The Movement Arts Collective - A Studio for Dance and Yoga will open in Red Bank in April. The studio will offer bellydance and yoga classes for adults, and creative movement and yoga for toddlers and children.
Co-Directors, Tara Phillips and Stacey Nolan, are both long-time dancers and Master’s level educators. Ms. Phillips will complete her 200 level Yoga Certification through Yoga Alliance in April, and has been involved in various dance styles since she was a child. She began teaching creative movement and children’s yoga last fall. Ms. Nolan has been teaching bellydance in the Chattanooga area since 2005, and is the director of the Emerald Hips Student Troupe, whose home base will be the new studio. She is also a founding member of Mirabai Bellydance, a local professional troupe.
Ms. Nolan feels that the Movement Arts Collective is unique because “we offer a variety of movement classes the appeals to adults and children alike. We have something for the whole family. And not only are we practitioners of our craft, we are also professional educators, so you can be confident in you and/or your child’s learning experience.”
The Movement Arts Collective will host two grand opening events. The Grand Opening Hafla (“party” in Arabic) will be on Sunday, April 7, from 5-9 p.m., and will feature performances by many local bellydance acts. The Open House Free Day will be on Saturday, April 13, and offers movement classes throughout the day, free of charge. Both events are open to the public and feature refreshments, door prizes, special discounts and clothing/gift vendors. Visit their website for more details and the free class day schedule at www.movementartscollective.com
Ms. Phillips and Ms. Nolan chose Red Bank, not only for its central location, but for sentimental reasons as well. “We both grew up in Red Bank, so I think for both of us, it just feels like home,”says Ms. Phillips.