JODI WASECA
CONTEMPORARY FUSION DANCE
Classes, workshops & good times!
"I had the opportunity to take her workshop "Dancing Inside Out". She has such a thorough and clear teaching style. With her guidance, I rediscovered deep muscles that I had forgotten about. It's helped with my movement and my dance. She creates a safe space for exploration not only of the body but for the inner dancer as well. Its a great workshop for dancers and non dancers alike."
-Seba of WildCard BellyDance
"Thank you for another great workshop. I really appreciate your focus on body mechanics and how you challenge us to dance outside the box. Your workshops have always encouraged me to move outside my comfort zone and that has freed me up in many ways. Good stuff!"
-Shannon Elsom
"Thank you so much for your deep insights into dance and audience connection. I just gave my first performance integrating your techniques on where movements originate within a dancers body to improve theatricality, and received many compliments following the show from fans and fellow performers. People even posted their compliments to me online after the show! I feel like this is taking me much deeper into dance, expression, and connection with the audience. I look forward to the journey and studying with you further.
Bling & Blessings, Eva D'Luscious"
"It was so great meeting you at 3rd Coast and getting to talk to you and take your "Life and Times of Bellydance Theater" class! I just wanted to let you know that I managed to put a small portion of the class into play this weekend. I'm still working on more of it, but because of your class, I had a delightful inspiration that seemed to go over very well at a performance on Friday. I got lots of really good comments afterward! Thanks so much for inspiring me to push a boundary that I might not have had the courage to push past before!!
Thanks again! Traci / Cahira"
Jodi teaching at Tribal Fest 14...with assistance
Jodi is available for workshops, private and semi-private classes. Please feel free to inquire about instruction and upcoming workshops through the contact page, or book now below!
Below are examples of workshops and classes that Jodi is available to present...
TECHNIQUE
Dancing Inside Out
Special slow and focused 3 hour workshop for dancers of all modalities and levels!
This class will focus on performance skills, techniques on accessing the deeper
muscles to move with less effort, and tips on how to bring your dance to a new
level of liveliness, no matter what form you are doing.
We will travel inward and access the deep structural muscles of the body,
awakening them to help relax the external muscles we have all come to rely on,
in turn making your movement stronger and intentional. We will play with
different ideas in movement, where the focus lies and directs, and ways to
initiate combinations. Various ways of storytelling through dance will be
addressed, and how to get your intention across, no matter what it is. The
class will have emphasis and technique from Bellydance, Butoh, Contemporary, and
Burlesque.
3 hours
Schwetty, Schweet, and Sawcee
Get deeper, revisit, work it out! Whether you are a seasoned pro, a hobbyist, or an absolute beginner, this class will refine your dance movement through repetition (to create awesome muscular memory), skeletal and muscular awareness, and movement through space. Any style of dancer is welcome, however, we will be focusing on a more fusion based system because variety and new things makes your brain grow...and that's sexy. Expect ideas and moves from Bellydance, Jazz, Contemporary and Burlesque stylings, movement across the floor (and maybe on the floor!), and then we'll take what we've worked on and rock it out with a unique choreography phrase! Laugh, learn, and take your training up a notch with this workshop!
1.5-2 hrs
Sassy Fusion
Bring some bawd into your bellydance, flair into your fusion, and put the ass back in sass, bebeh! Come play, and see how you can incorporate burlesque techniques into your performance without having to bare it all...unless you wanna!
We will go over a little Burly-Q history, stage presence tips, dance technique and choreography ideas to get your creative juices flowing! Learn how to incorporate comedy, titillation and different dance forms into a fun, cohesive performance. We'll address how to fuse your dance styles with burlesque in such a manner that honors what you are fusing. Come have fun in a super safe, supportive environment! Let your inner sass shine!
1.5-2hrs
Contemporary Fusion
Lines, asymmetrical formations, storytelling, floorwork, strength, depth.
If any of those words piqued your interest, then this is a class for you!
We'll explore ways to make these attributes work for your dance in a safe and fun environment through different techniques of Contemporary dance, and then work on fusing them effortlessly into your bellydance training.
2 hours
THEATRE ESSENTIALS
Let It Go
You've trained, you've drilled, you've rehearsed until you're sick of your song and every fiber of your being aches. You know the ins and outs of every single move, every nuance of the music, checked and rechecked and resewn (glued) your costume. You're stage ready!
Or are you...
No matter your technique, your presentation, your energy level, or your beauty, the success of your act in front of an audience is heavily based on how you draw them into your realm.
In this workshop, we'll work on ways to achieve that goal...to take your performance from good to incredible! It will encompass tips and techniques to keep an audience captivated, no matter what style of performance one is presenting. It will include work on character development, whether it be you as a character or someone/thing outside of yourself, and going beyond just projecting energy-figuring out how to draw the audience in as well.
Depending on the level of folks interested/time restraints, students can bring in something that they're working on for ideas of how to make it pop to the next level.
2-3 hours
Leaving the Flock-Journeying into Solo Improvisation
This class is for folks ready to venture out onto the stage separate from their troupe, or for dancers wanting to become comfortable with dancing without a pre determined script. Let me help you on this journey!
Find the ease and flow of letting the muse speak through you in your performance. But how do you get to the stage if you are entering it without a script? What will you do if you get there and freeze? What will happen if your dance sisters aren't there next to you? These questions and fears (as well as others that you may have) will be acknowledged, heard, and worked through to make your dance become the strongest it can be when presented with the unknown. The great vast ocean of creativity awaits...lets mold that into an improvisational wonderment that feels good to execute and leaves people breathless.
Points that we will cover:
-How to be confident in your solo-ness
-Knowing your music
-Commitment!
-Finding your inspiration
-How to shine as a soloist and still be able to work as a team in troupe environments
1.5-3 hours
Courage, Commitment & Choice-the Art of taking Chances
Improv!
When you hear that, are you all at once mortified and look for a place to disappear into?
Never fear, I'm here to help!
If you consider that most of your hours on this planet consist of you improvising your way through it, its then just all about finding the ease in doing so. Lets explore how this can translate into your stage presentation!
Embarking on this path can be all at once frightening, pleasing and and what if I offend someone and what if people think I'm crazy and what if no one likes it and what if what if?!? It is scary to take chances, especially when you know what has worked for you in the past. However, part of being an artist is to challenge those boundaries, mostly your own. In this workshop, we will learn techniques to let the Monkey Mind "what if" work for you instead of the other way around. There will be exercises in how to commit fully to what you are doing, and how to have the strength to push your own boundaries to find the beauty that lies just beyond. Just like fusing dance styles effectively, going past what has been done takes technique, grace, and knowledge.
This could be a lecture class as well.
More than just a pretty face-Theatricality in dance
I like questions. I like to ask them, I like it when others ask them, I like to be curious about what's happening in the body, in the outside world, to you, and how that informs movement.
Here's some questions that we'll explore in this workshop...
How can other modalities of movement and thinking influence us as bellydancers?
How can we use those ideas to create our own character on stage?
How can quantum physics ideas relate to bellydance? No, really!?!
I want to explore with you how to be present on stage when not engaging with the audience with eye contact, to become the performance space, and to let the space become you. To become a character, not just play the role. To realize and listen to the constant changes happening inside the body, enabling our expression to flow out of it.
We will explore total body connectivity...how the brain feeds the body and vice versa...and what that means to us as any sort of dancer.
Through techniques and ideas from Contemporary, Feldenkrais, Butoh and Belly Dance, I will help you tap into your own wealth of movement knowledge that is stored deep in your cells. We will explore what it means to move from the innermost part of your being to facilitate ease in movement, therefore bringing more power and grace to your performance, practice, and daily life with less effort.
2hrs
PROPS
Respect Your El...ements! Elemental Fusion and Safety
Fire dancing is a dangerously beautiful art form...one that can be altogether invigorating and frightening at the same time. This workshop will help you know how to keep your audience, yourself, and your surroundings safe while working with fire, while having fun and losing your fear. We will go over the basics of fire safety, the correct way of making static tools (techniques can also be applied to non-static apparati), the proper type of fuels, their characteristics and storage, and tips on keeping your awareness heightened while performing. Materials to make fire torches will be provided.
There will be an additional materials cost with this workshop based on the number of participants.
2 hrs
TECHNIQUE
Dancing Inside Out
Special slow and focused 3 hour workshop for dancers of all modalities and levels!
This class will focus on performance skills, techniques on accessing the deeper
muscles to move with less effort, and tips on how to bring your dance to a new
level of liveliness, no matter what form you are doing.
We will travel inward and access the deep structural muscles of the body,
awakening them to help relax the external muscles we have all come to rely on,
in turn making your movement stronger and intentional. We will play with
different ideas in movement, where the focus lies and directs, and ways to
initiate combinations. Various ways of storytelling through dance will be
addressed, and how to get your intention across, no matter what it is. The
class will have emphasis and technique from Bellydance, Butoh, Contemporary, and
Burlesque.
3 hours
Schwetty, Schweet, and Sawcee
Get deeper, revisit, work it out! Whether you are a seasoned pro, a hobbyist, or an absolute beginner, this class will refine your dance movement through repetition (to create awesome muscular memory), skeletal and muscular awareness, and movement through space. Any style of dancer is welcome, however, we will be focusing on a more fusion based system because variety and new things makes your brain grow...and that's sexy. Expect ideas and moves from Bellydance, Jazz, Contemporary and Burlesque stylings, movement across the floor (and maybe on the floor!), and then we'll take what we've worked on and rock it out with a unique choreography phrase! Laugh, learn, and take your training up a notch with this workshop!
1.5-2 hrs
Sassy Fusion
Bring some bawd into your bellydance, flair into your fusion, and put the ass back in sass, bebeh! Come play, and see how you can incorporate burlesque techniques into your performance without having to bare it all...unless you wanna!
We will go over a little Burly-Q history, stage presence tips, dance technique and choreography ideas to get your creative juices flowing! Learn how to incorporate comedy, titillation and different dance forms into a fun, cohesive performance. We'll address how to fuse your dance styles with burlesque in such a manner that honors what you are fusing. Come have fun in a super safe, supportive environment! Let your inner sass shine!
1.5-2hrs
Contemporary Fusion
Lines, asymmetrical formations, storytelling, floorwork, strength, depth.
If any of those words piqued your interest, then this is a class for you!
We'll explore ways to make these attributes work for your dance in a safe and fun environment through different techniques of Contemporary dance, and then work on fusing them effortlessly into your bellydance training.
2 hours
THEATRE ESSENTIALS
Let It Go
You've trained, you've drilled, you've rehearsed until you're sick of your song and every fiber of your being aches. You know the ins and outs of every single move, every nuance of the music, checked and rechecked and resewn (glued) your costume. You're stage ready!
Or are you...
No matter your technique, your presentation, your energy level, or your beauty, the success of your act in front of an audience is heavily based on how you draw them into your realm.
In this workshop, we'll work on ways to achieve that goal...to take your performance from good to incredible! It will encompass tips and techniques to keep an audience captivated, no matter what style of performance one is presenting. It will include work on character development, whether it be you as a character or someone/thing outside of yourself, and going beyond just projecting energy-figuring out how to draw the audience in as well.
Depending on the level of folks interested/time restraints, students can bring in something that they're working on for ideas of how to make it pop to the next level.
2-3 hours
Leaving the Flock-Journeying into Solo Improvisation
This class is for folks ready to venture out onto the stage separate from their troupe, or for dancers wanting to become comfortable with dancing without a pre determined script. Let me help you on this journey!
Find the ease and flow of letting the muse speak through you in your performance. But how do you get to the stage if you are entering it without a script? What will you do if you get there and freeze? What will happen if your dance sisters aren't there next to you? These questions and fears (as well as others that you may have) will be acknowledged, heard, and worked through to make your dance become the strongest it can be when presented with the unknown. The great vast ocean of creativity awaits...lets mold that into an improvisational wonderment that feels good to execute and leaves people breathless.
Points that we will cover:
-How to be confident in your solo-ness
-Knowing your music
-Commitment!
-Finding your inspiration
-How to shine as a soloist and still be able to work as a team in troupe environments
1.5-3 hours
Courage, Commitment & Choice-the Art of taking Chances
Improv!
When you hear that, are you all at once mortified and look for a place to disappear into?
Never fear, I'm here to help!
If you consider that most of your hours on this planet consist of you improvising your way through it, its then just all about finding the ease in doing so. Lets explore how this can translate into your stage presentation!
Embarking on this path can be all at once frightening, pleasing and and what if I offend someone and what if people think I'm crazy and what if no one likes it and what if what if?!? It is scary to take chances, especially when you know what has worked for you in the past. However, part of being an artist is to challenge those boundaries, mostly your own. In this workshop, we will learn techniques to let the Monkey Mind "what if" work for you instead of the other way around. There will be exercises in how to commit fully to what you are doing, and how to have the strength to push your own boundaries to find the beauty that lies just beyond. Just like fusing dance styles effectively, going past what has been done takes technique, grace, and knowledge.
This could be a lecture class as well.
More than just a pretty face-Theatricality in dance
I like questions. I like to ask them, I like it when others ask them, I like to be curious about what's happening in the body, in the outside world, to you, and how that informs movement.
Here's some questions that we'll explore in this workshop...
How can other modalities of movement and thinking influence us as bellydancers?
How can we use those ideas to create our own character on stage?
How can quantum physics ideas relate to bellydance? No, really!?!
I want to explore with you how to be present on stage when not engaging with the audience with eye contact, to become the performance space, and to let the space become you. To become a character, not just play the role. To realize and listen to the constant changes happening inside the body, enabling our expression to flow out of it.
We will explore total body connectivity...how the brain feeds the body and vice versa...and what that means to us as any sort of dancer.
Through techniques and ideas from Contemporary, Feldenkrais, Butoh and Belly Dance, I will help you tap into your own wealth of movement knowledge that is stored deep in your cells. We will explore what it means to move from the innermost part of your being to facilitate ease in movement, therefore bringing more power and grace to your performance, practice, and daily life with less effort.
2hrs
PROPS
Respect Your El...ements! Elemental Fusion and Safety
Fire dancing is a dangerously beautiful art form...one that can be altogether invigorating and frightening at the same time. This workshop will help you know how to keep your audience, yourself, and your surroundings safe while working with fire, while having fun and losing your fear. We will go over the basics of fire safety, the correct way of making static tools (techniques can also be applied to non-static apparati), the proper type of fuels, their characteristics and storage, and tips on keeping your awareness heightened while performing. Materials to make fire torches will be provided.
There will be an additional materials cost with this workshop based on the number of participants.
2 hrs
