Female

I am an avid pursuer of all things bellydance. For me, dance is water for a parched soul.
My experiences with dance came to me when I was living in Southern California. I sought the sort of bellydance that all non-dancers are familiar with: Something simply called "bellydance", and I met it at a community center in Hermosa Beach. Formal education for me, up until that point, had been extremely frustrating and daunting. I had to stir up a lot of courage to put myself in the position to learn anything in a classroom setting, especially something that involved moving my body and looking goofy in front of a lot of other people who were undoubtedly much more experienced than I. I'd like to tell you this first experience was a positive one that has lead me down the path to where I am today, years later, as a dance obsessive. But it wasn't. In fact, it was a lot like I was afraid it would be. The only thing good about that class was that I got Mono two weeks into it and could no longer attend!
Upon my recovery I mustered up the courage to try another class, hoping to have a better experience elsewhere. Afriend of mine recommended Fathiem, a local dancer out of Long Beach who offered affordable classes and a friendlier dance setting. I faithfully attended her classes for 6 months, and during that time I eagerly lapped up any information I could on the art of middle eastern dance. I learned about the difference between Cabaret, which was what I had been learning up until that point, and Tribal. After viewing some tribal performances I knew it was for me and sought another teacher. A friend (the same friend, in fact) suggested trying Katerina's class, also out of Long Beach. She taught tribal classes out of her home not very far from where I was currently learning, so of course I signed up as soon as I could.
This "tribal" style I'd been watching, was different from the tribal I was learning in Katarina's class. Katarina taught American Tribal Style, up until that point I had mainly been seeing Tribal Fusion. My teacher warned me that beginning dancers and dancers who learned Cabaret originally were often put off by the structure and rigidity of ATS. I assumed that I would be too, at the time feeling I was more of a conceptualist anyway. I bided my time for a few sessions, trying to decide what I was going to do with myself after I determined that ATS wasn't for me.
But it was! Soon, even though I was the one in class spinning in the wrong direction and stumbling out of my place in formation, I knew I wanted to keep doing this!
I eventually went on to perform a student recital with my classmates. At that point I took stock of my journey from fear of making a fool of myself, to confidence borne from the process of practice, and I loved where I was. I never realized how much dance would show me about my personal strengths. Dance helped me learn how to overcome fears, it took me by the hand and walked me through things that would have otherwise caused me to go into a blind terror. It taught me to view my body with a smile instead of a grimace, and to be aware of how it could move me through my daily life in a way I never had been aware of before. I learned to deal with mean teachers, catty class mates and my personal inability to grasp footwork. Bellydance absolutely taught me a new way of life. It left no aspect of my former way of living untouched.
A foot injury took me out of my usual dancing circle for a few months. I resumed ATS classes with a different teacher, Alexiis, who to me was a wonderful teacher and wonderful friend.
One year after my introduction to ATS I left Southern California, where I'd lived most of my life, to what I hoped were greener pastures and better housing markets. I arrived in Humboldt county in September and my immediate goal was to find a local tribal class.
If you're from Humboldt county, you might know what I mean when I say it was hard! Names were recommended to me, but no websites or phone numbers could be found. Eventually I got lucky and took two classes at the Common Ground community center before everything shut down for the holidays. I counted the days until classes would resume, and when the teacher I had been learning with let me know she was no longer able to teach, I sought anything I could get my hands on. Shoshanna had been spoken of so highly that I thought a foray back into Cabaret would be the best course of action. I did just that and have found everything that I've heard about Shoshanna to be true, she's a wonderfully talented woman.
And now for the present time. I have been lucky to find opportunities that allowed me to teach in the underserved Fortuna area with the occasional class taking place in Eureka and Arcata. I am thrilled to be able to pass on the information I have learned in the unique ways and patterns my teachers bequeathed it to me. I continue to learn locally with Shoshanna, Marjhani and many of the talented dancers who travel here to teach and perform.