The ukulele is an excellent instrument on which to learn how to play music. It's relatively simple to learn, easy to tote around, inexpensive, super fun, and timelessly popular. In this ensemble, we will jump right into the fun stuff and learn how to play music on the ukulele. By the end of the course, students will be able to play a bunch of songs. We also encourage singing! Students will bring their own ukulele. No prior musical experience is necessary, and you do not need to be able to read music. Suitable for adults who are absolute beginners. This course requires pre-registration. No class May 15 or June 19.

This informal “jam session” style of ensemble is for adult intermediate and advanced ukulele players. Members of this ensemble share with each other new tunes and techniques, and encourage each other to become comfortable with performance practices. Enrollment is open to adult students who have already taken Ukulele Ensemble for Beginners through level II, or upon passing an audition. Sign up for the whole session for $5 per week, or drop in for $8 (cash-exact change only for drop-ins). No class May 15 or June 19.

Belly dance (or “raqs sharqi” in Arabic) is an art form with ancient roots in Middle Eastern folk dance. Its complex movements can be fluid as a snake one moment and as percussive as a drum beat the next. Although it takes years to master belly dance, the process is a rewarding one. It engages our minds, grounds us, and heightens our senses and our awareness of how we move in space. It is also a low-impact exercise that nourishes and strengthens our joints and muscles (particularly our core muscles and shoulders). This course is tailored for students in the beginner levels, to gain a solid foundation for further study in raqs sharqi. You will learn proper posture, isolations such as snake arms, figure eight moves, hip circles, and of course, shimmies! Combinations and traveling moves will also be taught. This course requires pre-registration. No class May 26.

For those of you belly dancers who have reached the intermediate level! This course is for students who already have a solid foundation in the basic movements, proper alignment, and rhythmic patterns found in raqs sharqi. It will focus on musicality and improvisation, primarily within the Egyptian school of technique. No class May 26.