São Paulo – Located in the Tatuapé neighbourhood, in the city of São Paulo, Shiva Nataraj is the only one dance school in Brazil that offers an Arab dance course acknowledged by the Ministry of Education.
The course, which was inaugurated last year, turns students into belly dancing teachers, including all of the techniques, such as dancing with a sword, jar, baton, candlestick etc., and also folk dances such as the dabke.
The course has a duration of three years. In the first two, students dedicate themselves to matters such as anatomy, physiology, kinesiology, theatrical techniques applied to dancing, choreographic creation, nutrition, music, history of dance, terminology, professional planning, body awareness and first aid. The third year is entirely dedicated to specialization.
Fernanda Souza Payão, a teacher and partner at Shiva Nataraj, explains that the idea of creating a technical training course arose from her own difficulty finding teachers for her school. According to Fernanda, most of her students want to become teachers or professional dancers. “With the diploma from the technical training course, you have a head start at the city hall and other places of interest to a teacher.”
Each class has a maximum of 20 students and the course has six teachers. The school, which has existed since 2001, covers an area of 450 square metres and has 15 employees.
New classes for the technical course begin each semester, and enrolment for the next module is already open. Theory lessons are taught on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 07:00 pm to 10:00 mp, and on Saturdays from 09:00 am to 12:00 pm and from 02:00 pm to 05:00 pm. With regard to practical lessons, each student can put her own schedule together, as access to all dance classes in the school, plus yoga and pilates, is free to those attending the technical training course.
In order to attend the course, at least one year of previous dancing experience is required. The candidate may choose to be evaluated during a class or by presenting a choreography.
The technical training course at Shiva Nataraj also features specializations in classical ballet and flamenco.
Service
Technical training course in Arab dances
Shiva Nataraj Danças e Práticas
Bom Sucesso street, 1,119 – Tatuapé – São Paulo
Telephone: (+55 11) 2296.8969 / 2295.7892 (Mon to Fri from 02:30 pm to 09:30 pm/ Sat from 09:00 am to 06:00 pm)
www.shivanataraj.com.br
*Translated by Gabriel Pomerancblum
