It all started when Elizabeth Ashner brought one belly dance instructor from out of town to teach a class.Now, about 13 years later and after moving from various Denver-metro locations, the Elevation Belly Dance Festival features about a dozen internationally-known and in-demand teachers and performers.The festival happens April 28-May 1 at various venues in Golden, offering people opportunities to participate in classes and/or experience a live performance.The live performances give the audience a unique show with a lot of variety. Likewise, there will be workshops for beginners through adept dancers."The world of belly dance has come a long way," said Ashner, the event's founder and organizer. "It's an ancient art with a modern twist."Attendees should expect to be "astonished by the movement," the "unbound creativity" and "fantastic presentations," said Donna Mejia, a professor of dance at University of Colorado-Boulder and an international touring dance professional. Mejia will teach a daily class throughout the festival and will perform on Thursday and Saturday.Dance festivals -- especially for belly dance -- of this scale and caliber typically happen in metropolitan cities such as New York City, Milan, London and Sidney, according to Mejia."It's wonderful we have world-class dance happening in our own backyard," she said.Ashner's hard work does not go unnoticed, she added. It takes "extraordinary effort" but gets "extraordinary results."For Ashner, it's all about the celebration of dance: "There's nothing more a belly dancer loves more than to do her art."
from Lakewood Sentinel - Latest Stories http://lakewoodsentinel.comhttp://goldentranscript.net/stories/Golden-to-get-its-shake-on,212021?branding=15
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