Ava Fleming, Belly Dance Master Instructor, Performer & Choreographer Extraordinaire graced Syracuse with her presence to kick off the Autumnal Equinox! Dancers from Albany, Rochester, Buffalo, Manhattan, and Watertown all traveled to study with one of the best in the industry and we all walked away from that weekend a bit stronger and a heck of a lot more connected to belly dance and our community than when the weekend first started.
Hannah, Tessa & I contacted Ava in the Spring and were delighted when she replied to us promptly that she would love to come to Syracuse. She had a great group of workshop offerings (including her signature progressive workshop weekend in which each workshop helps prepare the participants for the next one).
Her teaching style proved methodical and organized, but far from rigid. She had solid advice and feedback and took just enough time to provide careful, individualized attention to everyone. Even more to my surprise, she spent some time learning everyone's names and had them all down well before the end of the weekend! Ava's spirit and humility shown through in her teaching, her personality, and her interactions with the students and with Hannah, Tessa, and me.
The Gala Show was amazing - regional dancers really stepped it up a notch and then, when Ava graced the stage, the audience was speechless. Her performance was moving, dynamic, powerful and strong, and filled with expression and musical responsiveness - and all this after a day filled with workshops and a long day of travel beforehand!
On Sunday, she didn't miss a beat and kept things going with taqsim combinations and concepts and finally a dynamic drum solo workshop. When an unexpected, but pleasant, appearance by Rob on the doumbek changed the course of the workshop, Ava was on and didn't miss a (drum)beat. She gave us all opportunities to use combinations to fit live drumming and rhythmic changes and pushed us a little harder to challenge ourselves and grow in our dance. Her workshops gave us all a lot with which we can work.
Hannah, Tessa, all of the workshop participants and I left the weekend better dancers than when we started, but I gained something so much more valuable and unexpected: a healthy dose of belly dance ethics, new dancers to check out, helpful hints for sponsoring instructors, and a great sense of admiration for Ava not only as a dancer and a teacher, but as a person. She was humble, down-to-earth, and so easy to get along with. Syracuse has big plans to bring her back as soon as possible and can't wait to see what's in store when she returns! Thank you Ava for an amazing weekend!
Hannah, Tessa & I contacted Ava in the Spring and were delighted when she replied to us promptly that she would love to come to Syracuse. She had a great group of workshop offerings (including her signature progressive workshop weekend in which each workshop helps prepare the participants for the next one).
Her teaching style proved methodical and organized, but far from rigid. She had solid advice and feedback and took just enough time to provide careful, individualized attention to everyone. Even more to my surprise, she spent some time learning everyone's names and had them all down well before the end of the weekend! Ava's spirit and humility shown through in her teaching, her personality, and her interactions with the students and with Hannah, Tessa, and me.
The Gala Show was amazing - regional dancers really stepped it up a notch and then, when Ava graced the stage, the audience was speechless. Her performance was moving, dynamic, powerful and strong, and filled with expression and musical responsiveness - and all this after a day filled with workshops and a long day of travel beforehand!
On Sunday, she didn't miss a beat and kept things going with taqsim combinations and concepts and finally a dynamic drum solo workshop. When an unexpected, but pleasant, appearance by Rob on the doumbek changed the course of the workshop, Ava was on and didn't miss a (drum)beat. She gave us all opportunities to use combinations to fit live drumming and rhythmic changes and pushed us a little harder to challenge ourselves and grow in our dance. Her workshops gave us all a lot with which we can work.
Hannah, Tessa, all of the workshop participants and I left the weekend better dancers than when we started, but I gained something so much more valuable and unexpected: a healthy dose of belly dance ethics, new dancers to check out, helpful hints for sponsoring instructors, and a great sense of admiration for Ava not only as a dancer and a teacher, but as a person. She was humble, down-to-earth, and so easy to get along with. Syracuse has big plans to bring her back as soon as possible and can't wait to see what's in store when she returns! Thank you Ava for an amazing weekend!
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