The Kush Project

The Kush Project held its first-ever workshop at Sadler’s Wells last night. Called ‘Relationship’, the two and a half hour session combined bellydancing with live drumming and meditation. Kush experts for the inaugural workshop were founder and bellydancer Melisa Yavas, renowned percussionist Guy Schalom and meditation instructor Juliet Murrell from London Yoga Fields (a stand-in for Elif Clarke). Using Oriental rhythms and bellydance movements, women were first asked to consciously connect with different parts of their body, such as their feet (the heart of the body’s rhythmic pulse), breasts, hips, thighs, arms and bums. The women then had free rein to dance in the studio as they pleased and to interact with others in the group through their body movements. The finale was a solo performance for each woman within a circle created by the others. The session concluded with 30 minutes of stretches, cool down and meditation.  

Melisa Yavas said, “Last night was fantastic – Kush now has wings! It was great to see women of all ages and backgrounds coming together to discover their own bodies in a fun and expressive way. As personal development guru Shakti Sawain says, ‘our primary relationship is with our self – all others mirror this’. Kush reflects this philosophy by harnessing the power of bellydance and related therapies. A woman shouldn’t feel inhibited by her body, but instead embrace it, regardless of her shape. Once she feels good about herself and finds better ways to deal with life’s stresses, her confidence and wellbeing will naturally radiate outwards, improving her relations with others too.”  

The next Kush workshop is called ‘Acceptance’ on Tuesday 26 March, featuring Melisa Yavas, Guy Schalom and sound therapist Laura Valenti. It is priced £35 with the number of attendees limited to 25 persons. More information and bookings are available www.kushproject.com, www.melisayavas.com