Workshops
We are delighted to present three master teachers as part of our 14th Infusion Emporium festival.
Click here for an overview of the timetable, click here for bookings (open from 31st May), and scroll down for workshop descriptions. 30 places are available in each class.
Friday 16th October
Amel Tafsout (AT1) – Ritual in Dance lecture
Ritual dances evolved to serve specific purposes: to fulfill heartfelt wishes, invoke protection and safety, celebrate life transitions, and help communities cope with natural forces and uncertainty.
Across cultures, ritual in dance allows emotions, memories, and collective experiences to be expressed through movement, music, and sacred tradition.
The use of ritual and movement can also become a powerful path toward healing, helping individuals and communities work through trauma and reconnect with themselves and one another.
In this lecture, Amel Tafsout will explore the history and significance of ritual dance traditions in the Maghreb, with special attention to practices such as Sufi traditions, the Guedra blessing dance, and Amazigh fertility dances and their associated rituals.
Having grown up surrounded by healing rituals and ceremonial traditions, Amel Tafsout will also share personal insights into the role of ritual in wedding ceremonies and communal celebrations, where dance serves as a bridge among the spiritual, emotional, and cultural worlds.
Cost: £
Where: Wolverhampton Arts Centre Theatre (fka Newhampton Arts Centre)
Level: Open
Saturday 17th October
Amel Tafsout (AT2) Roots of Tribal
This workshop will introduce basic movements and steps, appropriate posture, arm – hand positions, hip combination and hip accentuation useful for North African Maghreb dance. Amel Tafsout will focus on drills to increase the feeling of the North African rhythms, enabling working in duets in a journey through the Maghreb
Cost: £
Where: Wolverhampton Arts Centre Theatre (fka Newhampton Arts Centre)
Level: Open
Elizabeth Strong (ES1) – Roots of Fusion Bellydance
The deeper your roots, the higher your branches can go.
This 2 hour workshop will offer short combinations with classic belly dance repertoire, gleaned from Elizabeth’s lifetime of belly dance studies both in California, where fusion flourished, and abroad where the traditions began.
Jamila Salimpour, Katarina Burda, John Compton, and countless others have contributed to the “roots of fusion belly dance”. We will pay homage to their lineage in this workshop and relish in the great well of movements offered by them.
Practice the basics and enjoy universal movements of this beautiful style of dance!
Cost: £
Where: Wolverhampton Arts Centre Theatre (fka Newhampton Arts Centre)
Level: Open
Sunday 18th October
Amel Tafsout (AT3) – Moving & Breathing with the Elements
Join us for an immersive experience where we will connect with the elements through movement, breath and sound without ever stepping outside. We will use our bodies, our voices, and our energy to create space for transformation, connection and growth.
Amel descends directly from a bloodline of ‘wali’ – Arabic for shaman/energy worker/healer/etc. Amel brings ancient energy and wisdom along with her while performing work and leading rituals. You will be sure to leave feeling lighter and maybe even changed forever.
Cost: £
Where: Wolverhampton Arts Centre Theatre (fka Newhampton Arts Centre)
Level: Open
Amel Tafsout (AT4) – North African Shimmies
North African shimmies ripple through the body like desert winds sweeping across golden dunes, fluid yet powerful, alive with rhythm and spirit. Rooted in ancient traditions, they merge earth and air: hips, chest, and shoulders vibrating with subtle grace, embodying both strength and sensuality in every trembling beat
They draw inspiration from Amazigh dances, the Kabyle hip shimmies and the chest shimmies of the Ouled Naïl in Algeria, the Moroccan triplets, the Libyan Hagallah shimmy, and the Tuareg shoulder shimmies and twerking. Each carries its own story, energy, and soul. These movements, woven into the fabric of cultural identity, are at once percussive and fluid, a language of rhythm and emotion that transforms music into pure motion.
Amel will guide participants through the technique of each shimmy, followed by a short sequence in each style. Please bring two chiffon scarves.
Cost: £
Where: Wolverhampton Arts Centre Theatre (fka Newhampton Arts Centre)
Level: Open
Elizabeth Strong (ES2) – Turkish Roman Choreography
Folk traditions inspire and instruct. The more you know the more choices you have as a creative!
Learn folkloric foot patterns, hand & arm gestures and belly work in the authentic stylings of the Roman (Romani/“gypsies”) of Turkey.
This workshop will include video for cultural context, a choreography for practice, and helpful breakdowns of the steps, rhythm and technique.
Elizabeth began her studies with Roman dancers in Istanbul in the year 2000, and has continued to avidly study and share this form. ALL LEVELS ARE WELCOME.
source video of street style: https://www.youtube.
and an example of one of the most famous American Turkish Style belly dancers, Artemis Mourat, using Roman style to great effect onstage: https://www.youtube.
Cost: £
Where: Wolverhampton Arts Centre Theatre (fka Newhampton Arts Centre)
Level: Open