Experience everything from Zumba to Striptease in our "Dance Sampler Workshop." This workshop will shed those extra holiday pounds, give you some fun ways to spice up your fitness routine or simply give you the opportunity to "taste-test" several styles of dance. Come learn from some of NYC's top dance instructors who will give you a taste of their style of dance through a fun, mini-class. You will be introduced to Zumba, Brazilian Samba, Club Dance, Salsa and Striptease.

Both men and women are welcome to participate, however the Striptease segment of the workshop is for women only. Sorry guys. Absolutely NO DANCE EXPERIENCE is required. Bring comfortable clothes to move in, gym shoes or other comfortable footwear and get ready to dance. Space is limited so please purchase your ticket in advance. Drop-ins will NOT be accepted.  

WORKSHOP DETAILS:

Date: Sunday, January 22nd

Time: 12:30-3:40pm

Location: Pearl Studios 500 8th Ave, 12th floor (room 1212)

Cost: $25 (must prepay - dropins at the door are not accepted)

SCHEDULE OF CLASSES

12:30-1:00pm - ZUMBA taught by Priya Sodha

1:10-1:40pm - SALSA taught by Sheena Larsen of Step Into Salsa

1:50-2:20pm - CLUB DANCE taught by Monika Matys

2:30-3:00pm - BRAZILIAN SAMBA taught by Cookie

3:10-3:40pm - STRIPTEASE (ladies only) taught by Kimberly of StripXpertease

*Feel free to bring water, snacks etc. to keep you hydrated and energized throughout the workshop.  Each segment of dance is 30 minutes with a 5-10 minute break in between segments. If you are tired and need to sit out, please listen to your body and do so. You can always jump back in later.

PRESENTING OUR INSTRUCTORS...

 Priya

 www.facebook.com/ZumbaPriya

 ZumbaPriya@yahoo.com                                             

 Priya Sodha has been a certified Zumba fitness instructor for two years. Coming out of California, she has danced ballet, jazz, hip hop, African and Latin dance for over 10 years. She  has also performed and taught all over southern California and is part of the zumba instructors network. Her goal is that everyone have fun while working out and enjoys getting their groove on in Zumba! 

  Kimberly

 www.stripxpertease.com

Kimberly is an instructor, but also the creator and founder of StripXpertease. Originally from Austin, Texas, she has lived in NYC for 7 years. Although she is no longer dancing, she racked up over 10 years of experience as an exotic dancer in Texas, New York, and New Jersey. She also spent years acting in Texas and New York and co-owned a NYC based film company. She uses those experiences with acting and striptease to bring laughter, fun, and education into all of her classes. She has choreographed gentlemen's club scenes and exotic dancer's routines for film and theater in New York. She has taught for StripXpertease Austin, Empire Dance Studios, You Should Be Dancing, Kiki de Montparnasse, and Metro Event Planners in New York.

KIMBERLY ON STRIPXPERTEASE CLASSES: I saw the cardio striptease craze explode, and then pole fitness classes. However, I kept meeting women who were taking pole classes that couldn't use what they had learned in their own homes. The pole moves were fabulous, but they wanted more, they wanted to DANCE, not just pull off tricks. I was so disappointed to see that the women who were teaching striptease classes HAD NOT EVEN SET FOOT IN A STRIP CLUB!!! I wanted to teach women sexy moves that they could actually perform for their lovers... or just for themselves, in the comfort of their own bedroom with no equipment needed.

 Read more about Kimberly here...

 Cookie

 www.facebook.com/sugarpushrumbera

 sugarpushrumbera@gmail.com

 Started dancing Salsa in 1999. I first trained in LA   under West Coast salsa pioneer Laura Canellias, and later performed 

with Los Rumberos, the world renowned dance company run by Francisco Vazquez. I went on to study salsa and Afro-Cuban dance from Cuban sensations Alien Ramirez and Muneco. In 2009 I competed in the Latin Dance Championships and The Mayan World Salsa Championship with a partner from Panama, and in 2010 I began performing ON2 in Los Angeles before moving to NY to perform with Descarga Latina.

I first went to Brazil in 2004 and lived there for 6 months where I learned Samba, Pagode, Axe, Arroixa, and Brazilian Funk. When I returned to the states I studied Portuguese language and Brazilian History at UC Berkeley and continued to study Brazilian Samba for the next 3 years. I perform every year in the annual Carnival parade in Long Beach, CA and make local appearances in New York clubs as a traditional Brazilian Samba dancer.

 Sheena

 www.stepintosalsa.com

 Sheena began dancing at the age of seven, however, her  passion for Latin dancing wasn’t realized until her final year of  high school when she hit the club for the very first time. Never  having seen dancing like this in the small town she grew up in,  she was hooked. She went on to perform, compete, teach and  co-direct her University Latin Ballroom Dance Company. She  has competed and performed in the International Latin  Division throughout the Western United States and Canada,  and has ranked 1st place in numerous competitions, including  BYU National Amateur Ballroom Dance Championships. Then  she began performing and teaching with the Utah-based  professional Salsa dance company “Drugaya Forma.”

 Read more about Sheena here...

 Monika

 www.MonikaMatys.com 

 www.facebook.com/MonikaMatys

 www.meetup.com/NYC-New-to-Dance-Meetup-Group

 Monika Matys’ love of dance and movement began at the age of seven. Since that time, she acquired over twenty years of dance training experience through her studies in a variety of dance styles including Ballroom International Standard: Waltz, Foxtrot, Quickstep, Tango; International Latin: Cha Cha, Samba, Rumba, Jive, Paso Doble as well as Salsa, Bachata, Hustle, Belly Dance, Dancehall, Hip-Hop (Illusion styles, Popping, Locking, Boogaloo, Breaking), Ballet, Jazz, Modern and Street Jazz/Jazz Funk.

While employed as a professional dancer for clients such as MTV Networks and Pepsi, Monika discovered that as much as she enjoyed performing as a dancer, teaching was her true love, because it allowed her to help others. After seeing how many adults struggle in social dance situations, Monika noticed that there were no dance schools and no dance instructors able to successfully address this issue. She made the decision to dedicate herself to teaching those who avoid dancing in public at all cost, therefore are not taking a full advantage of their social life. In 2005, Monika coupled her B.A. degree in Education, along with her experiences as a dancer and a teacher to creategetdance: Private Dance Instruction for Adults and introduced Club Dance classesto the public.

In continuing efforts to help her students’ transition from the dance studio to club’s dance floor as smooth as possible, Monika has also introduced a unique service of renting out a club dance partner that has become an instant hit. She also popularized instruction in a semi-private format as a more affordable “sister service” to her one-on-one classes and a solution to overcrowded group classes.

Monika explains service’s slogan” You can dance. Learn how”:

“It doesn’t matter how old you are, it doesn’t matter how bad you think you are - you can dance. You just need to know what it is you need to work on and how to do it effectively and efficiently.get dance is where your discomfort on the dance floor ends.”