1st Annual Ashtanga Yoga Hootenany!

Date: May 25-27, 2019
Rate: $135 early bird before April 9 / $160 Regular price /A La Carte: $30 Mysore & Meditation Class, $75 Breath And Bandha Workshop.
Sign up: Space is limited. Reserve your spot early. Learn more here!

Join Kate and Rich for the 1st Annual Yoga Hootenany! Special classes at Bright Star and at Root Wild Kombuchery May 25-27. Learn more and sign up here!

Nordic Roots Dance Workshop with Kari Tauring

Dates: Sunday, May 26, 2019
Time: 1:00-3:30 PM
Rate: $25 in advance
Sign up: Click here to reserve your spot!

Nordic body movement in skiing, walking, and dancing entails several features: the spine is plumb to the earth, the hips and shoulders are in alignment, and the movement first sinks into the earth (svikt), gathers strength from gravity (tyngde), and then explodes with energy (kraft). This body alignment and movement creates the shapes of the younger futhark runes with the solitary body. Solo dances such as Halling (Norwegian athletic dance) have roots pre-dating the Viking era. Community ballad dances create elder futhark runes and date to the Middle ages. Come experience your body in a Nordic way!

Kari Tauring carries the staff as a Nordic root musician, cultural educator, and spiritual leader from Minneapolis whose work in reconstructing the völva, or staff carrying woman's tradition, has a global audience. Her thirty years of knowledge and practice of runes, Norse cosmology and metaphysics, ancient poetry and traditional folk music and dance combine to create a whole and healed root of Nordic spiritual practice from the very ancient times into the immigrant era of her Norwegian grandparents.

Afro-Beats Workshop with Veeva Banga

Date: Saturday, June 1, 2019
Time: 12:30-2:00 PM
Rate: $16 in advance, $18 at the door
Sign Up: Click here to sign up online!

Afro-Beats is Veeva Banga's signature mixture of popular African dance moves and hip-hop. It's an upbeat and fun dance style that will allow you to move your body in a different way. Above all, Afro-Beats is extremely fun!

No dance experience needed. People of all levels, genders, and backgrounds, and ages are welcome. Click here to sign up online today & save!

Latin Dance Party & Intro Lesson

Dates: Friday, June 7, 2019
Lesson: 7:00 PM
Dance: 8:00 PM
Rate: $10 at the door

Join us at the Salsa, Bachata & Merengue dance party! All experience levels are welcome, no partner needed. We will start with an intro lesson for anyone new to the dance, and then Social!​​

Burlesque Class with Kinky Slippers - The Art of Chair Dance

Dates: Sundays, June 6-July 14, 2019 (special 6-week class)
Time: 12:45-1:45 PM
Rate: $75 early bird till 5/31, $85 after
Sign Up: Click here to sign up online!

Let loose as you learn the ins and outs of the burlesque chair dance, and reignite the passion in your life. Students will learn how to embrace the slow carnal movements, and when to add a quick "pop" for dramatic flare. Grasp the grind, bump the booty, and discover your inner strength and sensuality in a friendly and encouraging setting. Students will move with confidence through dance exercises and choreography, and learn how to capture an audience. After this class, you'll never look at a chair the same way again.

No dance experience needed. People of all levels, genders, and bodies are welcome, ages 18+. Click here to sign up online today & save!

Portfringe

Date: Thursday-Saturday, June 13-15, 2019
Time: TBA
Rate: TBA

Portfringe theater festival returns! The performances at Bright Star this year are all a part of the Portfringe Solo Fest.

• Thu 6/13, 7:45 PM - "Effing Robots: How I Taught the A.I. to Stop Worrying and Love Humans"
• Thu 6/13, 9:00 PM - "Half-Baked Boomer"
• Fri 6/14, 7:45 PM - "Yay America!"
• Fri 6/14, 9:00 PM - "Iron in Your Future"
• Sat 6/15, 2:30 PM - "Brett Johnson: Poly-Theist"
• Sat 6/15, 5:15 PM - "Invisibility: A Journey of Pasta, Prayer, Protest, and Peru"
• Sat 6/15, 6:30 PM - "Sexology: The Musical!"
• Sat 6/15, 9:00 PM - "Yay America!"

Get tickets and learn about all the shows online here!

Zill Walk

Date: Sunday, June 23, 2019
Time: 2:00 PM
Rate: FREE! RSVP on Facebook here

Join us for a zill walk on the Eastern Promenade--fun, free, outdoors!

Meet in front of Arabica Coffee at 9 Commercial Street at 2:00 PM. Bring your finger cymbals, comfy walking shoes, and wear clothes that will be comfortable for the weather and movement.

We'll walk (or dance) along the East End trail by the water and practice various finger cymbal patterns in unison. All are welcome! RSVP on Facebook here

4-Day Belly Dance Musicality Intensive with Shahrzad

Dates: October 24-27, 2019
Rate: $475 early bird - SOLD OUT
Registration: Click here to learn more!

Join us for 4 days in beautiful Portland, Maine with international superstar Shahrzad, October 24-27, 2019. 6 hours per day in the studio Thursday-Sunday, a show on Sunday evening with private feedback from Shahrzad, plus optional evening activities. The focus of this unique intensive will be connecting technique and musicality. We will nerd out and dive deep into about maqamat (melodic modes) and iqqat (rhythms), song interpretation from various eras, transitioning between sections in a song and in a set, Shahrzad’s unique and extensive approach to belly dance technique, and more. Plus we'll very likely have live drumming for our technique and rhythm drills!

The intensive is SOLD OUT. Click here to learn more and join the waiting list! See the extra workshops we added below!