There is a moment in the journey of Bellydance when adding new techniques is no longer enough: you need to understand how the History of Bellydance was constructed and what discourses lie behind what we bring to the stage.
A serious, critical, and accessible space of study for teachers and experienced dancers.
For those who wish to teach Bellydance History classes and seminars with methodology and bibliography.
To incorporate Bellydance History content through an academic structure and organized programs.
To deepen their critical perspective on the stage, repertoire, and the figure of the dancer.
Online study to maintain learning continuity from anywhere.
The program is organized into three four-month modules, which can be taken independently. You can complete a single module as an update or follow the complete path, according to your time availability and goals.
Each module lasts 5 months and is organized into 5 topics (one per month). Each topic includes video classes, written material, and downloadable bibliography, all available on the online campus. The course includes an online assessment for each topic, supporting a serious and structured learning process.
Prerequisite modules: each level requires approval of the previous one.
A module for the theory corresponding to each learning level: beginner, intermediate, and advanced.
Each module lasts five months, with a different topic covered each month.
Classes, materials, and bibliography. We work with historical sources and updated academic bibliography.
The program is organized into modules that accompany the different learning levels of the dance. Each module integrates history, theory, and stage analysis, with materials available on the online campus and bibliography in Spanish.
Prerequisite modules: each level requires approval of the previous one.
The subjects of the first module are: Terminology. Theories about the origin of Bellydance. History of Bellydance I: the first centuries of Arab-Islamic culture. History of elements I: veil, cane, and finger cymbals. Biographies of dancers I.
Historical continuity into the Ottoman period; ghawazee and awalim and their transition towards nightclubs. Musical contexts (for example, Umm Kulthum) and first approaches to styles such as baladi and zar, as well as dances from the Arabian Peninsula. History of elements such as the candelabra.
From the end of the British occupation to folkloric companies and the contemporary scene. Styles such as “gypsy” and shaabi, and ethno-identity repertoires (for example, melaya and Nubian dances). Expansion and development of Bellydance in America. History of elements such as wings.
A program designed for serious study: historical sources, updated bibliography, guided readings, and tools to bring these contents into your own school and stage practice.
Lic. Marina Barrionuevo is director of Estudio Sahar® and organizer of Asia Festival®, a dance and music festival of Asia and North Africa with a history of presentations in prominent cultural venues across Buenos Aires. She is a dancer and teacher, and author of Historia General del Bellydance and Manual de Fundamentos Teóricos para la Danza Árabe (2025). She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Oriental Studies (USAL), a Diploma in Social and Political Anthropology, and a Postgraduate Degree in Cultural Management (FLACSO), as well as training in the Contemporary Middle East Program (UCA). She teaches university courses in History of Medo-Persian Culture and Arabic Literature at USAL and hosts the podcast Asia en Buenos Aires (Library of the National Congress of Argentina). Her work integrates dance, historical research, teaching, and cultural management through an academic approach applied to the teaching of Bellydance History.