Female

Seducing audiences with her sensual grace, smoldering inner fire, and technical artistry, Tanja embodies fiercely passionate belly dance. She has been dancing and performing professionally in the San Francisco Bay Area for seven years and is known for her fiery stage presence and high quality of dance.

Tanja is a fusion belly dance artist; she performs a blend of American Tribal and American Cabaret styles of belly dance, one of the hottest styles of belly dance today. She has taught and performed nationally at venues such as nightclubs, theaters, art galleries, trade shows, and cultural festivals. Additionally, Tanja was the 2007 “Tribal Fusion Champion” at the Hips of Fury Belly Dance Contest. She has been featured in Ultra Gypsy’s “Medusa & Machine” (Release Date TBA) and Suhaila’s “Docuality” (YouTube). Tanja’s winning Hips of Fury performance can also be found on YouTube.

Past performance experience includes work with Ultra Gypsy, Bal Anat, Rose Harden, Damage Control Dance Theatre, Bastet, Fat Chance’s Third Tribe, and Lapsus. An active choreographer, Tanja’s work has been featured in Ultra Gypsy, Bastet, Lapsus, and L’Anonyme Collective. During her years in Jill Parker’s Ultra Gypsy, she was an active choreographer and dancer when the dance company received the prestigious Golden Belly Award for the 2005 “Troupe of the Year”. She also participated in the Ultra Gypsy/Urban Tribal “Spark Tour”.

Over her eight plus years of intensive study, Tanja has studied extensively with legendary belly dance masters Suhaila Salimpour and Jill Parker as well as with a multitude of other talented dancers including Carolina Nericcio, Rachel Brice, Zoe Jakes, Heather Stants, Mardi Love, Amy Sigil, Maria Hamer, Olivia Kissel, Karim Nagi, Ansuya, Sandra, Elizabeth Strong, and more. A devoted student of her belly dance guru Suhaila, Tanja obtained Level 2 certification in January 2006 and is currently working toward her Level 3 certification.

Tanja is a founding member of L'Anonyme Collective, a group of like-minded artists coming together in an attempt to take part in the subtle (and sometimes not so subtle) bending of tradition within the belly dance community. Tanja and co-founders, Abby Star and Erin Harper, formed L’Anonyme to offer a vehicle for colleagues and experienced dancers to explore the full spectrum of belly dance styles on a special project basis.

In addition to performing with L’Anonyme Collective, she currently dances independently as a solo artist and as a guest artist with various dance companies. Tanja loves collaborating and doing projects with peers.

Tanja is very excited and proud to be choreographing for Suhaila Salimpour’s Repertoire Ensemble; her choreographic work will be one of the pieces highlighted by Suhaila in the March 2010 Rakkasah West show. She will also be performing the work with the Ensemble.