Teachers
Amazing Instructors in One Place
Constance
Constance Harris, a Denver-based New Jersey native, is a dance fusion artist who specializes in teaching, performing, and choreographing in styles grounded in Africanist aesthetics. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Cultural Anthropology from Dickinson College and a Master of Fine Arts in Dance from the University of Colorado Boulder. She is an accomplished nightlife performer who has appeared at some of the country's liveliest nightclubs and festivals, including The Trestle Inn (Philadelphia), Premier Nightclub (Atlantic City), Mile High Soul Club (Denver), Tracks (Denver), and Global Dance Festival (Denver). She currently works as an instructor for weekly Afrofusion for Block 1750 (Boulder, CO).
Sahira
Sahira is a lifelong performer and has studied music, drama and dance since the age of two. She has dedicated the last 20 years of her life to the art of belly dance and her favorite thing in the world is to share the dance with others. She has trained in both Egyptian and Tribal style belly dance as well as Modern and West African and loves to incorporate all of these influences in her art.
Angel
https://www.angelbellydance.com/bio
Angel Bellydance is a classically trained dancer of many styles including Classical Ballet, Pointe, Jazz, Lyrical, Modern Dance (Limon and Graham techniques), Hip Hop, Latin Dance, Flamenco and Bellydance. She began her dance training in elementary school and was raised as a competition Ballet, Lyrical, Jazz and Hip Hop dancer. She then began her professional dance, modeling and acting career at the age of 18 and has had the privilege of teaching and performing in various cities such as NYC, San Juan (Puerto Rico), Las Vegas, Orlando, Denver, Los Angeles, Virginia, Maryland, New Jersey, and Washington DC.
Arcadia - Brent "Jam Boss" & Crimson Vagabond
In 2004, while in college, Laura, the Crimson Vagabond, was first introduced to belly dance classes at the campus gym. It became a habit in 2008 after taking an Urban Gypsy class from the very talented Silvia Salamanca. Since then Laura has poured her heart and soul into absorbing everything related to the art of belly dance with the understanding that "once a student, always a student." Now she finds even more enjoyment by performing with her percussionist husband, Brent Hurter, a.k.a. Jam Boss Mr. B, the Hands of Fatima at Sherwood Forest Faire, and producing events such as The Crimson Vagabond Roadshow and Jam-A-Thon.
Bahaia
Bahaia of Austin, TX is a long time mover and shaker in the Texas belly dance community. She is the proud owner and principal teacher of the Austin Bellydance studio est. 2013, and a producer with over 40 events to her credit, including The Austin Belly Dance Convention, and Cabaret Dance Camp. She was a judge on the belly dance reality show, “Project Belly Dance” Season 2, and is a featured video artist on the Cheeky Girls label. Bahaia is also the current president of The Austin Belly Dance Association. When she’s not dancing, she enjoys spending time with her family exploring nature, or playing new wave tabletop board games.
Baila Pacifica
Baila Pacifica is an Oceanic Dance & Fire Group based in Central Texas. Since 2007, BP has been sharing the Polynesian & Micronesian culture by performing throughout Texas and surrounding states.
Brittney
Brittney Laleh Banaei is an Iranian-American dancer, scholar, bodyworker, and educator. Her integrative approach to movement (and life) combines her passions of inclusivity, critical thought, empowerment, decolonization, and wellness.
Brittney is a STOTT Pilates® trained instructor, a certified Gyrotonic® instructor, a licensed massage therapist, and an avid weightlifter. She uses those skills to help other humans find growth, ease, and confidence in their chosen movement practice(s). She holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Dance from Missouri State University with a minor in Middle Eastern Studies (history, comparative politics) as well as a Master of Fine Arts in Dance from the University of Colorado, Boulder. Brittney's research dealt with investigating themes of surveillance, erasure/invisibilization, and humor as they relate to the development, exploration, and transmutation of identity.
Feel-Goods: Pulling from systems such as Gyrokinesis®, Pilates, Myofascial release, and other bodywork techniques, this workshop offers feel-good flows that focus on restoration, strengthening, and flexibility. Depending on what the bodies in the classroom need, topics such as injury prevention, working with injuries, and functional integration may also be covered.
Cheyney
Cheyney Teagan is an Austin-based performer, specializing in Raqs Sharqi (“dance of the East”) and American Cabaret Style (aka “bellydance”), a derivative of Raqs Sharqi. Cheyney also has an extensive background in classical dance, as well as Argentine Tango, Salsa, and Bachata.
Cheyney’s performances have been described as “full of zest and joyous energy,” and she loves to interact with her audience! Community and connections with people are at the heart of her dance practice.
When Cheyney isn’t dancing, she works on designing custom dance costumes and accessories, as well as producing dance shows that support local artists. She also leads the Austin chapter of “Shimmy Mob,” an international organization dedicated to raising awareness of and preventing domestic violence
Colleen
Colleen has been performing and teaching around Central Texas for over 14 years. Her company Bellydance 4 Everyone puts shows on throughout Central Texas that welcomes all forms of Bellydance and all dancers who want to perform. She is also part of the Central Texas Bellydance Association where she serves as their Vice President. And recently winning Judges Choice for most Entertaining at Yaa Halla Y’all 2021 Convention and Competition. Colleen enjoys mixing in theater with her dance. She is known to show multiple emotions when she performs. You never know what to expect when she hits the Stage or teaches a class.
Devin
Devin Alfather is a multidisciplinary dancer currently specializing in theatrical Fusion Bellydance, Egyptian Bellydance (Raqs Sharqi) and other MENAHT and world Fusion dances. When not tearing up the stages in Texas and beyond, she can be found teaching out of the Minx + Muse in Austin and giving workshops to detail-hungry dancers. She seeks to keep one foot in either world, and is a continuous student of source materials and dancers.
.png)
Elizabeth Kerry
Elizabeth considers herself a lifelong student. Over the years, she has had the fortune to train with master performers and instructors including Megha Gavin, Tamalyn Dallal, Raqia Hassan (Egypt), Amel Tafsout (Algeria), Rachel Brice, and Moria Chappell. Using this training and her own personal journey through injuries, breast cancer, and chronic health conditions, Elizabeth has a unique perspective on dance. Physical limitations have required her to analyze and refine technique to develop alternative pathways to create efficient movement - resulting in safe, beautiful isolations and extensions. She is extremely grateful for the accessibility and benefits that this dance form provides.
Through her relaxed, thorough, and approachable teaching style, she empowers her students to challenge their bodies and mind in a safe, encouraging setting. Now she wants to help YOU find the joy dance has to offer. Her dance classes are truly for EVERY BODY - no matter ability, size, shape, or age.
Known for her elegant lines, deep curves, and friendly approach, Elizabeth is a teacher, performer, and creator based in South Mississippi. She is a Certified Datura Style™ Instructor, a proud member of the Crescent Lotus Dance troupe in New Orleans and the Wayward Dance Collective based in Austin, Texas. When not dancing, you can find her outside staring at the stars, tending the forest, or hunched over the table creating Crowns and adornments for The Scarlet Rose design studio.
Emalie Vann Ghonima
*
Emalie Vann Ghonima is a dancer, choreographer, researcher, and Artistic Dance Director of Museum H Studios, a collective creating educational and artistic exhibits, media, and dance.
She has performed in dance projects with cultural organizations such as the Harvard Art Museums, Harvard Dance Center, Houston Museum of Natural Science, Asia Society Texas Center, and Houston Egyptian Festival. She has an MA from Teachers College, Columbia University graduate school of education, health, and psychology, and researched dance digital media and anthropology with the Harvard Museum Studies Graduate Program.
_edited_edited_edited.jpg)
Jamie Lynn
With over two decades of dancing and discovery, Jamie Lynn shares her enthusiasm of Middle Eastern Dance through performance, teaching and producing events in Central Texas. Multiple degrees in the Fine Arts, in addition to her love of travel, research and personal enrichment, spark a continued interest in the historical and cultural importance of this dance through its musical and movement history. As a dancer, she seeks to “illustrate” the music with movements, with the belief that a deeper understanding of what the music “tells us” to dance can lead to a lifetime of enrichment. Technique is the basis, but expression is the goal. She has been honored to teach and perform nationally and internationally and was a featured performer on AMC TV’s Showville, as well as a variety of independent films, festivals and stage shows and with live bands from around the country. She has traveled, performed and studied in Egypt, Turkey, and Greece. She has performed at notable events such as Ballet Austins Gala Event, The Bullock Museum IMAX Theatre opening of "Arabia", and The Twelfth Night Ball of the Krew of Okeanos (Mardi Gras).
_edited.jpg)
Kamrah
Viral TikTok star, performer, teacher, and more! Kamrah is Chicago’s first trans masculine belly dancer. He has performed fusion, American cabaret, Lebanese, and Egyptian belly dance since 2001. He has taught at festivals like Tribal Fest® in Sebastopol, CA, the largest belly dance festival in the world, Tempest’s Waking Persephone (Seattle) in 2014, 2015, and 2016, and 2020 (online), Tribal Revolution (now Fusion Evolution) and, had the event not been canceled, at the Las Vegas Belly Dance Intensive in 2016. Noted for his creativity, isolations, and theatricality, he currently performs throughout the country as a soloist. Kamrah is also a member of Raks Geek (directed by Dawn Xiana Moon), a geek belly dance and fire company based in Chicago that has garnered press from MSN and The Daily Mail. Kamrah has also danced with Tucson-based Skirt Full of Fire, directed by Jolie Roberson.
_edited.jpg)
Kathleen Johnson
Kathy has been enamored with dance and the flow arts since taking her first classes in 2014. She has experience with multiple group improvisational belly dance formats and enjoys experimenting with props like sword and poi. As a performer, Kathy performs with improvisational group and fusion troupes as well as in the flow arts focusing on palm torches, fire poi and fire staff. As an instructor, Kathy has taught dance fitness, group improvisational belly dance, beginner Oriental dance, and fire safety and is excited to offer an introduction to the art of the poi! Kathy credits her friends at Baila Pacifica for nurturing the love of poi and fire.
.png)
Leigh Ann Moya
https://www.facebook.com/moyabellydance
Leigh Ann Moya is a former band director turned belly dancer who has dedicated her life to art, music and movement. Her diverse training in contemporary dance, martial arts, aerial arts, yoga and contortion contribute to her unique and evolving dance style.
Liora
Liora has studied many styles of bellydance for over 15 years with Isabel Crunk, Diane Adams, and Zi’ah Ali in Atlanta. Here in Austin she performs, teaches, choreographs, creates costumes, and directs Mayura Blue. She has danced with April Rose’s Perennial Dance Company and Hands of Fatima at Sherwood Forest Faire. She has taught workshops across the south and studies ballet, jazz, ATS, ITS, Polynesian, and dances of India. Liora toured with Bellydance Evolution’s Fantasm, performing in Atlanta, on the East Coast and the European Tours. She is a founding member of the Migrations team.
Silvia Salamanca
Silvia Salamanca is an internationally acclaimed performer, choreographer and instructor from Mallorca, Spain. A life-long dancer, she graduated at the age of nineteen as a major in ballet and performed professionally as a modern dancer in major Europe festivals with the contemporary dance company of the University of Barcelona.
She started her career as a belly dancer in 2001, when realizing the enormous benefits that this art-form brings in both, body and soul. In her own studio, she keeps observing how women can get closer to their self identity and discover oneself in a new level, increasing self-esteem, and getting deeply in touch with the feminine essence in their soul through bellydance.
As a natural evolution in her journey, Silvia discovered tribal fusion in the USA and combined it with a deep research into her own cultural roots: Arabic and Spanish gitana. Hence with her work in the field of Zambra Mora (spanish gitano-oriental dance fusion), Silvia gained international recognition and is currently invited to teach workshops and perform as a headliner in major festivals world-wide. Silvia is also known for her work dancing with swords, which she feels depicts the strength.
Silvia is also the director of Shunyata Belly Dance, a nationally awarded tribal fusion company and a proud member of Urban Hips, Houston’s premiere ITS troupe.
.png)
Suzanne Suzanne
I’m "Suzanne Suzanne". I’ve been a performer, multiple award-winning competitor, & choreographer 20+ yrs in multiple styles including Hip-hop, Reggae, Tahitian, Modern, African and Belly Dance with styles including Cabaret, Fusion, Tribal Fusion, Belly Burlesque Fusion, Kizomba Belly Fusion & Bollywood Fusion. I’ve headlined, taught, &/or performed in various festivals and public and private event across TX, GA, & FL. Currently, I’m an instructor & Project Band member at Karavan Studio.