Orchidaceae Dance Intensive started in 2015 as a way to share, during one week, our research and commitment with the vocabularies and cultures of fusion between raqs sharki, fusion belly dance, street and clubbing dance styles and contemporary dance. From 2015 to 2019 we named the intensive simply FIRST LOVE and SECOND LOVE, as we added a second week for developing creation and choreographic research.

We were deeply into dance technique and fusion. These were magical years as we met hundreds of dancers all over the globe. Something really special was happening and we started having this global world community.

The year of the pandemic we did it online and completely unexpectedly, we were able to continue the work and extend the community in ways we never imagined. After this, something was deeply shifting inside us, and the program started to change a lot. We kept dance as the main focus, but we started integrating other topics and subjects, inviting other teachers. The world changes and we need to be truthful with ourselves too. Decolonizing teaching and performance of these dance forms, understanding the depths of how to not fall into cultural appropriation, researching new ways to approach history, culture and future and integrating critical thinking, intersections of knowledge, poetry and imagination started to be a part of the intensive.

In 2022 we themed ODI under INTERSECTION AND DECONSTRUCTION and we spoke about cultural appropriation whithin fusion dance forms and we tried to find ways to correct how we are representatives of dances that we didn’t create. Respect created by positioning, through study, acknowledging the origins, giving back, being aware of privilege and access and work to balance it. 

In 2023 we traveled around IMAGINATION AS A REVOLUTIONARY TOOL and we worked through imagination, the astral world and mysticism. 

In 2024 the focus was on change, adaptation, tradition, migration, respect and activism under the topic HOW ROOTS CAN GROW AWAY FROM HOME, where through dance study, plants and trees we navigated the question “where is home”?

In 2025 we open the topic to FROM THE BODY TO THE COSMOS and we brought dance movements, cultures, plants, trees and stars. We explored how somatics intersect with street and clubbing dance cultures, tracing how history, politics, and heritage shape these movement forms. Exploring from the inner perspective to the planetary energy to connect in pleasure and aliveness.

In 2026 with did a pause and for the first time in 10 years we didn’t do our intensive. It was difficult but needed.