This is a first for Belly Dance Oz - a profile for a retired teacher/performer! However, although Jasmine has retired from the stage, she's still very active on the bellydance scene.
Based in Perth, more recently she's become widely known around Australia with the introduction of her Bellydance Soul cards, a 44 card deck and guidebook which is "a powerful tool for self acceptance, reminding women of their beauty wisdom and magnificence". Tied to the cards is a whole new concept in belly dance parties for women, the Soul Sister Parties.
For professional belly dancers who dance at hen's parties or other women's celebrations, the Soul Sister Party offers a chance to take the experience to a new level. A training course is available - details at Jasmine's website, The Harem Lounge.
Kasha is a Tribal belly dancer from Adelaide and runs the Tribalrose bellydance school. Like many bellydancers, she has extensive training in other dance styles, but unlike others, she hasn't used that to create her own fusion style. Instead, she specializes in American Tribal Style and has studied with most of Australia's premier ATS dancers.
I'm told Kasha's sword work -with single and double sword - is something special, maybe one day I'll manage to get a clip!
To book a belly dance performance or for class times and locations, visit her website at Tribalrosebellydance.com.
I'm so glad to be able, finally, to add Amera to this site!
Amera Eid was one of the founders of the belly dance community in Sydney, and had a sparkling career bellydancing in the Middle East for many years.
Because she's retired it has been hard to find a clip of her dancing - but here's a recent one, which shows she's still got her mojo!
Amera's website Ameraspalace.com.au is well known to most Sydney students of bellydance, because of the range of excellent teachers who offer classes there - including Jamil, Georgette, Lisi, Rachel and Kurvy (Kellie Harkin).
Sophie Alize is a busy Sydney belly dance performer and teacher.
As well as teaching (at Bondi) and performing with Jamil's fabulous bellydance troupe Attar, she can be seen regularly at the following venues:
The Cushion House Turkish Cuisine Glebe
Anahita Persian Cuisine Lane Cove
Mythos Greek Taverna Leicharddt
Zenobia Lebanese Cuisine Leicharddt and North Strathfield
Erciyes Turkish Restaurant Surry Hills
I had the great pleasure of attending one of Melissa Cristina's workshops at the Sydney Middle Eastern Dance Festival this year, so I'm glad to find a clip of her to feature.
Melissa Cristina teaches and performs in Melbourne. Her background includes jazz ballet, Flamenco, African, Street Latin and Lebanese Folkloric as well as belly dancing. For more details of her Richmond classes or to book a gig, visit her website Hip to Hip Middle Eastern Dance Studio
She's performing in this clip with Sydney belly dancer Jrisi.
Idell's video isn't what you'd normally expect on this site! She and one of her assistant teachers, Rachelle, appeared recently on Australia's Got Talent as 'Cleofatra", a bellydance/burlesque type act that certainly got the judges' attention!
Unfortunately, unlike Ferah, they didn't make it past the semi-finals - but it was great to see belly dance represented on television for once!
Of course, Idell doesn't dress (or talk!) like that in real life, but the performance is a good indication of her bubbly personality and sense of fun. Her teaching philosophy is "fun, fitness and self-acceptance". Her school, Dancing Tiger, is based in Ipswich with offshoots in Lismore, the Sunshine Coast and Boonah.
