From foundations to performance: a 8-week Bellydance intensive with technique, choreography and a final costume performance.

Join the Belfast Bellydance Foundations to Performance course,

Dates: 30th September, 7th, 14th,21st, 28th October, 4th, 11th, 18th November

Belfast Bellydance – Foundations to Performance

8-Week Progressive Course

The Belfast Bellydance: Foundations to Performance course is an 8-week progressive training programme designed for anyone who wants to develop their bellydance technique, musicality, confidence and performance skills through consistent, structured training.

Rather than occasional drop-in classes, this course gives you the opportunity to build your skills week by week in a supportive studio environment.

Across eight weeks, we will explore the foundations of bellydance and Arabic dance movement, including posture, isolations, coordination, rhythm interpretation, musicality and expressive movement. We will gradually bring these elements together through combinations and choreography, allowing you to experience how technique develops into performance.

The course culminates in a filmed choreographic performance, with costumes and props provided for participants during the final session. Participation in filming is completely optional.

This course is ideal for:

Beginners looking for consistent, structured training

Dancers returning to movement after a break

Students who want to strengthen their foundations and technique

Dancers interested in developing choreography and performance skills

Anyone curious to explore bellydance and Arabic dance in a focused, welcoming studio environment

No previous bellydance experience is required.

Places are limited to ensure a focused, supportive and enjoyable learning environment.

Course Details

📅 Every Wednesday, 30th September – 18th November 2026

🕢 7:30 pm

📍 DANSA – The Studio, Belfast

💷 £100 for the complete 8-week course

Your Place Helps Another Woman Dance ❤️

I believe dance should be accessible to women regardless of their financial circumstances. For every two fully paid places on this course, I will fund one additional place for a woman who may not currently be able to afford to take part.

This means that by joining the course, you are not only investing in your own dance journey , your participation is also helping another woman access eight weeks of dance, movement and community.

A minimum of 8 paying participants is required for the course to run. In the unlikely event that the minimum number is not reached, all paying participants will receive a full refund.

Led by professional dance artist Mar Decena.

Course Structure

Week 1 – Foundations & Body Awareness

Posture, alignment, fundamental bellydance movements and introduction to musical structure.

Week 2 – Isolations & Coordination

Developing clarity and control while beginning to combine movements.

Week 3 – Rhythm & Musicality

Exploring Arabic rhythms, accents and how movement responds to music.

Week 4 – Movement Vocabulary & Combinations

Connecting individual movements into fluid combinations and developing transitions.

Week 5 – Layering & Technique

Adding complexity through layering, coordination and greater movement precision.

Week 6 – Expression & Performance Quality

Developing interpretation, confidence, presence and individual expression.

Week 7 – Choreography & Performance Preparation

Bringing the movement vocabulary together into choreography and refining performance details.

Week 8 – Performance & Filmed Choreographic Outcome

Final polishing, costumes and the opportunity to perform and record the completed choreography.

Come learn, move, grow and discover the joy and richness of bellydance in Belfast. ✨

Mar Decena is a Mexican choreographer, performer, and dance educator based in Northern Ireland, with over 25 years of teaching and performance experience. Specialising in Middle Eastern dance and contemporary movement, she creates work that celebrates cultural storytelling, artistic excellence, and community connection.

Mar was an Artist in Residence at The MAC Belfast through the Arts Council of Northern Ireland's National Lottery Support for Individual Artists Programme. Her original production, A Night of Arabian Dreams, premiered at The MAC to a sold-out audience before being presented at The Playhouse, Derry-Londonderry. Through her teaching and creative practice, Mar is passionate about making high-quality dance training accessible while empowering people to discover confidence, creativity, and the joy of performance.

Description supplied by the event organiser.