© 2013 Moria Chappell LLC All rights reserved.
To dance, put your hand on your heart and listen to the sound of your soul. Eugene Louis Faccuito
Moria Chappell
Artistry
Over the course of her career, Moria Chappell has excelled in a number of unique, artistic endeavors. These are five areas in which her artistry has found its way onto the stage.
Artistic Direction
Moria serves as the Artistic Director for Bellydance Superstars Tribal Fusion and has since 2011. She composes and orchestrates group choreographies which seek to evoke what is strange and beautiful, striking and consoling about the female form in its most erudite and vulnerable manifestations.
Artistic Director
Bellydance Superstars Tribal Fusion
Moria’s Artist Reel Artistic Direction & Choreography Moria
Choreographry
Moria has choreographed solos, duets, and group collaborations that incorporate both Oriental and Tribal Fusion artistry to produce a tableaux of juxtapositions of light and dark, soft and strong, fiery and temperate to pull each dancer to her edge and offer what she embodies most on the stage.
Moria’s Choreographies
CLUB BELLYDANCE 2013 Opening tribal ensemble “Peacock” duet “Balkan” group ensemble “Jaguar” solo “Oceana” tribal ensemble Finalé tribal ensemble
THE MAGIC OF DANCE (2012) Opening tribal ensemble “Balkan” group ensemble “Cobra” tribal ensemble “Finger Cymbal” duet “Jaguar” solo Finalé tribal ensemble
BABELESQUE (2007) “Madura” solo
BELLYDANCE SUPERSTARS DVDs “Tabla Solo” with Issam Houshan “Muslim Gauze” “Victim to the Charms of Radio” solo “Revolution” solo “Ampersand Storm” solo “Engrish Bwudd” solo “Steeping Somber” solo “Karakas” solo
ADDITIONAL CHOREOGRAPHIES “Black Widow” “Lullaby for August 2nd” “Tribal Fest 2013”
Teaching Methodology and Ethos
Moria teaches from a
Once the
place of spirit and
fundamental tools of
body.
the body are brought
She feels that what is
under a student’s
most important is to
control by a yoga,
understand and utilize
and drilled by a
the muscles that cloak
muscular isolation
the bones, and
which understands
ultimately are the only
the commands of
things that put us under
contract and release,
our own control. Her
Moria is able to lead
technique is entirely
her students to more
muscle-based,
complex layering
dedicating one muscle
and shape creation,
to one movement, and
and thereby turns
creating isolations and
their body into a
shapes that are clear
vessel for their voice,
and concise.
and the voice of the
world, to be expressed effortlessly and with intention. Moria uses sweat and humor to mold the body and tame the muscles to work under the command of her students.
Costume Design
Costuming is the outer
draws inspiration from
expression of the inner
colors in nature,
vision.
haute couture,
Moria has a fascination
Alphonse Mucha,
with the specific and
Gustav Klimt, Gaudi,
the large. She is
pirates, gypsies,
invested in the detail of
yoginis, dakinis,
each bead, its content
mermaids, and
and history, as well as
peacocks.
the outline of the total
Using shells, stones,
form which can be
feathers, silk, silver,
read from stage. Her
lace, tassels, beads,
costumes are animal
glass, mirrors, yarn,
and statue, antique
flowers, bones, gold,
and fantastic.
teardrops, pinpricks,
She makes each of her
twilight and sunrise,
own costumes via
Moria weaves her
hand stitching, and
costumes like an
arachnid into embellishments and regalia with whom she dances like a partner.
Make-up Design
The face is the canvas
Moria delights in
of the soul. The secret
seeing her faces
of the mermaid’s mirror
transformed by
is that it reflects
contours and
anything she wishes to
highlights, smoking
see.
and blurring, glittering
Moria formally studied
and coloring,
make-up artistry during
blending, and by
her tutelage in make-
using unexpected
up design school in
colors to evoke the
Atlanta, Georgia in
Geisha, the ingĂŠnue,
2004. She has worked
Kali, Renaissance
as a make-up artist on
portraiture, the feline,
sets and applies the
and the stars of silent
more theatrical aspects
film.
of make-upology to her
With faces as her
face as well as others.
canvas, Moria
patiently and deftly shows her students the mysteries of effective theatrical makeup.
Future Explorations
Since 2008, Moria has
the grandmother of
been traveling to India
all sacred dance, with
to study East Indian
her teacher Ratna
Temple Dance.
Roy; to explore the
Her fascination with
dances of Oceana;
temple dance has led
to walk the paths of
her to Hula, Tahitian,
Angkor Watt via
Javanese, and
Cambodian dance,
Balinese sacred
and explore Thai and
dances. She has
Nepalese dance to
experimented with Thai
retrace the lineage of
and South China
sacred dance as it
Peacock Dance.
traveled from India
Her future pursuits include a continued indepth study of Odissi,
throughout Asia and then to the sea.
“Her style has developed into something that defies description. Let’s just say that if Rachel Brice is the snake-charmer, Moria’s become THE snake. Her movements are fast, accurate, precise and her locks seem to freeze in time…just like a snake before attacking the next move. Simply mesmerizing!” ~Excerpt from a review of The Bellydance Superstars written by MIGUEL
Recent Choreographies
Club Bellydance 2013 Opening of Show Tribal-Fusion Artistic Direction & Choreography Moria
“Peacock” Club Bellydance 2013 Duet Artistic Direction & Choreography Moria
“Balkan” Club Bellydance 2013 Ensemble Artistic Direction & Choreography Moria
“Cobra” Club Bellydance 2013 Tribal Ensemble Artistic Direction & Choreography Moria
“Jaguar” Club Bellydance 2013 Solo Artistic Direction & Choreography Moria
“Bounce” Club Bellydance 2013 Tribal Ensemble Artistic Direction & Choreography Moria
Finis
For inquiries, please contact Moria Chappell at the following address:
moriachappell@yahoo.com