For years I have had the dream of creating a fantasy dance camp. Imagine bringing together like minded students to immerse ourselves in learning, sharing, and dancing together in an organic environment.
Now it has come true! July 2017 will be the seventh year we have presented Aziza Dreamcamps. Join me for 5 days of intensive instruction, bonfires, drumming, zilling, laughing, sweating, and celebrating. You will sleep comfortably in a converted convent located on Lake Raymond in Val Morin, Quebec.. Hike in the woods, plunge into a cool lake or sparkling swimming pool, share delicious meals, and make new dance friends.
Each Dreamcamp has a different focus. We have also invited some of my favourite international instructors to join me in the intensives. Invited master instructors include Sharon Kihara, Issam Houshan, Lena Helt, Bozenka, Mercedes Nieto, Azad Khan, Shahrzad, Sadie, Gamila, and Khalida. I also have loved presenting local talented dancers from Quebec and Ontario including Don Jordan, Maysam, Miryam Nunez, Zafirah, Florence, and Mayada, Technique intensives focus on getting back to the fundamentals of the dance with basic foundation technique. We work on posture and bodyline, stage presence, fluidity, isolations, improvisation, and combinations. We also delve into the arena of finger cymbals. Bring your zills on a guided hike through the woods, practicing basic patterns as we walk. During the week we concentrate on a single Oriental choreography, to better understand and explore the nuances of the music and movement, and go much deeper than in a one-time workshop. Also included are activities like crafts, games, special invited guests, video night, bonfires, and free time to round out a full experience.
Does this sound like your fantasy, too? Then please come and join us…
The Covent
It is also a place where one feels a little like home, in addition to having the advantages of versatility and space. With 18 rooms, a very large kitchen and multipurpose room of 1000 square feet, everything is designed to make your stay more enjoyable. If you decide to hold an event, our large room can accommodate 80 people and more than a hundred in cocktail. Whether you enjoy yourself in a group to cook, you get together to develop your strategic plan or you to relax from a few yoga classes, the Convent is for you. In short, you will feel much more at home than in a hotel and more at the cottage in the city. The Couvent is a new accommodation hybrid formula that combines warmth and friendliness, and at smart prices.
The Couvent is located on a beautiful site is on the shores of Lake Raymond, in Val-Morin in the Laurentians. In summer, the location allows you to enjoy a large outdoor swimming pool, badminton court / volleyball and a bonfire. Our dock on the lake you can swim as well as expeditions canoe and pedal boat (for the adventurous). For those looking to relax on the golden sand, there is a beach located less than 100 meters. The former path of the P'tit Train du Nord passes directly in front of the convent. Transformed into path in recent years, it is now, according to the season, a beautiful bike track and cross country skiing. It also provides access to the regional park of Val-David-Val-Morin and a network of hiking trails, snowshoeing and cross country skiing.