Museum Quality is a unique kind of workshop intensive experience that combines visual/fine arts concepts, processes, and techniques with bellydance; training dancers to focus their development beyond just the physical, incorporating mental, visual, and emotional elements as well, and working to elevate the dance personally and professionally. This intensive is accessible to all styles of bellydance and is especially geared towards dancers who wish to advance the artistic quality of their dancing.

Why Art School?
A common debate in the bellydance community is the dance entertainment or art? No matter which side you may lean towards or what style of bellydance you do, the dance itself can benefit from a fine arts-minded approach. This intensive will aid you in developing a critical eye and constructive mind, help deepen creativity, and give you the tools to construct and combine movement, sound, emotion, and aesthetic more effectively.

Why Museum Quality?
Part of the goal of this intensive is for the attendees to consider their performances as they were constructing works of art, focusing on creating art in motion that is the best quality you can produce at your ability and experience. Museums don't only house the best examples of an artist's work - they also collect their early and middle pieces, sketches, illustrations - and modern museums and galleries showcase what's being produced NOW and how it relates to society. So it's not all about the end result at the end of the line, but the journey of the artist - the same is true with dance.

General Material Outline (3 Day Intensive):
1. Introduction to Art Concepts & Terms, Art & Dance History
2. Presentation of Self-Portrait Project Performance
3. Constructive Critique
4. Goal Setting & Discussion
5. Right Brain Activation
6. Transferring from 3D to 2D:
from Symbol to Reality, Audio to Visual
7. Lines & Perspective, Shape & Form - Movement Quality
8. Shading and Depth: Strong vs. Subtle - Musicality
9. Concept & Design: Translating Ideas into Art
10. Composition & Communication
11. Craftsmanship: Quality, Not Quantity
12. Choosing Your Media: Costuming Elements
13. Framing Your Work & Hanging It Up On the Wall

Additional Options (for 4 day intensive):
14. Museum Trip: Trip to local museum (If available) with discussion and related project assignment
15. "Journey to the Underworld"
16. Instructor Performance & Discussion

There will be homework (reading, writing, and concept/movement-based projects) assigned prior to the start of the intensive, and a list of materials for each attendee to bring. Each day of the intensive is approximately 8 hours of activities involving media exercises, concept exploration, and studio application. Essentially, the whole body will be addressed and exercised every day to take it to the next level - mind, body, and spirit. There will be assignments each evening for students to complete for the next day. Students will be issued a certificate of course completion at the end of the intensive.

Why Tempest?
While there are other instructors who reference "art" in their workshops or classes, Tempest is a life-long, fully trained professional visual artist and designer. Tempest received her Bachelor of Fine Arts from the top art school in the US - the Rhode Island School of Design, and has been attending art and design programs since the age of 3, including Perkins Center for the Arts in Moorestown, NJ, Fleisher Art Memorial in Philadelphia, PA, and the South Carolina Governor's School for the Arts. She has taught high school through college/adult classes & workshops in the visual arts, and over a hundred workshops on bellydance.

Tempest pulls from her visual arts background, literary tendencies, and global inspirations to create dance that crosses the boundaries of time and culture. Tempest began her journey into dance in 2000, and has traveled the country to study traditional, folkloric, and fusion forms of bellydance. She is the premiere instructor of Gothic Bellydance in North America, and her extensive work in the genre has helped to define and develop the movement across the world. Her compelling performances exemplify her distinctively theatrical and expressive style, and are rooted in oriental dance technique with a transcendent approach. Her costume designs have revolutionized the look of modern bellydance, and continue to inspire new and old generations of dancers alike.



Feedback from 2011 MQ Participants:

"It was amazing! I have done other intensives before and they normally leave me feeling excited and with the brain full of ideas but depleted of energy as well. This time, I still had plenty of energy at the end... but it was still challenging. I accessed the right side of the brain more fully than I have ever had. I liked all the exercises and, surprisingly, the drawing exercises were my favorite! (MQ) already has affected my dancing b/c I'm more open in my posture now. Also, I've been able to take more chances in my dance and allow myself to do what I really want to do (instead of what is safe). I also have been using the drawing exercises to understand my music differently. (MQ) definitely met my expectations. That is a lot of material to cram into 3 days" - Celeste

"I feel great about the experience. I had a really good time and was challenged to think about my dance in ways I am normally not able to. My favorite exercise was the self-portrait dance. I was able to look inside myself to find inspiration for my solo (not something I normally get in the group dance world) and create from there. It was also the first time in my belly dance "career" that I have had constructive feedback about what was good and bad about the performance and how to think about making effective changes so that it would be presentable in front of a public forum. It's already made me more confident as a solo dancer. I haven't ever had a lot of comments on my solos, other than the normal - "hey that was good!" or "That was fun!" I realize that I can be a ham and really work something to my advantage with my facial expressions, but wasn't ever really sure if the dancing portion was living up to the rest of it. Now, I feel like I have had a little bit of encouragement and that I am going in the right direction." - Carrie Meyer

" I feel like I was able to grow and take it to the next level with my dance, which I was ready for and have been struggling with for the past year, finally breaking the plateau. I loved the warm ups, the card readings, the exercises where we took the same song, but each person had a different moood or emotion to convey, I may be weird for saying this, but my very favorite part was the critique, that's really what I came there for . I think it will make me more aware of myself, my facial expressions and my overall dancing. I tihnk I will try to add a few more traditional bellydance moves in. I think it willl benefit my dancing overall and I am already applying it in my performances. (MQ) met and even exceeded my expections. I felt there was a lot of individual attention, it was a very close and personal group." - Ami Amore'

"Surpised, validated, challenged, humbled. I am much more confident of what I perceive and can create myself. I am not a huge "touchy-feely-tell-us-all-how-you-feel" kinda person, HOWEVER, I found that the exercises led me (and all of us) into deeply experiencing/feelingwithout any of the usual associated drama/embarrassment. Emotional work that was very intellectual (?) At any rate... whatever the correct word is, the work was very integrative for me. No feeling of "some of this and then some of that"...it flowed and built and had a certain stealth learning to it. The change I experienced between Friday and Sunday was actually quite large, but it was in some part of my head and perceptions that I don't normally access for dance. That caught me by surprise and i s probably the hardest part to describe yet what left the deepest impression weeks later. On a COMPLETELY non-dance note: I found that I went back to work making things for my gallery show with a completely changedapproach. I created 4 peices in rapid succession that were unplanned originally but tht i liked so much I included in the show. My felt work had taken a completely new direction and I really think that this is the result of the inner changes that came out of the intensive. I can't spell it out very clearly, but it's like I grew into another part of my brain..." - Kat

"I would love the chance to do another intensive with you...I think you will be really happy with my progress. (I hope! lol) I found the intensive this summer tremendously helpful with my development as an artist and performer, rather than just a dancer (drilling moves only, etc). I'm doing much better with use of stage and my stage face. " - Molly


OK - I'm Interested! How do I bring "Museum Quality" to my town?

Now booking for 201-2013 engagements!
To receive further information on hosting this special intensive, including sponsor details, event costs, availability, please email Tempest, and be sure to include your location and possible dates. Tempest will be happy to work with you to help create a successful event that your community will be benefiting from for years!

Testimonials About Tempest's Workshops

More info: www.darklydramatic.com

On the schedule:
MQ 1.5 - Indianapolis, IN - September 14th-16th, 2012

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