowned dance academies in Europe, Iwanson, he can meet the needs of all his students and effectively engage with them in their educational journey.
Currently, Azad Kaan is accepted as the iconic choreographer for bellydancing and has started a dance revolution. Professional dancers in Istanbul flock to him in the hopes of benefitting from his stage skills.
Even big dance folklore companies from Ankara prefer to work with him in bellydance to create a more professional reputation for their oriental dance arts.
Asli Rakkas is an award-winning Turkish dancer, born and raised in Turkiye. She currently teaches Bellydance in Scarborough. She also frequently performs at public and private events throughout the GTA, Hamilton, and southern Ontario.
Asli’s passion for dance comes from her childhood. She was part of an Azerbaijani dance troupe during primary school and tried to mimic bellydancers she watched on TV. This childhood passion turned into a reality when she took her first Bellydance class after moving to Canada.
Asli became an adamant student of Bellydance, always looking to improve her skills. She took classes from internationally famous teachers like Randa Kemal, Aziza of Montreal, Tito, Sahar Samara, Shahrazad, and Mohamed Salah.
She has performed in many international and local festivals like Dance Ontario, Habari Africa Festival, Taste of Middle East, Canadian Arab Orchestra Multicultural Festival, Celebrating Dance Festival, Rouh Arabi in London, England, and Community Folk Art Council as part of dance troupes and as a soloist.
Asli organized a weekend workshop event where she hosted Egyptian dance star Zara, and in August 2024 she will host internationally famous Turkish dancer Azad Khan.
Asli is teaching locally and internationally online and in person. She will be teaching in October 2024 in Torquay, England at the Celebrating Dance Festival.
Asli is known for her expressive, joyful, and engaging performances. One of Asli’s specialties is Roman Havasi (Turkish Romani Dance), which she learned in her home country as well as from international teachers like Serkan Tutar and Iana Komarnytska.
Asli is also a talented Tanoura Sufi dancer performing regularly in public and private events.
Asli’s mission is to share her love of dance through teaching and making your special event a day to remember.
Anuka is a regular performer on the Toronto scene who enjoys sharing her love of bellydance everywhere from festivals to theatres to Middle Eastern restaurants and nightclubs. She has choreographed for theatre productions, music videos, and concerts. She is the choreographer for the newly formed North Star Bellydance troupe (and previously ran her own troupe Mirage). Notable appearances include Women in Song, Glitter (Mahasti, Hamilton), Mosaic:Divination (Invoketress Dance Company, Guelph), the International Bellydance Conference of Canada, Ad Astra, Fan Expo, Steam on Queen and her own productions (Moonlight Mirage in 2014, Twilight Mirage in 2011, Midnight Mirage in 2010 , and Winter Mirage in 2009). She has also appeared on Canada National TV, W Network, and HGTV.
Anuka was a core faculty member at Hannan’s Bellydance Studio (2007 to 2009) and Dragonfly Bellydance Studio (2010 - 2019), teaching multiple weekly classes and specialty workshops. Currently she teaches occasional sessions or workshops as a guest instructor in the GTA.
Workshop Details
Friday August 30th, 7-9 p.m.
Turkish Romani Dance (Technique, Combo & cultural background) with Asli
Turkish Romani dance is a unique cultural dance style performed by Romani people living in Turkiye where it is especially popular. During this class, we will review footsteps and hand gestures while working on a short choreography. We will also provide information on the cultural background of this dance style and Turkish Romani people.
Saturday August 31st
10 a.m. - 1 p.m.
Mejance (Enter Like a Turkish Diva) with Azad
Powerful, dynamic but controlled, at the same time fluent and elegant. Azad will bring out these attributes in every dancer for your stage. A diva dance that makes a statement.
2-4 p.m.
Turkish Lyrical (Dance to Turkish Arabesque) with Azad
Lyrical dance is the most difficult version of body language, but at the same time, the most touching one. If you want to learn the secret to being breathtaking, sensual, and dramatic on stage, this class will help you. Azad is coming with Arabesk music which is deep and powerful. You will get the details from its master. Technique and combos to a fabulous song.
Sunday September 1st
10 a.m. - 1 p.m.
Intro to Turkish Oryantal (Lecture & Technique) with Azad
Everyone today can study different styles of bellydancing, which has spread internationally. It's like a melting pot: moves and steps of various dances have fused so that we don't know the origin. In this class, Azad will focus on the execution of techniques from Egyptian, Turkish, and Lebanese styles regarding the geographic circumstances which let us understand the differences between them. Here you will learn the 'real' differences.
Additionally, we will try different techniques to let our bodies understand how Africans (Egyptians, Tunisians, Moroccans, etc.) and Asians (Turks, Lebanese, Syrian, and Iraqis) use their body.
2- 4 p.m.
Whirl Like a Turkish Dervish with Azad
The "dance of love". Everybody thinks that the whirling dervish is a prayer. It is NOT!!! The whirling dervish has started to turn to be disconnected from the world's matter and grind the heaviness of your heart in while falling into a trance.
4:15 - 6 p.m.
Fluid Floorwork (Strength, Sequences, & Stretch) with Anuka
Floorwork is a beautiful and expressive element of bellydance and Turkish dancers are especially famous for it! This workshop will give you warm up and key strengthening exercises for doing floorwork technique safely. You will then try sequences of movements designed to develop clean transitions from one position to another, including how to get down to the floor and back up gracefully. We will end with a comprehensive stretching routine to help muscles recover as well as develop more flexibility over time.