Sadly, Audra is unable to make the trip to Newfoundland at this time, so both the NOTES FROM UNDERGROUND and PROJECT SERAKA GI workshops are cancelled. All registered dancers will get email notifications, and all payments made will be refunded. We appreciate your patience and understanding.

Join Audra as she shares technical and creative aspects of her current personal practice. Taking from fusion (belly) dance and waving vocabulary, we’ll work some shapes and pathways in their original forms. From there, we’ll add a little Dark Side as we ask ‘Why not?’ and ‘How can we add to this?’. We’ll both drill the original and new forms as well as place them into short combinations to see how they can be used in dances.

You’ll learn new options for using techniques you are no doubt familiar with, while hopefully coming away with ideas about how you can tackle other movements and dance techniques with fresh eyes and approaches.

This workshop is suitable for those with some belly dance experience, and is not suited to absolute beginners.

Please arrive with an open mind, and be ready to assemble pieces in different ways than you might be used to.

Audra Simmons is a captivating dance artist from Toronto. Her authentic performance style is just as at home steeped in musicality as it is in complete silence. Her signature balance of tension and release keeps audiences at the edge of their seats. As a solo artist, she has graced stages of festivals and shows, both in person and online, across Canada and internationally. With the recent pivot to online shows and video collaborations, Audra stands out as a master of lighting and effects that drench her performances in atmosphere and mood. Her offerings are authentic, unexpected, and thoughtful.

In 2003, Audra founded The Dark Side Studio in Toronto, Canada’s first dance studio dedicated to fusion and modern bellydance. Under her artistic direction, the studio has evolved to include experimental movement studies as well.

Audra specializes in movement for adults with all levels of experience. While her specific style leans toward fusion or modern bellydance, her teachings can apply to all styles of bellydance and the wider dance community. Audra strives to create a welcoming and supportive environment for her students. She aims to help all students develop their dance skills, their mind/body connection, and their ability to move with confidence and creativity. With over 20 years of experience in teaching, Audra is well known for her ability to challenge and elevate her students, and for creating community in the truest sense of the word.