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Lebanese Simon was born and raised in northern Lebanon. With a natural passion for cultural arts, he found himself drawn closer to dance. Simon has traveled internationally to teach, perform, and share his passion for this art form.
His style of Lebanese Folk Dabke is described as strong, captivating, and deeply heartfelt. Through Raks Sharki dance, his first love, Simon reveals his personal creative approach and his passion. In workshops, Simon focuses on drilling combinations with a focus on technique and rhythms. Most importantly, he focuses on executing the moves yet staying emotionally connected to the melody and the storyline. His versatility in dance has brought him very close to the hearts of a wide range of audiences and followers around the world.
Since 2010, Simon has served as artistic director and manager for the Al Awtar Zaffa folklore group based in Houston, Texas. Settled in Houston, Texas, Simon is a Structural Engineer and enjoys horseback riding. Simon organizes yearly cultural tours to Egypt and Lebanon; attend his workshops to learn more.
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Habiba Addo, a native of Ghana is a performing and teaching artist in Dance, Theater, and Music. She has studied and experienced formal and informal training in Afro-Cuban, Afro-Brazilian, West African, and Western Dance genres. She shares her love for music, dance, and storytelling through study and teaching.
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Bevin Victoria is a Portland-based performing artist with almost 20 years of experience in the field. She is a versatile Fusion dancer and choreographer, specializing in Jazz, Street Jazz, Transcultural Fusion, Acro, and Contemporary movement. With a background in gymnastics, musical theater, Tae Kwon Do, and Wushu, Bevin combines her passion for dance and athletics as a personal trainer and multi-disciplinary movement instructor.
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* Website * Facebook * Instagram *
* Music * Datura Online * Youtube
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The legendary Amel Tafsout, meaning ‘Hopes of Spring’, is an inspirational first source master dance artist, choreographer, instructor, frame drummer, singer, energy worker, and one of the finest exponents of North African traditional and contemporary Maghreb Dance of our time. With research in dance anthropology and long training in various healing practices, Tafsout’s knowledge of her culture and her experience in many dance styles and music make her very unique.
Raised in Algeria among the finest traditional dancers and musicians, Tafsout was fascinated by dance and music since childhood. In her early twenties, Tafsout moved to Germany where she founded the Pan-Arabic dance company ‘Banat As Sahra’. In the late 80s, she moved to London, U.K. where she taught and performed at various dance and music festivals and founded ‘The Tafsoutettes’ Dance Company. While currently living in the U.S.A. she is still performing and teaching worldwide.
Tafsout is like a voyager between countries, cultures, and languages. Having worked and lived all over the world, unsurprisingly, migration has been a constant theme in her work. Fluent in 5 languages, she is always aware of the impact that cultures have on art and how that can be expressed in dance.
Amel has lectured, danced, taught, sung, and conducted anthropological research in many countries. She has been featured in various TV programs in Europe and North Africa. She also published many articles related to dance and Maghreb women in academic and popular magazines. Her research focuses on the Ritual in Maghreb dances as well as looking at dance as a healing form. She explores the rich tapestry of movement and rhythm that has woven over time between Spain and the Maghreb, Africa and the Middle East, the Mediterranean Sea, and Europe.
Tafsout developed, reconstructed, and stylized the Maghreb dances through her dance experience, her research, her teaching, and her performances. She had mesmerized audiences around the world with the earthy fluidity of her dance, her stunning stage presence, and her great spirituality.
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* Website * Instagram * Facebook * Datura Online *
Photo by Josie Lewis Photography
Photo by Maria Lewis
Asteria got her dance start at the age of 3 and has been an unstoppable force. Her dance experience spans over 33 years and has circumnavigated the globe as an educator, choreographer, and performer. Her mission in life has been to make dance accessible for all bodies. If you have a body, you are a dancer. Dance is for everyBODY.
After receiving her dance degree from Northwestern Michigan College in a modern dance concentration, she took her skills around the globe where she worked in performing arts schools and dinner theaters across Australia and New Zealand. There she found her love of burlesque in addition to her other loves of contemporary, jazz, theater, and modern dance.
When she came back to the States, she ended up in Portland, OR, and has made it her home ever since. Here, she discovered her love of pole and the aerial arts. She continues to coach dance and pole around Portland, as well as performing in venues across the United States, spanning from Alaska to San Francisco, and New York. Asteria hosts fat-bodied exclusive pole and dance classes in the Portland Metro Area because she realized that the first demographic to be excluded from diversity, equity, and inclusion work are fat bodies. Asteria is the Assistant Dance Center Manager at BodyVox Dance Center, where she teaches, choreographs, and strives to build a safe and fun place for all bodies of all levels to explore dance. Most recently, you can catch her as the star of Robbie Fitzsimmons' new music video, 'Excuse Me', on YouTube.
Asteria is also in residency with From the Ground UP. A Research and Development Center for New Art is a Portland OR based organization that fosters the creation of new art. We seek to expand, reimagine, and invent new ways of making, producing, and presenting art. Focusing on marginalized populations we elevate sidelined voices, invoke important community dialogues, and support the creation and presentation of stories that are often overlooked. Knowing that by bringing these stories to the forefront we can create spaces that empower artists, invite the unusual, challenge norms, and forge new pathways that uplift individuals and communities both here and beyond." (from fromthegrounduppdx.net)
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Khadijah is an Artist of Middle-Eastern dance based out of Denver, Colorado. Khadijah is known for her upbeat and energetic style in various genres of Arabic modern and folk-style dances. Khadijah has been featured in Bellydance magazine, Hafla TV, Univision Spanish TV, and other worldwide Middle-Eastern publications.
When Khadijah is not traveling she is teaching and performing across the world, she performs in many 5-star establishments all over Colorado. Khadijah comes from a musical family. Because of her culture and Gulf upbringing, this has led Khadijah to promote and teach the world about the Gulf region and beyond.
When Khadijah isn’t traveling and shaking around, she has a successful career in Veterinary Medicine and is busy saving the lives of pets one by one! Some of her many hobbies include Mixed martial arts, raising chickens, gun collecting/shooting, organic gardening, motorcycle racing, horses, reading, cooking, running, and being heavily involved with the Muslim community in interfaith sessions.
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* Website
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.
He is a trained massage therapist, and his knowledge of anatomy enables him to teach students how to dance both powerfully and safely.
Kamrah has 13 years of experience in a variety of martial arts, including kenpo, jiu-jitsu, karate, and kendo. He won third place at Tae Kwon Do World Championships (White Belt) and studied kung fu with Lou Illar (Sidekicks with Chuck Norris). He is also a research scientist with a background in molecular biology, biochemistry, and immunology, but now works as a software developer.
Kamrah currently resides in Chicago, Illinois, and is available for workshops and classes all over the country.
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The Baksana Ensemble is based out of the U.S. Pacific Northwest; our name comes from a Turkish interjection meaning “Hey, check it out!” Baksana presents live music and dance inspired by Egyptian Raqs Sharqi, Turkish Oryental, and Balkan line dance. In love with finger cymbals, folkloric study, and the magic of improvisation, these artists create colorful, playful, and dynamic entertainment.
Director: Danielle Elizabeth
Dancer/Musicians: Morgan Fay, Bevin Victoria, Carla Michelle, Makeda, and Elise
Music Director: Kaya Hellman
Musicians: Ryan Pletcher, Evgeny Voevodin
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Morgan Fay is an award-winning Raqs Sharqi (Belly Dance) artist based in Portland, OR. She performs weekly in the Portland Metro area as a solo artist and is a member of Baksana Ensemble, a music & dance company.
Morgan is a Datura Style Teacher and 8 Elements Certified Practitioner. She has completed the Journey Through Egypt certification program, having studied Egyptian dance, music, culture, and history in Cairo, Luxor, and Aswan Egypt. Morgan is also level 3 certified in Suhaila & Jamila Salimpour Formats.
She is the 2018 Belly Dancer USA Pro Live Music Improv champion and received third place in the 2019 Belly Dancer USA Professional category. Morgan was the 2019 La Danse Orientale Live Drum Solo champion, as well as the 2019 La Danse Orientale Pro Live Music champion.
Morgan is a musician, playing a variety of percussion instruments including finger cymbals, frame drum, riqq, derbake, and davul, and is currently studying violin.
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Aksana Danilava– An international professional dancer, teacher, and choreographer. Born in Minsk, Belarus, currently lives in Portland, Oregon, USA.
A great and upbeat entertainer, she can be found dancing in Middle Eastern restaurants and parties throughout the Pacific Northwest and sometimes traveling with Jillina's Bellydance Evolution productions.
As a professional diver from childhood, she was trained in gymnastics and trampoline acrobatics. Later she studied different dance forms including Flamenco and Indian classical and folk dance. Currently, she is a personal trainer, coach, and fitness instructor. Her focus is on Barre, flexibility, and strength formats. This lends a strong athletic quality to her energetic and expressive performance style.
For the last couple of years, Aksana has been intensely studying a variety of Modern Belly dance styles -including regional and folkloric dance styles of the Middle East and was mentored and working privately for 3 years with Ruby Beh in developing her unique dance style. Auditioning and becoming a Dancer for multiple Jillinas BellyDance Evolution theatrical productions! Aksana developed a love for theatrical Belly dance style and props. Her current addiction is working and dancing with veil poi and glow poi.
Her passion for the dance has made her a lifelong student continuing to pursue new styles, music, and modes of expression.
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Photo by Studio Sura
Photo by Michael Baxter
Claudia has been a belly dancer in the Portland area for nearly 20 years. Her unique and passionate style has led her to perform and teach in places such as Turkey, Lebanon, and Japan. Wherever in the world Claudia finds herself dancing, audiences agree that her dance is highly expressive and powerful.
In addition to her achievements as a performer, instructor, and choreographer, Claudia hopes to expand her contribution to dancers and non-dancers alike, inspiring understanding and appreciation of this sacred art.
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Heather is a raqs sharqi (belly dance) performer, teacher, and lifelong student based in Portland, Oregon. She has established herself as an elegant and polished performer for weddings, parties, festival stages, and everything in between. She is known for her intuitive musicality, soulful movement quality, natural playfulness, and inviting charm.
A dedicated enthusiast of the art of raqs sharqi, Heather studies regularly with the top dancers in the world and has traveled to Egypt to deepen her understanding of the music and culture. She embraces every opportunity to grow as an artist, regularly working with live music and collaborating with other professional dancers in the Pacific Northwest.
With a background in literature, poetry, and education, Heather brings a unique lens to dance. She grew up in a musical household which nurtured an ear for music early on. Heather believes in cultivating precision and authenticity in the dancers she works with, using somatic movement exercises and life coaching skills in addition to technique and cultural awareness.
Heather has been teaching for as long as she’s been performing. With a keen eye for movement, she has become a sought after teacher and workshop instructor. She has been a featured instructor on Datura Online, where she has been a featured instructor for over ten years and currently coaches advanced and professional dancers one-on-one.
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All photos by Studio Sura
Mariana is a dance and fitness professional.
She is known for her cheerful personality and her engaging and dynamic performances. She brings her positive attitude to her teaching and personal training as well.
Mariana has been a lifelong athlete. She's been a rock and alpine climbing instructor, a Level I Ski Instructor, completed several triathlons, including a half-ironman and has climbed several of the Northwest's highest peaks, such as Mt. Rainier, Mt. Baker, Mt. Olympus and countless other lesser known peaks.
In 2008 she was training for the Seattle To Portland (STP) Bicycle Ride when she was struck by a car on her bike. The injuries led to her no longer being able to pursue her love of mountaineering and long distance cycling. Struggling with hip mobility from the accident, a friend suggested she try bellydance.
Mariana has passionately pursued her love for bellydance. Mariana has traveled across the US, North Africa, the Levant region, Turkey and Greece to train and perform.
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Aziza of Montreal, formerly Portland, fell in love with dance at the age of 3. She continued to experiment with many styles and develop her skills as a classical dancer until she found her true love, the art of Middle Eastern Dance over three decades ago. Her devotion to and passion for the art has led to numerous awards and recognitions. Aziza is now one of the brightest, most in demand stars of belly dance in the world today, known for her amazing ability to communicate the music by mixing the best of classical Middle Eastern dance with her own innovative twist.
Aziza’s amazing improvisational skills and her unparalleled ability to inspire students to get to the next level make her the master artist and mentor audiences and students find memorable. A sought after instructor, and also a lifetime learner, Aziza continues to perform and teach for students and audiences across the globe.
She wakes up every day grateful to all of you for making her dreams possible. Aziza’s promise is to always be equally dedicated to helping you also realize your dreams in the art of belly dance!