The Dark Side Studios

The Dark Side Studios
“Modern belly dance for modern women”

Artistic Director: Audra Simmons

Location: 244 Augusta Ave, second floor, in Kensington Market, in Toronto’s west end.

Website: http://www.lavishdance.com

Email is the best way to get in touch, but you can try to call 416-575-6549. There is no phone at the studio.

Email – lavishdance@gmail.com

Services: Classes, Performances, Private Instruction, Workshops, Studio Rental & home of the Dark Harvest Festival.

Troupes: Lavish Dance Company

Background (ALL the other school profiles feature bios available via their website, since this Studio does not have an official bio, I wrote a brief piece from the perspective of a fangirl of Bellydance):

Audra Simmons, Artistic Director of The Dark Side Studio and Lavish Dance, and Heather Labonté, Lead Dancer in Lavish Dance, currently teach classes at The Dark Side Studio.

Audra Simmons describes her studio as focusing on Modern Dance. While her background in dance has been in Egyptian Cabaret Bellydance, Audra has since moved onto elements of Tribal bellydance such as the Suhaila format. As Audra continues to grow as a teacher and choreographer through her study of a multitude of dance forms she is constantly evolving.

While you may find many elements to be reminiscent of Tribal bellydance, her formal arts education in sculpture can been seen to influence the movement and the lines she creates for Lavish Dance Company. Needless to say The Dark Side, Audra and Lavish are hard to explain to someone who has not seen them live. They are more modern dance then bellydance but yet the essence is there and it has evolved to become something unique, hypnotic and hard to describe.

Audra’s choreographies are like living, breathing organisms with their own flow and lines … she gently takes your breath away while giving you a new perspective to movement and music.

The Art of Dancing with Dark Side Studio:

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What style of dance is taught at The Dark Side Studio?

Ultimately, you are taught to be able to express yourself in your own style, as you choose to move, to costume yourself and to the music of your choice. If I’d have to put a name on the style, I’d call it Modern Belly Dance. It’s what I do, and as the Artistic Director, it’s what the school is about.

It’s certainly an offshoot of tribal and tribal fusion belly dance (if you don’t know what that is, google Rachel Brice and FatChanceBellyDance) but it differs slightly from that. Tribal and tribal fusion differ from traditional belly dance in their posture, their upper body emphasis and strength and their attitude

I’ve taken my traditional belly dance training, and mixed it with the people who’ve influenced me and I’ve studies extensively with (Rachel Brice, Suhaila Salimpour, Carolena Nericcio, and Mira Betz). That coupled with my music training (I’ve my grade 10 piano from the Royal Conservatory) and my own likes and dislikes has produced a style that I’ve coined Modern Belly Dance.

Audra Simmon’s on inspiration behind latest Lavish Dance Company production Affogato:

The Dark Side Studios

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