TaraSita

has studied TribalPura with Carolena Nerricio in San Francisco, focusing on FatChanceBellyDance's method of tribal style belly dance. She began studying dances from other cultures by first studying belly dance from Suzanne Armetta and Flamenco from Peter Suarez. After the unexpected passing of her teacher, Suzanne, she along with some of the other dancers studying with Suzanne Armetta founded Rakadu Gypsy in 1997 and began introducing the art of improvisation and working with live musicians. TaraSita toured and was the featured dancer for world funk band, Catawampus Universe and with the East meets West project, Orchestra Gaandarva when she studied with the Pandya family from India, learning Indian Folk dances. In 1999 she, and fellow Rakadu member, Lisa Duggins opened Mecca Live Studio and Gallery in Lexington, KY, which focuses on offering dance classes from other cultures and curates live performances and large scale community based events, such as Thriller at Halloween and Lexington's annual Mardi Gras Jazz parade. While taraSita's main focus is her particular blend of highly developed improvisational tribal belly dance, she continues to study many other forms of dance, including: Kathak, African, Samba, Hula, Gypsy and more. TaraSita's most influential teachers include: Carolena Nerricio, Dalia Carella, Jill Parker, Rachel Brice, Mira Betz, Morocco, and the ladies of Zafira.
Rakadu Gypsy and Mecca are her passions and she relishes the changes and the evolution these two have brought to her life and thanks Mel, her dance partner and co-director of Rakadu for keeping these passions alive throughout the years.

Improvisation and your dancing soul

In this class the dancer will learn techniques for accessing the language of spontaneous response and improvisation within her dancing. Creating an open physical dialogue onstage is an amazing and subtle task which requires awareness and a mental/physical clarity. Today the dancer will gain a heightened sense of spatial awareness, floor pattern, body line, and connection with other dancers. The results will be stunning! This class is applicable to all styles of dance and belly dance. *Dancers please dress for comfort and lots of moving.

Mystic Veil:
Using props and improvisation to present the story

Combining concepts of tribal improvisation and the art of storytelling that is so prevalent in many forms of cultural dance, we will explore techniques for incorporating a prop (veil) into our improvisation. Instead of just learning techniques for a veil dance, the dancer will be given a chance to incorporate the prop into a story line. The prop becomes part actor part dance partner. *Dancers, please bring a veil.