Learn to Fire Dance in paradise! with world-famous fire dancer Srikanta Barefoot
of the Cirque du Soleil.
Read our interview with Srikanta here: Srikanta Speaks.
Videos:
Srikanta from Cirque du Soleil
Price: $995 + 13% Tax
(BUT, tax will be included in the price is you pay 100% in advance when booking).
THE MONTEZUMA GATHERING
This retreat will happen during the Montezuma Gathering and we expect a 2-300 visitors from around the world to be in Montezuma for a variety of workshops, retreats, and parties during that time. Many other well known fire dancers, circus performers, and DJs will be in the area performing, teaching, and sharing, and at least one major gathering will happen at Anamaya. So, this is the best time to stay at Anamaya…
ABOUT THE WORKSHOP
This one-week workshop is designed to propel students to the next level of their
art and assist them in discovering and creating their own unique style of fire
dance. Daily technical poi and staff dancing classes establish a solid foundation
of technique from which to grow. Once this foundation is in place, students will
be introduced to a format, which allows them to experiment, discover, practice,
create & develop on their own. This process of experimentation, discovery, practice,
creation & development is the key to creating dynamic performance art.
DAILY POI & STAFF DANCING CLASSES
Daily poi & staff dancing classes, focus on technique, transitions & mini
choreographies designed to offer a fun & rhythmic way to learn, practice & review
the new curriculum. In addition to object manipulation technique, students will be
challenged & shown ways to incorporate this technique with full body movement,
dance & even acrobatics. The instructor will work with each student’s individual
capacity to provide & find ways to move through space & dance with fire.
DEVELOPING INDIVIDUAL CHOREOGRAPHIES
Each dancer must discover & fine-tune his or her own individual form of expression.
Students will have supervised time in which to discover & experiment in creating
their own movement & sequences.
ONE-ON-ONE INSTRUCTOR-STUDENT TIME
Each student will have an opportunity to work one-on-one with the instructor in
a separate half-hour session. Students can use this private session for whatever
they feel they need- learning movements & patterns of specific interest, developing
movements, brainstorming choreography, etc. This is your time to focus on your
individual development as a fire performer with an experienced professional.
PLAY TIME/ EXPERIMENTATION (optional)
What better way to discover new movements & patterns than to play & improvise
with various kinds of music on a pristine dance floor in paradise? Experimenting
with different rhythms, melodies, moods & flavors encourages us to create in new &
unexpected ways. It’s also a lot of fun!
FIRE JAMS (optional)
Celebrate! Explore! Jam! Taking time to know the element is an essential part of fire
dance. Use these sessions to deepen your conversation skills with the flame. What
is the story you are telling? Take the time you need to explore & interact with the
element, apply the knowledge you have gained in class, show your new moves off to
your friends, or just have fun jamming! (Fuel Provided)
YOGA (optional)
3 YEARS OF FIRE DANCE WITH THE CIRQUE DU SOLEIL (optional)
Join former Cirque Du Soleil fire dancer Srikanta Barefoot for this multimedia presentation in which he will share his experience of working with the Cirque du Soleil as the lead fire artist, fire coach & choreographer over a 3-year span of time (2007-2010). Beginning with his recruitment from the West Coast of the USA, to the 9 month creation of the show in wintery Montreal, Macau, the run up to the show, opening night & two years of performing 6 nights a week with ZAIA, Srikanta will use a variety of media including video & photo’s to share his experience of creating & starring in the largest fire act the Cirque du Soleil has ever made. The presentation will be followed by a questions & answers session with the artist.
BODY PERCUSSION WORKSHOP (optional)
Join former Cirque du Soleil artist Srikanta Barefoot for this fun & engaging workshop, in which participants will be challenged to make rhythms using various body parts. Srikanta is trained in both Brazillian & Romanaian body percussion & has designed his own playful format for learning. No previous experience is required.
ABOUT THE INSTRUCTOR
From his first burn on the beaches of his home town of Santa Cruz California in the year 2000, Srikanta Barefoot has over 10 years of diversified experience with fire dance & has traveled the world as a professional fire dancer & teacher. Considered a pioneer in the fire arts, he has combined a lifetime of experience as an actor, dancer & a natural talent for object manipulation to create an energetic, expressive & acrobatic style of fire dance that is entirely unique. As a self-taught fire artist, he combines a variety of influences, including capoeira, modern dance, tumbling & other martial arts into his art.
As the first contemporary fire artist featured by the Cirque du Soleil, Srikanta worked for three years (2007-2010) as the fire coach, fire choreographer & featured fire artist in Cirque’s largest fire production to date. As a coach, he taught over 20 acrobats & dancers with no previous fire experience to participate in his act & directed the one-year apprenticeship of the back-up fire artist. As a fire choreographer, he worked in conjunction with directors, coaches & choreographers to design the group performance & independently created & continuously adapted his own choreography as the featured fire artist in the 5-minute act.
Having completed over 800 shows in ZAIA, Srikanta chose not to renew his contract with Cirque du Soleil, in favor of pursuing his art beyond the ZAIA Theater. He is now traveling & sharing his art with the world, both through performance & workshops. He takes great joy in sharing his knowledge of the fire arts with other motivated & dedicated individuals. His wholesome & light-hearted approach to learning allows every student the space to learn & experiment at their own pace, while maintaining a cohesive & fun environment. For information about Srikanta and his art, please visit his website: www.SrikantaFireDancer.com
LEARNING TO FISH
A good teacher doesn’t teach his/ her students to be followers, but allows them to become masters. This workshop is designed to give each student the tools to create and develop their own unique style of fire dance. After all, if you give a hungry man a fish, he eats for a day… The goal of this workshop is to set each student free to develop independently.
*While there is no requirement of skill level for students, those who are already familiar with the most basic vertical & horizontal patterns & transitions with the poi/ staff will benefit most. If you are not, don’t worry! You may still enroll, & use online videos to prepare yourself. In such a case, please contact the instructor for video references. Also, those interested in studying only one discipline (only poi and not staff for example) may still enroll in the retreat and will find themselves with more time to devote to their chosen discipline (or with more time to enjoy the amazing surroundings). Overall, there will be plenty of space to satisfy to each student’s individual interests.
