Page 14 - the NOISE June 2014

summer shuvani
photos by rene r. rivas
text by clair anna rose
Troupe Shuvani was first established in 2001 by founder Sherry Hammond (Crimson). “I moved to Flagstaff and was in search of a community of dancers where we not only
explored belly dance, but created a sisterhood where we could use dance for expression, healing, laughter and the greater good of our community,” Ms. Hammond tells me.
“Our mission really is to bring positive energy to women through movement and healing for the dancers and also for the people who experience our shows.”
Kara Knaresboro (Tari), Peaches Adair (Zahara), Steph- anie Keeler (Jael), and Kristin McGary (saffira) along with Crimson dance together as Troupe shuvani. All highly skilled dancers, they each bring their own dance background to the group and combine elements of tribal, cabaret and gyp- sy caravan to create their own style of improvisational tribal fusion. To watch them dance together you wouldn’t realize their performance is improvised.
Using verbal calls, the turn of a hand, a shimmy, or a wink of an eye can lead the entire troupe to know where the dance is going. who leads the dance is transitory, they can pass it back and forth with a subtle angle change of their body or, if a dancer chooses, they can steal the lead at an opportune moment. These dancers have been together so long they can read each other, mysteriously unified in move- ment.
This June Troupe shuvani will be returning to Firefly. “we got involved with Firefly when the wonderful coordinators reached out to the community to create a beautiful festival,” Ms. Hammond remembers. “They were searching for local performers to represent the artistic and creative elements of Flagstaff and we were honored to accept and be a part of it.”
Gathering The Gypsies is the title of Crimson’s workshop at Firefly this year. Focusing on the ancient history through belly dance, participants will delve into the spiritual aspects of dance while also having the opportunity to learn the dance as well.
On Friday, June 12 Troupe shuvani will perform right be- fore Opening Ceremony. “That for us is a huge honor,” says Ms. Hammond. “This is one of the most creative, fun and re- laxing festivals Flagstaff has to offer. we’re really excited to share with the festival what we’ve been working on.”
You can find Troupe shuvani at Firefly: Emergence June 12-15 at the Soggy Bottom Ranch. In addition to this per-
formance troupe, many local performance art and musical acts will be in the performance lineup. The festival also offers workshops, sound healing, and a temple that is the heart of the festival. Participants are encouraged to plan ahead for this weekend of camping, community and creativ- ity. FireflyGathering.com, TroupShuvani.com
| Rene Rivas has been known to shimmy, on rare occasions. rene@thenoise.us
14 • JUNE 2015 • the NOISE arts & news • thenoise.us
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