"Batwanis Beek" ("I Cherish Your Company") is a romantic Arabic music standard instantly recognized and treasured by millions of people around the globe. The version that many consider definitive was sung by the late great French-Algerian diva Warda Al-Jazairia (the Algerian Rose), the Middle East's Ella Fitzgerald. In this belly dance workshop, we'll not only improvise together to Warda's croonings, but also learn brand new choreography to a recent rendition featuring deliciously jazzy overtones. This workshop is suitable for all, from total beginners to experienced belly dance enthusiasts. Dance barefoot, in socks, or in your favorite soft dance slippers. If you have one, bring a jingly or non-jingly hip scarf to wear around your hips and accentuate your belly dance movements. 

Sarah-Jane began belly dancing in 2012 after 30-something years as an avid sports enthusiast, which included participating in triathlons and rowing competitions, and working as an accredited aerobics instructor. Sarah-Jane adores belly dance because it combines exquisite sensuality with good ol' razzle dazzle. Belly dance allows you to not only explore your alter ego, but also to dive deep emotionally. Her belly dance style, which she calls Modern Showgirl-Inspired Cabaret, is heavily influenced by her dance moms, the mother-daughter team of Leyla and Babette Soleil. The Flux + Flow studio is Sarah-Jane's home-away-from-home, where she studies ballet and jazz to continue broadening and deepening her dance knowledge.

Danielle Schoon has a Master's degree in Dance from the Department of World Arts and Cultures at UCLA and was a Lecturer in the Department of Dance at The Ohio State University for three years. Danielle was introduced to belly dance by Karen Custer-Thurston in 1997. Later, as a graduate student at UCLA, Danielle studied Egyptian dance under the tutelage of Tamra Henna and Aisha Ali. When she returned to her home state, Arizona, she continued to study with Domba, Helena Vlahos, and Ava Fleming. She made her performance debut in Tucson with the musical group, Zambuka, and continued to perform belly dance for ten years in the Tucson community and beyond. She taught Belly Dance for Fitness at Pima Community College for five years, a class that promoted body acceptance, community building, and physical and emotional wellbeing. As part of her doctoral research at the University of Arizona, Danielle traveled several times to Istanbul, Turkey, where she studied the Turkish Roma ('Gypsy') style with Reyhan Tuzsuz. She has taught multiple workshops and master classes in this style. Danielle's classes are welcoming to all abilities and genders.