Why foundation? Russian Gypsy dance foundation.

The base of Russian Gypsy dance is the foundation on which your “dance house” is built. I compare the study of dance with building a house, because it is easier to understand why the foundational knowledge is needed. 

Russian Gypsy dance training in a systematic manner begins by becoming acquainted with the footwork movements, because feet movements are the foundation of this style. This foundation will remain with you forever, you can always build on it and develop further. The information from my workshops will allow you to save years of your time and get a complete understanding and picture of Russian Gypsy dance.

At the moment, I am surprised by this phenomenon: when, for example, people study Bellydance, they are ready to pay big money (over 1000 Euro) to go somewhere far away, to take workshops from a culture bearer. They try to get to the bottom of the truth, to the correct rhythms and movements, and learn how to dance in a Middle Eastern way. The same is with Flamenco, but for some reason, when it comes to Russian Gypsy dance and culture, people are less likely to seek out the culture, movements, and soul of the dance. When an opportunity appears to study the authentic Russian Gypsy dance, its base, its rhythms and rich culture, to know it in depth, there is often a feeling that it is not worth the time and effort. Unfortunately, Russian Gypsy dance is mostly known for its waving skirts, but it is a complicated and rich dance, with many layers of foot, arm and skirt work, and cannot be learned through one-off workshops alone. Any training costs money. But quality training will help you capture the full beauty and significance of Russian Gypsy dance and save you not only money, but years of your time by helping you to gain a more complete understanding of the style.

What I give is a reinforced concrete base, and structure « walls » that are always useful for the development of your dance. The further you develop, the more these foundational skills are necessary  to build a strong house.        

What people learn at different workshops from different teachers, some of you studying for 10 years, 7 years, 5 years, 3 years, etc. are singular bricks within a loose structure, which makes it difficult to build a strong house, because there is no main – foundation – structure. It is almost impossible to develop or evolve in this dance without a strong foundation and structure.

   My job as a teacher is to help you avoid building what is in this picture 

                                                        And instead create the house from this picture!