#atlanta dance

[wessasaurus-rex]

Never thought that  I will be able to do sponsor/collaboration with my dancing teachers, mentors, and friends for Bumpboxx as well as a video!!! 

I am incredibly thankful for everyone in the dancing community and you all for helping me come this far!!!  

[poundeuroyendeniro-tm]

This is my dance piece to “Gangsta” by Kehlani. I hope you enjoy! Subscribe to my channel to see more!!!

www.Youtube.com/ArielUpshaw

[shhhhhakata]

story 1: Desperado - Rihanna

this dance is a duet:

Cam looked over at Marie, who was happily puffing at her the last of her drugs she’d ‘brought for the trip’.

“Could you put that out, you addict?” She said grimacing and covering her nose. Marie took one last drag of her roach and blew it in the older girl’s face, before putting it out.  Cam glared at her but only responded with mumbling about charges and theft and murder and their trip. 

“What? You think they’ll find us because of the smell? We’re in the middle of nowhere. Chill out.” Marie giggled. She turned the scratchy radio on low and sat her passenger seat back, as she hummed at the stars above them. 

“I should kick you out of my fucking car.” Cam spat at Marie, through gritted her teeth. When Marie didn't respond to her Cam just sighed in frustration. “Whatever. If we do get caught here, blame yourself. That shit is loud.”

The girls both sat in a comfortable silence. Marie closed her eyes and softly hummed to the low music that seemed to ring throughout the car and Cam was laid back with her eyes barely open, staring at the stars.

“Cam.” Marie said breaking the silence.

“What, child?” 

Marie snickered at Cam’s bitterness. “How’d you even get this car? Aren’t you like...I dont know...poor or something?” She asked innocently. Cam snapped her head towards Marie and mushed the younger’s head so hard, that she fell out of the passenger’s seat a bit. 

“Jesus fucking christ!! I’m just asking!” Marie shouted, grabbing her head. “ You could’ve cracked my damn head open!” She whined as she shifted back into her reclined seat. Cam rolled her eyes and huffed out a breath of relief.

“Shut up little girl. The top and the windows are down.” Cam shook her head and paused. “It was my dad’s...” She responded softly.

Marie looked over at Cam, who looked a bit reluctant to say anymore. “Ah..” She said turning her eyes back towards the sky. She didn’t want to intrude on Marie’s personal life and she definitely didn't want to almost get beat up again by a woman who was almost 30, but her curiosity got the worst of her. “were you two okay?” She said just above a whisper. Cam scoffed.

“Let me rephrase that. I stole this car from my dad.” She shook her head and scoffed again. “He’s a man. Of course we aren’t okay.” They sat in silence again, both mentally deciding to rest a bit before the long drive south. As usual, after a while, Marie spoke up.

“There’s really no turning back, huh?” She sort of whispered to herself.

“Nope!” Cam cheerfully said looking down at the girl. “This is your last chance to go back before we leave your state. After we leave North Carolina, ain’t no going back for you, hun. You’re lil rich ass is stuck with me ‘til I get to Florida. Then you can do what you want. I don’t care.”

Marie abruptly jumped on Cam in attempt to kiss her on her face, but Cam sat the 19 year-old right back down in her seat with one arm. Marie laughed loudly and squirmed in her seat wrinkling her dirty white CK suit even more. When she finally calmed down. She lifted her seat back up and sighed happily.

“Cameron, that may have been the best thing you’ve said all night. Let’s get the hell out of this dirty boring ass city!”

[shhhhhakata]

new project for this blog

Ill be creating stories influenced by songs, that need to be told through dance.

if any dancers or choreographers in the atlanta area would like to be apart of my project, please follow me on tumblr @shhhhhakata to stay  updated on the stories to come and email me introducing yourself at [email protected] Subject Line: Dance Stories

[downsouthdab-blog]

Future // Excited

[rhythmastudios-blog]

Getting Back to Buisness

As you may know if you have been around our studio for a while, we have undergone a multitude of changes in the past year. We scaled back many of our classes and have been operating as a rehearsal, developmental, and all-around creative space. Which really is a blast :)

Don't get us wrong, we've kept some classes going, hold regular public workshops and still have an active public side. Lets just say our internal focus as a studio has been directed down different paths. 

But we're singing back! The inevitable return of the pendulum ;) 

Just to recap, we currently have two ongoing programs at our studio. Our African drum and dance program includes regular Tuesday night dance classes with Sister Christian from 7:30-9:00pm. We also offer regular workshops in dance and percussion technique from the An Ka Fo Drum & Dance Institute. An Ka Fo workshops are held on Saturdays. Drum workshops start at 3:00, Dance workshops start at 4:30. Workshops schedules vary month to month. The next dates are: January 25th, February 22nd and  March 15th. 

We also have a weekend fitness program. For adults, we offer a fun, high-energy hip hop cardio class Saturday mornings from 11:00am-12:00pm. On Sundays from 12:00-3:00 we host a teen dance training program focused on developing the fundamentals for a career dancer. 

So, what, you ask, are we adding? 

I'm glad you want to know, because it's awesome. Starting in Feburary (which is only a few weeks away!) we're adding Wednesday nights to our public schedule. We're bringing back one of our most popular styles, Tribal Bellydance Fusion with a "fundamentals of dance" slant for a class we call: Tribal Dance Training with Meredith Hope. Think of this as Bellydance meets Bootcamp. Hardcore isolation training, technique, posture, and core, core, core. And then some more core. 

After Tribal Training with Meredith (7pm-8pm) we will transition directly into our Open Studio Flow Jam Session (8pm-9:30pm). This will be open studio time with our staff, students, friends and pets. Silk conditioning, contact juggling, breakdancing, Bellydance choreography, juggling lessons, unicycling, handstand workshops, poi spinning, fire arts, whip cracking.. all of this and more is going to be happening and you should be part of it, because those things are all awesome. 

Okay, you heard it here first people. This is phase one. Wednesday nights this February. Lets make it happen.

[awelcomepredicament]

Teaching in Atlanta at Core this week

[outthereatlanta-blog]

Next Monday is the beginning of Off the Edge, a week-long event of contemporary movement and dance happening at Woodruff Park and the Rialto Center for the Arts. Check out the details on their site and mark your calendars!