We help you dance your life and take it
to the next level
I call myself a belly dancer - but for the last 30 years (and more), I’ve explored a wide range of dance styles and music genres from different traditions all over the world, acquiring a deep and comprehensive understanding of rhythm and movement in the process.
On top of 25 years of experience in Raqs Sharqi / belly dance – which has become my mother tongue of dance – I’ve trained in a number of traditional and social dances from over the world, such as salsa, Afro-Colombian dances, West-African-dances, Hungarian folk, Western-European folk, South-Italian dances, contact improvisation and flamenco, among others.
I keep learning and marvelling at the beauty and interconnectedness of different musical and dance traditions.
I also have over a decade’s worth training in Western classical music and extensive knowledge of traditional music from many different regions, with a special focus on Arabic and Egyptian music.
In a past life, I was an architect/engineer, and gained the skills to break down and explain concepts related to dance or music in detail to the dancer with an analytical mind.
I used to be a translator, which, along with my experience in a variety of dance and musical styles, gave me insights into connecting to different cultures, which is especially helpful for dancers not from the source cultures of Raqs Sharqi.
My thirst for adventure led me on a 8000 km cycle trip along the coasts of Western and Southern Europe, from Brussels to Cádiz and to Genoa, living in a tent for nearly a year. It also made me learn to create my own path, regardless of what society expects from me – a fat, middle-aged, chronically ill woman –, so I can help you gain the knowledge, the pragmatism and the self-confidence to take ownership of your body and your creative path, no matter your level of dance technique.
I believe that dance is and should be “music made visible”, and rely on the music to guide me in my creations. I believe that musicality is of utmost importance for any dancer; and that it is a skillset that you can learn and develop at any age or level. I believe that you can connect to Egyptian music and dance through your own cultural experience, and create dances based on your own artistic vision, in full respect of source cultures.
I believe that you can access your deepest truths through dance, with the help of the music; that we all have it in us to access those depths and create art connecting to ourselves, and touching others in the process.
I believe that through the art of dance, you can learn to take ownership and feel at home in your body, and find delight in it; and that by creating such art, you becomes a vessel of beauty – no matter how you look or whether you think you’re pretty or not.
I’m here to to help you take ownership of and feel at home in your body, to find delight in it and dare to take up space, through dance; and to help you click into place all the unconnected bits of your dance knowledge through a deep understanding of and connection to the music
– so that you can start creating dances to touch the very souls of your audience.
