RAKS THE CAMERA!! with Azhia
Saturday and Sunday, April 25, 26, 2009
Friday April 24
EVENING INTENSIVE WITH AZHIA...
About Azhia
Award-winning dancer, Azhia, has trained and performed since the age of five in ballet, tap, and jazz at various schools, including Ballet Arizona and Tempe Dance Academy. While with the Tempe Dance Academy, Azhia traveled to Moscow and Leningrad in the former Soviet Union and to Copenhagen, Denmark, to perform and engage in youth cultural exchange.
In 1988, Azhia discovered an affinity with non-Western dance arts and studied Bharata Natyam (South Indian Classical Dance), West African, Flamenco, Filipino folk dances and Polynesian dances. Ultimately, Azhia found her passion and mainstay in Oriental dance, performing and teaching in Phoenix and eventually in Philadelphia, PA, where she attended law school.
Starting in 1998, Azhia performed with the best Middle Eastern musicians in the Delaware Valley as a house dancer at the former Nile Restaurant (adjacent to the legendary Middle East Club), where she cultivated a joy and fluency in performing to live music. This lead to Azhia's "Dancing to Live Music" workshops, a well-attended learning experience for both amateur and professional-level dancers, who practice via live musical accompaniment by Bill Koutsouros of world music ensemble, Animus, and Joe Tayoun, whose well-known family is steeped in Middle Eastern musical tradition.
In 2003, Azhia won the Jewel of the Nile Middle Eastern Dance Pageant, the Belly Dancer of the Universe Competition (BDUC), Universal Category, and People's Choice Award. Azhia was invited to return to the BDUC to judge several categories.
Azhia added makeup artist to her roster of careers back in 2000 with her first bridal assignment: herself. Since then, as Azhia and as co-founder of Arzher Productions, she has transformed many brides, actors, models and performers, on set, on location, in studio, and backstage, with her makeup and hair styling talents. Christine Azhia graduated with 1250 hours from the Jean Madeline Aveda Institute in Philadelphia, PA, focusing on hair styling and skincare. She is excited to participate in the Fall 2008 "evolution" event in Provincetown, MA, developed by The Powder Group. The event receives 20 advanced makeup artists and explores 9 themes over 5 days to further their artistic, technical, career, and personal potentials.
Azhia's first DVD in "The Dancer's Companion" series, "Preparation, Drills, & Cool Down" was released in April 2008 and is available for purchase. The next DVD in the series, "Basic Makeup Techniques for Performance and Photography" will be available August 2008.
Christine Azhia is located in Montréal, Quebec.
Contact. Azhia1@gmail.com, 514-449-9620
About: Raks the Camera!!!
Date:
APRIL 25 & 26, 2009
DEPOSIT DEADLINE: MARCH 12, 2009 **
HOST: Sitamun
6710 Hemlock Point Rd., New Market, MD 21174
Introduction
Current & professional photographs are essential to effective promotion: flyers, websites, business cards, press kits, and personal correspondence. RAQ THE CAMERA is a unique and affordable way to obtain photographs that put you in the best light possible.
RAQ THE CAMERA essentially provides affordable and professional makeup/hair and photographic services. The spirit of the event, to build friendship, careers, and self-confidence, is prevalent throughout each RAQ THE CAMERA. Friends and participants are encouraged to stay and observe; they invariably assist the photo shoots by way of a "peanut gallery," offering helpful suggestions on how to pose, or simply to get people smiling.
Raks the Camera!! Packages & Prices
1 ½ Hour Package US$200 (continental U.S. locations)
INCLUDES:
Full makeup, 1 look (hair touch ups time permitting only)
Photo session with 1 costume, unlimited poses & props
3 fully edited, print-ready digital photos on disk + option to purchase additional images
3 Hour Package US$400 (continental U.S. locations)
INCLUDES:
Full makeup, 2 looks
Full hair styling
Photo session with 2 costumes, unlimited poses & props
6 fully edited, print-ready digital photos on disk + option to purchase additional images
Packages & prices quoted are for soloists only in the continental U.S. Those who are part of large-scale festivals/events, duets and troupes, and locations outside the continental U.S. must contact Azhia and/or Cassie for individualized package details (contact information below).
Who can participate in RAQ THE CAMERA?
Anybody! Performers in all dance genres, actors, models, musicians, children, etc.
RAQ THE CAMERA originally focused on dancers of all levels of Middle Eastern dance—from beginners who wanted to increase their visibility to pros who wanted shots of that great new costume—but everyone is encouraged to take advantage of these terrific packages.
Reservations & Deposits
A 50% deposit on any package must be RECEIVED BY MARCH 12, 2009 in order to hold a reservation. Reservations are handled on a first come, first served basis.
Participants must contact Azhia to make a reservation and indicate:
1) DATE & HOST/LOCATION
2) PACKAGE (1 ½ Hour or 3 Hour)
3) PREFERRED TIME (morning, noon, no preference)
4) CONTACT INFORMATION (alternate emails, telephone, mailing address)
Azhia will then schedule all participants accordingly and issue a schedule within 1 week after the deposit deadline. Specific time slots cannot be guaranteed due to the 2 different packages, but Azhia will do her best to try and accommodate such requests.
Participants will receive further detailed instructions and correspondence from Azhia, Cassie, and host as needed up until the event.
The remaining balance is due when selected photos are ready to be delivered to the participant (an estimated 4-8 weeks after an event; sometimes longer, depending on the number of prints ordered). Questions and correspondence regarding photography, including usage rights, should be directed to Cassie.
**Cancellation Policy
A participant who cancels between MARCH 26 - APRIL 9, 2009 will receive 50% of the deposit.
A participant who cancels on or after APRIL 10, 2009 forfeits deposit.
Reservations are fully transferable; however, it is preferred that they remain within the same time slot. For example: Dancer A must cancel her 3-Hour Package and dancer B wants to take the 3-Hour slot. Or dancer A must cancel her 3-Hour Package and dancers B and C can each take a back-to-back 1 ½ Hour slot.
Participants are also free to switch time slots with other willing participants and must be handled through Azhia so that she may issue a final schedule prior to the event.
Refunds will only be issued for an event cancelled due to unforeseen circumstances and emergencies (Cassie, Azhia or host), inclement weather, and/or failure to book 9 or more hours per day.
Disclaimer
Cassandra Panek and Christine Azhia Millan assume no responsibilities for injuries incurred during RAQ THE CAMERA events.
Participants assume responsibility for their health and well being. To that end, Cassie and Azhia ask that participants inform them of any allergies to cosmetic products and physical limitations prior to the event.
Cassie and Azhia do their best to create a positive, safe environment for RAQ THE CAMERA participants; they communicate extensively with participants prior to, during, and after an event to inform them of expectations and ways to make the experience productive and enjoyable. While personal satisfaction with final product is not guaranteed, professional and artistic judgments are made to enhance, balance, and beautify each participant.
About Cassandra Panek
Cassandra Panek has been behind a camera for as long as she can remember. While pursuing a BA in English at Arcadia University, she studied photography and art history, both of which have helped her immensely in her work as an artist. Her favorite subjects are performers, found objects, and the bizarre and unusual. To date, she has shot hundreds of burlesque performers, Middle Eastern dancers, models, and live events. She lives in the suburbs of Philadelphia, where she and her camera(s) can often be found searching train stations for compelling graffiti and urban decay. In her spare time, she is a belly dancer, wannabe rock star, knitter, and general appreciator of life.
URL. http://www.syntheticshadows.com
Contact. syntheticshadows@gmail.com, 908-616-5729
Friday Evening Intensive with AZHIA...
Azhia will focus on technique and stage presence, since many Egyptian-style entrances no longer incorporate veil. Some techniques to work on will include traveling steps, turns, carriage, head and arms. Powerful entrances also involve deliberate energy/stage presence work and controlled poses for dramatic emphasis. Azhia will select a few dynamic Egyptian routine entrance music clips and teach loose choreographies incorporating what we drilled across the floor and to give some ideas of how they can all come together. Space for this workshop is limited, reserve your spot early. More info will be provided at a later date.
Workshop
Location
TBA
Page created July 10, 2008. Update:.
