In 1995, Saiqa (pictured at left) was my first belly dance teacher, she
continues to teach the “ethnic” or folkloric style of belly dance brought to
us by
Jamilla Salimpour.
 Since then, I have
studied with many instructors throughout the Bay Area and have also taken finger
cymbals and percussion classes.
I believe it's important to continue taking classes, so I currently study with
Amanda of
Halanda Studio. I find that the best teachers are my
peers and attend as many belly dance events as possible
Classes
In
2002, I began teaching belly dance classes at San Jose
State University and have been teaching every since. Currently, I
teach out of my home studio located between Downtown
and Willow Glen in San Jose and find it to be very
challenging and extremely rewarding, I love to see students who become hooked
just like I am.
Troupes
and Dance Projects
I love dancing in groups far better than solo because it's more
challenging and I get the opportunity to connect with other dancers. Raks al Khalil (Dance of Friends) is my student
troupe; Rak Core is the performance and the Rakettes are the mixed
level dancers. We had our grand debut at Desert Dance Festival in 2006 (see
pix) and have since performed at many belly dance festivals since
then (check us out on
You Tube). Currently, I also dance with
Karavansaray Dance Company which is led by my teacher Amanda, I really enjoy
Amanda's challenging routines. Look for both groups at upcoming
events!
I have also had the honor of performing with many other dancers,
in
duets, trios and troupes, such as with: Odina, Simone,
Paloma (owner of
Lunatic Fringe), Mozaeek
(Farsi for Mosaic),
Hazeen Helwa, Troupe Namaste,
Troupe Zambalita,
Malia and the New Moon Rising Belly
Dance Company, Dunia's Nile
Spice Dance Company, Jewels of the Oasis, Ke’kuja
and Saiqa's student troupe- Sisters of the Temple Moon.
Costuming
Besides
belly dancing, I love to sew. For me, so much of the dance
is all about the costume. I enjoy designing, making and dressing up in
costumes. A shy person by
nature, costuming helps me to become someone else, my ultra alter ego. With a flair for the
traditional, I favor the ethnic style of costume with a generous splash of flash.
Dancing Diva
Designs is the name of my costuming company which is my part time work
right now, primarily doing custom work. The most exciting part of
the work is seeing my costumes come to life on dancers. If you ever have a need for unique and flattering costuming,
I also do bedlah fittings and can help to accessorize any costume.
Art
Fool
I
have a degree in Photography with a concentration in Commercial
Photography, I am a free lance professional photographer and graphic designer serving the
belly dance community at large. I enjoy dabbling in anything
artistic: sculpture, ceramics, painting, drawing, crafting,
graphic design, most recently I have begun
clay wheel throwing. One exciting accomplishment is the completion of
a home dance studio which includes a hand-painted ceiling border and a mehndi
inspired floor design, it was a lot fun to do and now there is a beautiful place
for me to practice, hold classes, host drum classes and whatnot.
Belly dance has sure added a lot of richness
and pizzazz to my life, I enjoy sharing it and helping one discover the
dancer within. |
