Great news! We found a larger space located in the heart of the East Village so more people can join in the fun!
Dance as Discipline, Dance as Delight
Join fusion icon Rachel Brice alongside Dalia Carella, Irina Akulenko, Elizabeth Khard, Kaeshi Chai, and Brenna Crowley for a weekend of immersive study that honors both the craft and the joy of dance.
Through a dynamic lineup of workshops, you’ll explore expressive choreography, theatrical play, refined technique, and slow, strength-building movement.
Each session offers a distinct perspective to help deepen your connection to your body and practice—whether you dance for precision, passion, or pure delight.
All genders and experience levels are welcome.
WHEN:
Friday, October 10
1:45-3:15pm: Silk in Motion: Fluidity — 1.5 hr Workshop with Elizabeth Khard
3:30-5:00pm: Shimmering Temple Sculpture — 1.5 hr Workshop with Irina Akulenko
6:30–9:30pm: For the Joy of It Choreography — 3 hr Workshop with Rachel Brice
Saturday, October 11
10:00am-12:00pm: Beyond the Fourth Wall: Comedy & Theatricality in Fusion Belly Dance — 2 hr Workshop
with Kaeshi Chai + Brenna Crowley
1:00–5:00pm: Combos as Technique Exploration — 4 hr Workshop with Rachel Brice
7:30–9:30pm: The Summoning - Theatrical Fusion Show I
Sunday, October 12
10:00am-12:00pm: — Can’t Take My Eyes Off of You — 2 hr Workshop with Dalia Carella
1:00–5:00pm: Taffy — Take Your Sweet Time — 4 hr Workshop with Rachel Brice
7:30–9:30pm: The Invocation - Theatrical Fusion Show II
WHERE
Ukrainian National Home, 140 2nd Ave, New York, NY 10003
INVESTMENT
Rachel Brice Ultimate Package (7 Workshops + 2 Shows): $499, $470 Members
Rachel Brice Only (3 Workshops + 2 Shows): $375, $355 Members
No refunds. If you cannot attend, you are responsible for finding your own replacement.
Payment Plan:
• $150 deposit to hold your spot
• Pay the balance at your own pace—must be paid in full by the first day of training
• $50 admin fee applies to the payment plan
Ultimate Package: $499 + $50 = $549, $520 members
Rachel Brice Only + Shows: $375 + $50 = $425, $405 members
TO REGISTER FOR A PAYMENT PLAN
Send your $150 deposit via:
• Zelle: payment@bellyqueen.com (Name: Bellyqueen LLC)
• Venmo: @Bellyqueen (last 4 digits: 0168)
Single Day Packages
Friday Package (3 Workshops): $175
Saturday Package (2 Workshops + Saturday Show): $199
Sunday Package (2 Workshops + Sunday Show): $199
A La Carte Workshops (Scroll down to sign up)
1.5 hr Workshop: $45
2 hr Workshop: $55
3 hr Workshop: $105
4 hr Workshop: $135
Shows / Performance Media Fee (Rachel Brice will NOT perform in the shows. Launching soon on EventBrite. )
The Summoning - Saturday Show: $30
The Invocation - Sunday Show: $30
Both Shows: $50
If you are performing, your show fee will be applied toward professional photos and videos.
Tickets are not transferable.
Apply to Perform by August 11. https://forms.gle/X4p6gRhDGfbAxNXSA
Performers will be announced on September 1st.
FAQ
1. If you purchase an Ultimate or Rachel Only package, you can watch or perform (if chosen) in the Saturday and Sunday show.
2. If you purchase a Day Package, you can watch or perform in the show on the same day as your package.
It cannot be transferred to another day.
3. If you do not purchase a package, and would like to perform, you must:
– Purchase at least one a la carte workshop
– Buy a ticket / performance fee ( includes professional photos + video)
4. If you are performing more than once on the same night (solo AND troupe), there will be an additional performance fee (to cover more photos + video)
Silk in Motion: Fluidity
with Elizabeth Khard
When: Friday 1.45-3.15pm (1.5 Hours)
Experience: All Levels
Tone: Flowing
Format: Technique and Group Exercises
Description: A workshop about flow, continuity, and deep body awareness. This workshop is all about fluidity — one of the most captivating and mesmerizing qualities in dance. You’ll learn how to move as if your body is pouring through the music, turning combinations into a seamless, living breath.
We’ll explore:
How to create smooth transitions between movements
How to find continuity within structure
How to release unnecessary tension and move from within
How to make even simple movements look hypnotic and full
You’ll begin to feel your dance not as a series of separate techniques, but as one continuous expression. Through slow waves, soft isolations, stretched shapes, and breath-led movement, you'll discover your body’s natural flow — deep, organic, and alive.
This class is perfect for both beginners and experienced dancers who want to move beyond mechanical execution and learn to truly melt into movement.
Let yourself soften. Let yourself flow. Let your body speak without words.
Who: Elizabeth Khard (Brooklyn, NYC/Belarus) is a talented artist with diverse skills in dance, choreography, design, craft, and production — all fueled by a deep passion for movement and artistic expression. Fusion Bellydance is her passion and primary focus, a style she loves for its limitless creative possibilities and the strong sense of community it fosters. Elizabeth teaches Fusion Bellydance classes in Manhattan, welcoming students of all levels. From 2022-2024, she directed an entertainment dance company, contributing to over 10 successful productions.
Today, she leads Vibe Space — a dance-photo studio in NYC created to support and connect dancers and creatives. For Elizabeth, Fusion Bellydance is not just an art form but a powerful space for individuality, community, and self-expression.
Known for her technically precise performances and unique costumes, Elizabeth continues to inspire through her dedication to dance and creativity.
Shimmering Temple Sculpture: Breathing Live into Beautiful Poses
with Irina Akulenko
When: Friday 3.30-5.00pm (1.5 Hours)
Experience: All Levels
Tone: Focused and Detailed
Format: Technique and Combinations
Description: In this workshop we will draw heavily on Odissi - one of the most elegant Classical dances of India. We will examine the principle of building movement from the footwork and have it ripple deeply through the body, affecting the hips, ribcage, shoulders as well as the head and eyes.
Understanding the natural progression of movement within the body will allow us to create a sense of ease, control and nuanced elegance, which can be later applied to any style of fusion. We will work at a careful, slow pace to allow a deeper understanding of this technique. The resulting series of combinations will be linked to create a beautiful moving meditation.
Who: Irina Akulenko is a New York City-based artist, with a burning passion for arts of all genres. Since 2001, Irina explored both Egyptian Cabaret and American Tribal Style belly dance, Classical Indian (Odissi), contemporary, and Flamenco and now enjoys fusing these art forms. Today, Irina performs on various New York stages and tours nationally and internationally as a soloist fusion dancer; offers numerous online classes in a variety of styles: is a teacher and principal dancer with Bellyqueen Dance Theater and choreographer and Assistant Director for NASA-powered multimedia show Bella Gaia. www.DanceIrina.com
For the Joy of It — Choreography
with Rachel Brice
When: Friday 6.30-9.30pm (3 Hours)
Experience: All Levels
Tone: Light and Playful
Format: Choreography
Description: Start day 1 dancing with what matters most: movement for movements’ sake. In this class you’ll learn a concise, expressive choreography designed to evoke the joy of rhythm and expression through movement.
What to bring: Water, and layers for warming up and cooling down. All genders and abilities welcome.
Beyond the Fourth Wall:
Comedy & Theatricality in Fusion Belly Dance
with Kaeshi Chai & Brenna Crowley
When: Saturday 10am-12pm (2 Hours)
Experience: All Levels
Tone: Light and Playful
Format: Theatrical exercises
Description: Unleash your inner fool, flirt, and fabulous weirdo in this fun-filled workshop blending theatricality with fusion belly dance.
Co-taught by Kaeshi Chai (clown-in-progress, fusion storyteller, and world dance shapeshifter) and Brenna Crowley (dark fairy of fusion and queen of camp) you’ll explore:
Ensemble improv games for connection, spontaneity, and joy
Embodied storytelling through gesture, gaze, and space to bring dance narratives to life
Physical comedy basics — timing, exaggeration, and movement surprise
Character creation using archetypes and emotional clarity
Perfect for dancers wanting to stretch their expressive range, build memorable solos, or just play. No acting experience necessary— just a willingness to be silly, sweat, and sparkle.
Warning: Giggling, face contortions, and dancey ridiculousness are highly likely.
Who: Kaeshi Chai is a movement artist, designer, producer and director. She co-founded Bellyqueen - a professional touring dance company and school, - and PURE (Public Urban Ritual Experiment), a global community focused on healing and social change through dance and music. She has taught and performed in 47 states and 39 countries, and performed with the Bellydance Superstars, Jillina’s Bellydance Evolution, Kenji William’s Bella Gaia, Spector Dance, and the Shahrzad Dance Academy. Kaeshi curates the Djam NYC event for dancers and musicians to create and play together. Current projects include Lunar New Year and AAPI presentations in schools and libraries, and Nature Stories, integrating art and science at museums and cultural institutions. https://www.kaeshi.com/
Brenna Crowley is a NYC-based dancer, choreographer, and instructor known for her fierce, funny, and powerful performances. Since beginning her dance journey in 2004, she has performed coast to coast—featured as a soloist, ensemble member, and collaborator with companies like Solstice Ensemble, Dalia Carella Dance Collective, her own Zilla Dance Project, and many more. With an infectious charisma, she seamlessly blends traditional belly dance with a contemporary twist, creating a mesmerizing spectacle that captivates audiences. A true entertainer, she loves moving to the beats of popular hits, turning each performance into a memorable dance party. A vibrant presence on stage and in the classroom, Brenna currently teaches at Bellyqueen School and continues to share her unique blend of movement through performance and education.
Combos as Technique Exploration
with Rachel Brice
When: Saturday 1-5pm (4 Hours)
Experience: Intermediate and Up
Tone: Focused and Detailed
Format: Technique & Combinations
Description: In this focused workshop, we’ll use combinations as a deep dive into technique. Through structured repetition, we’ll refine foot and arm placement, isolations, and transitions. Expect layered material that sharpens precision and builds confidence through clarity.
What to bring: Water, snacks, notebook (optional), and whatever helps you stay focused and steady. All genders and abilities welcome.
Can’t Take My Eyes Off of You — Unleash your inner vixen to be unforgettable and own the stage!
with Dalia Carella
When: Sunday 10am-12pm (2 Hours)
Experience: All Levels
Tone: Sensual and Passionate
Format: Technique, Combinations and Emoting Skills
Description: In this powerful and theatrical workshop, we go beyond technique to awaken your fierceness and irresistible presence. Inspired by Belly Dance, Flamenco Araby, and Tango, you’ll journey deep into your soul, tap raw emotions, and dance with authentic passion and power.
Explore how to:
Connect theatrically with your raw, passionate spirit
Awaken your inner duende through sensual, dramatic movement
Release the dancer within who is intense, vulnerable, and unapologetically powerful
Leave with performance tools to infuse every step with intention, soul, and passion — elevating your dance from the inside out. You’ll learn a short, smouldering and theatrical combo to apply these tools in your own repertoire and choreographic explorations.
Who: Dalia Carella is a renowned Near/Middle Eastern and World Fusion solo artist, choreographer, master teacher, and Founder/Artistic Director of the Dalia Carella Dance Collective. Dalia has been training professionals and students for many decades with her enormous wealth of dance technique and theatrical presentation in any style that she teaches. Dalia's much sought after teaching style and performance technique of innovative Cross Cultural Belly Dance, Turkish Roman and Flamenco Araby movements and skirt work have been sought after and appreciated by both Near/Middle Eastern and Fusion Dance communities around the world. Dalia has produced many dance theater productions in NYC as well as Off Broadway in New York City. Her numerous concerts and teaching tours have led her throughout the US, Canada, England, Puerto Rico, Switzerland, Germany, Spain, Portugal, Italy, China, Turkey, and Japan. Visit Dalia’s online dance academy at www.daliacarella.com
Taffy — Take Your Sweet Time
with Rachel Brice
When: Sunday 1-5pm (4 Hours)
Experience: Intermediate and Up
Tone: Intense but Nourishing
Format: Technique & Conditioning
Description: Welcome to the stretchy side of strength. In this intensive, Rachel will guide you through an exploration of slow technique—employing sustained repetition, long holds, and deep muscle control inspired by yoga asana. Class will begin and end with conditioning to support this work.
What to bring: Water, snacks, yoga mat, clothes for floor-based exercises, and any props you may need (block, strap, etc.) for adaptations. All genders and abilities welcome.