Azerbaijani Dance Workshop

Part of a once monthly summer intensive series on Azeri dance. Includes classical Azeri stage technique, choreography, gliding walks, and social dance taught by Nancy Rose Aktas. Farima Berenji and Farima Dance is hosting and assisting in this summer intensive. Students have an opportunity to perform in a future dance show.

Registration

Register online

Or pay by bringing $50 in cash or check.

Nancy Rose Aktas

Master Instructor and Costume Designer

Nancy Rose Aktas began her 45+ year long career in dance in New York at age 13. Fully trained in modern dance, classical ballet, and various ballroom styles, she has also studied, taught, choreographed, costumed, and performed the dances of Azerbaijan, Daghestan, Georgia, Kabardinia, North India, Eastern Turkestan, Persia, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan.

She was the founding co-director of two SF Bay Area dance companies, Silk Road Ensemble and Kafkaz Dance Company in the 1980’s and 1990’s, and for 5 years was co-owner and lead instructor of the ballroom studio Dance Arts Izmir, with her husband Gurbuz Aktas, in Turkey. She represented Azerbaijan (“Terekeme”) and Uzbekistan (“Zang”) as a featured soloist of SF’s Ethnic Dance Festival in 1993 and 1994.

Since early 2012 she has been working closely with international dance artist, scholar and archeologist Farima Berenji on the Lioness project. Now located in Sonoma County, CA, she creates theatrical costumes for ethnic performers worldwide. Pieces from her New Leaf Traditions collections are currently in use by schools, companies, and soloists throughout America, Europe, and Turkey.