Anita Ferguson

Anita’s Celestial Gems Belly Dance School is based in Gympie, Queensland.   Here they are in their “Jewels of the Nile Extravaganza”! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pMl9-Nt-gTM I love Anita’s way of describing her belly dance classes – instead of beginners, intermediate etc, she has Emerging Emeralds, Shimmering Sapphires and Diamond Divas! Visit her website at www.celestialgemsbellydance.com.au Interview with belly [...]

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Rachelle Houston

Rachelle has taken over the well-known Dancing Tiger belly dance school from Idell Wadley. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6M_K57WnipM You can contact Rachelle through Talent.Me . Like many other belly dance teachers, she also teaches Zumba.

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Maha al Musa

I’m embarrased that I’ve neglected to include Maha al Musa on this site before now! Although Maha is a belly dancer, she’s less well known for her dancing than for her writing! She is the author of the book Dance of the Womb.  It offers invaluable advice on safe, effective prenatal exercise using belly dance – [...]

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Darshiva

There aren’t nearly enough bellydance instructors in country areas, so Echuca is very lucky to have Darshiva, who is not only a lovely dancer but a fully certified belly dance teacher.  She is a passionate advocate not just for belly dance but for Egypt and Middle Eastern culture in general, and is on the committee [...]

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Tatiana

Tatiana is a former Sydney belly dancer who has moved to the Byron Shire, and teaches and performs all the way from Byron to the Gold Coast! Here she is (in green) dancing with Jacinta: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fk-wKSjq3mc Tatiana is available to perform at parties and celebrations.  I particularly like her baby shower package, “Birthing Ways”, which [...]

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Sonya Manzalini

Sonya is a long-established Newcastle bellydance teacher.  In fact, her “Dance of Life” belly dance school is the longest-running school in the Hunter region. Sonya focuses on traditional and gypsy style belly dance, but she also draws on Bollywood and flamenco influences in her choreography. I’m so glad that Sonya has finally been able to [...]

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Rozeta Ahalyea

I’m so pleased to be able to include Rozeta Ahalyea on this site. Rozeta could be called the mother of Sydney belly dancing, because she taught both Amera Eid and Terezka Drznik, two of the best-known Sydney belly dance teachers today. These days, she lives in retirement on the Gold Coast, and still teaches privately.    [...]

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Sheherazade

Sheherazade (Shiraz) is a Gold Coast belly dancer who teaches under the auspices of the Araby Belly Dance Academy, run by Queensland bellydance icon Elenie Vlismas-Smith. Together they run classes across the Coast, including Benowa, Burleigh Heads, Isle of Capri, Nerang and Southport. Shiraz also has  a new performance troupe, Stars of the Sahara. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KmE7onm7l-8

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Jade

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e2gEcvJrApE Jade is a tribal fusion belly dancer based in the Coffs harbour area.  She and her dance partner Ashwara  make up The Jade Mirage belly dance performance duo.  Their fusion style is influenced by the Ghawazee and Bedouin tribes of the Middle East. For more information, see their MySpace page.

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Aaliyah

Aaliyah is another of our small group of Tasmanian belly dancers and teachers – based in Devonport, at the Devonport Community House.    As well as belly dancing, she teaches classes in doumbek/darabuka (belly dance drum),  performs with her drum ensemble, “Khafif”, and has run workshops on drum therapy for anger management. Unlike many belly dance [...]

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Danielle Sansom

Danielle will be familiar to some belly dancers as the other half of Las Musas, with Debra Napier.   In 2010 she moved to the North Coast and started the Barefoot Gypsies Tribal Belly Dance Company in Lismore and Byron Bay, which encompasses a tribal belly dance school (ATS) and a performance troupe. Here she is [...]

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Virginia

Virginia is the principal of the Cinnamon Twist bellydance school in Wollongong. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5NWwmPtZu0k Cinnamon Twist is unique in offering a range of classes for expectant and new mothers, from prenatal to “Mums and Bubs” classes http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aagevhm9BNE

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Idell

Idell’s video isn’t what you’d normally expect on this site!   She and one of her assistant teachers, Rachelle, appeared on Australia’s Got Talent as ‘Cleofatra”, a bellydance/burlesque type act that certainly got the judges’ attention! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hqPQEVF8DIE Unfortunately, unlike Ferah, they didn’t make it past the semi-finals – but it was great to see belly dance [...]

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Alexandra

Alexandra (aka Sandra Rather) is co-principal of the  Desert Flame School of Belly Dance (with Shameela).  She has been teaching for over 12 years locally and interstate at regional festival workshops. Here she is (front right) with an improv Tribal number: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FLFVnilG-VI Her styles include Egyptian Folkloric, Classical, Tribal and Gypsy. For more details about [...]

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Najida

After a busy national and international bellydancing career, Najida now has an idyllic dance studio is on the slopes of Mount Roland in North West Tasmania. I’m very intrigued to learn that she has a belly dancing cockatoo – now that I have to see! To book a belly dancer or enquire about classes and [...]

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Madonna

Many of us will envy Madonna – her husband Peter is a drummer!  Together they’ve been running the tribal studio DrumDance Bellydance in Toowoomba, Queensland, since 1993. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Iv7Z_CjRg4c Here is the troupe performing at the Feast of the Senses: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zZiG0kk-Nn0 They offer both belly dance and drumming classes.  For details, check out their website at [...]

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Jacqueline Peperkamp

Jacqueline Peperkamp is the director of the Tribal Jewels dance troupe and the Jewels of the Harem dance school in Wollongong. Jacqueline teaches a variety of styles including Modern & Contemporary, ATS, Tribal Style & Tribal Fusion. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gwX-fpSLKOE For more information and contact details, visit her website at jewelsoftheharem.com.au

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Dani

Dani takes a fresh and original look at belly dance, teaching both Belly Dance Fusion and Raks Gothique at her Newcastle school.  The gothic influence doesn’t mean her style is all darkness and shadows – her Fusion classes have plenty of scope for fun and joyfulness. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yd7DjLmL4tk Dani’s school has two performing troupes, the Desert Moon Dancers and [...]

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Julie Abela

Julie Abela has her own studio at Corrimal and is also an importer of high quality belly dance costumes. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9bX4WUEknJc Visit her website at Shimmy.com.au (I’m jealous of that website name!) for more details. The clip below is of her troupe, Shimmy N Sheik. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=57QoAPc4DEQ

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Melantha

It’s good to be able to include a Queensland belly dancer – I know they’re out there somewhere! Melantha is based in Gladstone and has created a lively belly dance scene in that area with her troupe, Veils of Arabia. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_SMSNQKZi4E

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