Las Vegas Bellydance Intensive

It has been almost two months since I returned from the Las Vegas Bellydance Intensive, but I suppose it's not too late for an update – especially for those considering going in 2009! I could write pages and pages, but I will hit the highlights.

The event was extremely well organized. From the very first morning at the Station Landing to the last day, there were Intensive staff available ensuring not only the logistics of getting hundreds of dancers into the right conference rooms for workshops, but also making all of the out-of-towners feel welcome.

Workshops

My highlights were:

• A full day of workshops with Ava Fleming – she is a darling, and taught some fun oriental combos.
  
• Karim Nagi's debke workshop – energetic, fun, a great way to start a morning, really explained the principles of debke, the music, the feeling.
  
• Aradia's drum solo workshop – the choreography was creative and her teaching is very clear – I found it very easy to follow
  
• Leyla Amir's Egyptian Entrance choreography – the music was so great that I've started to use it in my own shows, and she had a lot of good info. I just wish there had been more time with her!
  

The workshops ranged from wonderful to not so wonderful, but I got more than my money's worth for a full weekend. It is exhausting to dance every day for eight hours, plus all the evening activities. I recommend bringing a full bottle of Advil and plenty of Luna bars as the hotel does not have much in the way of healthy food. Take a notebook, sit down, and take notes if your body has exhausted itself.

Evening Activities

The organizers put together two great shows with both the local and the featured dancers (Kami Liddle, Karim Nagi and Ava Fleming). Saturday night's show was my favorite, as it featured a hilarious comedian introducing the acts. Saturday night also had a cocktail party. Friday, it was fun to get all dolled up and take a stretch limousine to the theater. Afterwards, we hopped out and went to a great restaurant, then a lounge and a nightclub all in one big casino – the Bellagio. Saturday night for me was the official after-party at a really cool nightclub, where the local dancers took us out on the town, garnered us some free admission and front of the line status at one of the hottest nightclubs in LV. Somehow, after all that, we managed to get to the tiger habitat on Sunday afternoon. If I went again, I'd definitely stay longer to see more of Vegas itself, as the weekend was jam-packed. There was hardly time to sleep. I should add that the hotel had great hot tubs and much time was spent recovering there, soothing our sore muscles.