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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Tamara

Tamara Taylor is the director of the Hipnotic Bellydance school, and a well-known belly dance artist in Brisbane. She’s not only a belly dancer with over 20 years’ experience, but also a musician, performing with the Middle Eastern music ensemble Muziz.  As if that’s not enough, she’s also a qualified Pilates and fitness instructor! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mDZtL3QFjm8 [...]

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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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Shakeela

Shakeela is a versatile Adelaide-based dancer, with a strong background in both belly dance and Bollywood dance styles. Here she is in a Bollywood routine (she’s the blonde): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zsbFPdhbMmk Shakeela currently teaches Bollywood at the Belly Dance Arabesque school, under the name Marissa. She can also be seen performing regularly at various Middle Eastern and [...]

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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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Eve AppleSnake

Eve is an Aussie but has only returned to our shores in recent years. Although Eve studied bellydancing in her late teens, she turned to modern jazz, Latin and Hip Hop to develop her professional career.  She has danced in companies all over the world in a variety of genres.  During a tour of Egypt, [...]

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Hanan Aboud

Hanan Aboud is the founder of the Ahlam Belly Dance Centre in South Australia. Of Middle Eastern origin but growing up in Africa, she overcame many obstacles to realize her dream of studying dance in Lebanon, the land of her roots. With over 30 years’ experience in dance, Hanan is passionate about authenticity in Middle [...]

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Despina Rosales

It’s great to be able to add Despina to this site. Her fitness training and broad experience of belly dance combine to make her an excellent teacher. In fact, her “Dreaming of Jeannie Bellydancing Academy” was one of the biggest belly dance schools in Sydney and produced some of our top dancers. In 2005 (much [...]

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Ekaterini

Ekaterini Floratos will be known to both Sydney and Melbourne readers, as she began her career in Melbourne, danced with Jane and Daria in Sydney, and has now returned to Melbourne. Today, she is a member of the well-known Underbelly dance troupe as well as a teacher, performer and choreographer in her own right. She’s [...]

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Johara

Johara is a familiar face on the Sydney belly dance scene, both as a performer and as a teacher at  Hips Don’t Lie Bellydance Academy. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZNvOsh4jo9Y Johara is one of those lucky Australian bellydancers to have studied with Paivi Mielikäinen, and it shows, both in her technical knowledge and her understanding of folkloric styles. Slender, [...]

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Amber Hansen

I’ve just finished browsing through Amber’s beautiful website, TheTree.com.au, and recommend you do the same! The Tree (Ash-Shajara) is the name of her “creative initiative dedicated to traditional and contemporary performance, creative arts and research within the fields of Arab, Middle Eastern, Oriental and Diaspora culture, art, music and dance”. Of all the bellydancers I’ve [...]

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Ileana

Most Sydney belly dancers will be familiar with the name Ileana – because she’s not just a belly dance teacher and performer, she also runs a busy belly dance costume and costume hire business. I often publish a written interview with the belly dancer, but in Ileana’s case I don’t have to do that – [...]

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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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Seda Jurin

Seda is a Sydney-based belly dancer and teacher.    If you’re wondering why her name sounds familiar, you may remember her from Aerobics Oz Style: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K1JdNS_yw2o However, unlike some would-be “bellydance aerobics” instructors, Seda is a genuine professional belly dancer, Turkish-born and trained, as you can see from this clip: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZvkI6puNjM8 Seda has published several belly [...]

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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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Vonika

I’d like to welcome Vonika, who is a recent arrival in Sydney but already making her mark on the Sydney bellydance scene.   Her training and experience extends beyond Tribal and Tribal Fusion bellydancing into bodymind modalities such as yoga, tantra and ritual dance, which she draws on to create her workshops on “Dancing the Chakras” [...]

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Shanne

Tribal dancer Shanne is based in Brisbane and is part of the Opalesque dance troupe with Erin, Kelly and Jodi.    Like many tribal belly dancers, she’s inspired by the spiritual aspects of the dance and the unique connection between women participating in a dance. Shanne is also the principal of SpiralBody Belly Dance, which offers [...]

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Rabiya

Rabiya is a tall, graceful belly dancer from Sydney.   A consummate performer, she was the worthy winner of the Belly Dance Star Awards, which were held during Dina’s visit to Sydney in 2010. You can book Rabiya through Amera’s Palace. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Qk1P_VDnUs

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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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