The Workshops of
Extravadanza! 2025
A journey along the Silk Road.....
This year, our Extravadanza workshops invite you to journey along the poetic paths of the Silk Road — a rich voyage through mountains, steppes, deserts, and legendary cities.
Throughout this journey, three outstanding artists will guide you through rare and often overlooked dances — each brimming with meaning and beauty.
These dances, shaped by ancient heritage or modern reinterpretation, are living treasures — shared with all who are curious, whether seasoned professionals or curious amateurs.
Whether you're a beginner or experienced, young or mature, each workshop is open to you.
Instructors will tailor their approach so that each participant can enjoy an immersive and genuine experience, in full respect of individual rhythms and capacities.
Maria Robin
Nomadic dances of Rajasthan
About the artist
Since her early childhood, Maria Robin has been immersed in the music and dances of the Orient and Central Asia. For over twenty years, she has trained with the renowned Rajasthani dancer Gulabi Sapera in Jaipur, developing a grounded and vibrant style that blends tradition with personal expression.
Both a singer and a dancer, she performs alongside her father Titi Robin, with Iranian soloist Shadi Fathi, and within her own musical project Mon Ivresse.
An experienced teacher, she has been leading Rajasthani dance workshops in France and abroad for over two decades.
About Maria's Workshops
Located in the northwest of India, Rajasthan is a land of desert, music, and nomadic traditions. There, dance is a living language — present in every celebration, from the most sacred to the most festive.
The nomadic peoples of Rajasthan come from communities such as the Kalbeliya, Sapera, and Banjara, who once roamed the roads of northwestern India. Keepers of ancient knowledge, they embody a living heritage of music, song, dance, and storytelling.
It is often believed that the traditions of these groups traveled beyond India, contributing to the roots of some Romani cultures.
These two workshops focus on the fluidity and musicality of traditional Rajasthani nomadic dances — celebrating their grace, rhythm, and expressive essence.
STAGE DE DANSE GHOOMAR (WS2)
Saturday June 14 - de 11AM - 1:30PM
Ghoomar is a traditional dance of the women from Rajasthan, known for its circular patterns and graceful spins. To the rhythm of percussion and song, dancers whirl in long, colorful skirts, creating a mesmerizing visual spectacle.
Originally performed during weddings and celebrations to honor guests — particularly among Rajput communities — this dance goes far beyond ceremony: it celebrates joy, beauty, and the collective strength of women.
This workshop offers a chance to explore the rich gestures and shared joy at the heart of this captivating tradition.
STAGE DE DANSE KALBELIYA (WS3)
Sunday June 15 - 10AM - 12:30PM
Kalbeliya dance is performed to celebrate every joyful occasion and lies at the heart of the nomadic culture of this region.
Rhythmic, expressive, and deeply grounded, it evokes the serpent through its fluid and sinuous movements.
This workshop will allow your body to follow the rhythm and speak through movement in this deeply expressive dance tradition
Mariya Khan
Dances of the Caucasus
About the artist
Mariya Khan is a dancer, choreographer, and teacher based in Geneva, specializing in the traditional dances of Azerbaijan and Georgia.
She shares her passion for these art forms through classes and performances, notably with the Ateliers d’ethnomusicologie (ADEM) in Geneva.
Her work highlights the expressiveness, musicality, and cultural richness of these dances, while fostering intercultural exchange.
About Mariya's Workshops
The Caucasus is a mountainous region located between Europe and Asia, stretching from the Black Sea to the Caspian Sea. It spans several countries: Georgia, Armenia, Azerbaijan, and southern Russia. This land is known for its rich cultural and linguistic diversity, shaped by centuries of history, migration, and cross-cultural influences.
Each people of the Caucasus has preserved its own dances, music, and rituals, making the region an exceptional cradle of living and expressive traditions.
What makes these dances truly unique is the striking contrast between sharp footwork, acrobatic jumps, and lightning-fast turns — often performed by men — and the refined, graceful, and restrained movements beautifully embodied by female dancers.
These two workshops on Caucasian dance invite you to explore these opposing energies:
the grounded softness and the inner fire that define the spirit of dances from the Caucasus
CAUCASIAN FIRE (WS1)
Friday June 13th - de 6:30PM- 9PM
This workshop invites you to explore the fast, virtuosic footwork of traditional dances from Azerbaijan, Georgia, and the North Caucasus.
You’ll discover the dazzling footplay of Georgian dances like Mtiuluri and Rachuli, the fiery rhythms of Azerbaijani Yalli and Nelbeki, and the rich vocabulary of the rare Ubykh dances from the North Caucasus.
We'll work on the fundamentals in a fun and accessible way: spins, energy control, and especially the signature gliding step — essential for creating the fluid, effortless quality that defines Caucasian dance.
This workshop seeks to cultivate fluid strength, rooted presence, and that unmistakable spark within!
CAUCASIAN SPRINGS (WS5)
Sunday June 15th- de 4PM - 6PM
Elegant and fluid, yet deeply intense — the slow movements of Caucasian folklore tell a story all on their own.
This workshop invites you to explore the fluidity and control that define the slow dances of Azerbaijan, Georgia, and the North Caucasus.
You’ll discover the regal poise of Georgian Kartuli, the gentle elegance of Azerbaijani Yüzbiri with its constant hint of naz (playful charm), and the delicate, silk-like gestures of Chechen women’s dances.
As in fast-paced dances, the essential gliding step lies at the heart of this practice, enabling graceful elegance and seamless transitions.
What if you could learn to dance like water gliding over stone?
Amina Laforce
Dolan dance
About the artist
Amina Laforce is an Uyghur dancer, teacher, and choreographer.
She spent over 15 years in Shanghai and Hangzhou, working as a professional dancer for theaters and television networks.
Since 2015, she has been based in Switzerland, where she organizes the annual cultural festival “Amina’s Karavane.”
Amina’s work goes beyond dance instruction — she represents the richness of Uyghur folklore in its entirety, including music, traditional instruments, handmade costumes and clothing, and the doppa, the traditional Uyghur cap. Through this holistic approach, she tells the story of the Uyghur people and their many ways of life.
About Amina's workshop
The Uyghurs are a Turkic Muslim people native to the Xinjiang region in northwestern China — a land also known as East Turkestan by its inhabitants.
Their ancient culture blends nomadic, Persian, Chinese, and Islamic influences, and is renowned for its rich musical, dance, and spiritual traditions. Today, this cultural heritage is under threat due to local policies of repression.
This workshop offers a rare opportunity to experience Dolan dance firsthand — guided by a Uyghur artist who carries this living tradition.
DOLAN DANCE (WS4)
Sunday June 15 - 1:15PM to 3:45PM
Dolan dance is one of the oldest and most powerful choreographic traditions of the Uyghur people. Originating from the region of the same name, near the edge of the Taklamakan Desert, it draws from a deep nomadic, shamanic, and warrior heritage.
Through movements charged with raw energy, rhythmic gestures, and symbols deeply rooted in Dolan culture, this dance tells the story of a resilient people. Since it is performed in a circle, it embodies group unity, the cycles of nature, and a strong sense of community.
The circle becomes a living, vibrating space where collective energy builds with the music —
reaching a heightened state.
This workshop offers an immersive experience into the rich dance traditions of the Dolan people: powerful rhythms, vibrant circles, and the strength of every gesture.
Workshop Locations
WS1 - "Caucasian Fire":
Fiday June 13th 6:30PM -9 PM
WS4 - "Dolan Dance":
Sunday June 15th 1:15 PM - 3:45 PM
WS5 - "Les sources du Caucase":
Sunday June 15th 4 PM - 6:15 PM
Maison des arts du Grütli - Studio Noemi (2nd floor)
Rue du Général-Dufour 16, 1204 Geneva
ACCÈS:
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🚌 By bus TPG: Line 3 stop at Bovy-Lysberg and 10, 6 stop at Cirque
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🚋 By tramway TPG : Lines 14, 15, 18 stop at Stand
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🚗Nearby Public Parking: Nations, P+R Sécheron
WS2: "Ghoomar Dance"
Saturday June 14th 11 AM-1:30 PM
Collège Sismondi - Salle omnisports (rez)
Chemin Eugène-Rigot 3, 1202 Geneva
ACCÈS:
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🚌 By bus TPG: Lines 5, 8, 11, 15, 20, 22, 28, F - to Nations stop
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🚋By tramway TPG : Line 15 - to Collège Sismondi stop
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🚗Nearby Public Parking: Nations, P+R Sécheron
WS3: "Kalbeliya Dance"
Sunday June 15th 10 AM-12:30 PM
THE LOCATION OF THIS WORKSHOP HAS CHANGED, THE NEW ONE WILL BE POSTED SHORTLY.