2016 Teachers

Billy travels extensively spreading peace through his music. A recording artist and nationally known drummer and instructor, Billy’s teachings, music and soulful heart have won him friends and fans across the lands. Also a Qi-Gung practitioner, Billy teaches and leads Qi-Gung classes across the US.

As Wandering Abbot of Spirit Gate temple (Shen-men Gaun) Billy is touring and spreading the word that “the time of greed is over.”  www.BillyWoods.com

Bindu Bolar is an International Tribal Fusion Performing Artist / Teacher from India. Fondly called as Tribalina, she is considered the face of Tribal Fusion Belly Dancing in India. She, is a Rachel Brice: 8 elements Initiate. She has also learnt with Zoe Jakes, Carolena Nerricio, Moria Chappell, Kami Liddle and many more teachers. She is the winner of the first Belly Dance competition in India and has the title of “The most Hypnotic Belly Dancer”. She is also the winner of “Belly Dancer of the Year -2015” (Tribal Soloist category), Orinda, CA.
Bindu who has been dancing from the age of 3, is passionate both about teaching and learning dance and considers herself a life long student of dance.  She has more than 12 years of experience in field of Bollywood dancing and has been Belly dancing from past 8 years.When not travelling for teaching, performing, judging Bindu, likes to spend time with her students in her studio “LIGHTS CAMERA DANCE” which has been training students in various genres of dance since 2007.
She is also trained in other styles of dance like  Hip Hop, B-Boying, Kathak, Salsa, Merengue, Jive, Bachata and Contemporary. Having trained in these dance forms has resulted in a very unique fusion in her style of Tribal Fusion Belly Dancing. Her movements are characterized by intense and precise muscular isolation’s, and very sharp dime breaks & pops which contribute to her very mesmerizing and hypnotic style. Elegant yet strong her technique draws inspiration from Indian dances,nature and wild life.

Carmine is an accomplished instructor, teaching doumbek both nationally and internationally. His students compliment his lively and engaging teaching style and his ability to make complex technique and intricate rhythms easy to learn. Located in New York City, Carmine is a member of several music ensembles including Middle Eastern fusion group “Djinn.” Carmine’s music has been featured on several CDs and DVDs as well as prime time T.V. shows. www.Carmine.com

Carrie Meyer, owner of The Dancers Eye – Fine Bellydance Photography, began bellydancing in 2001, little did she know at the time that this was just the beginning of a love affair with dance for her that has now spanned a decade. During this time, she has studied traditional Egyptian, folkloric, ATS and ITS, and has danced in groups that have featured all of these styles. Regardless of the photographic subject matter, Carrie’s work shares certain commonalities. The clarity of the images represented, thoughtful composition, and the meaning of the moments in time that she captures characterize her work. The foundation of her work builds out from the strength and power of the basic images, and the personality, of her subjects. Having married her love of bellydance with her love of photography, Carrie offers her dancer subjects a unique opportunity to work with an artist who truly understands the dance, and how dancers want themselves to be portrayed. Carrie is a staff photographer for Fuse, and her work has been featured on the covers and pages of Fuse, Jareeda, Zagareet, The ATS Magazine and Yallah.

DALIA CARELLA is a renowned Near/Middle Eastern and world fusion solo artist, choreographer, master teacher, and the Founder/Artistic Director of the Dalia Carella Dance Collective. Ms. Carella has delved deeply in Near Eastern dance and Turkish Romani dance, as well as Flamenco, Indian, Bollywood/Bhangra, Afro-Haitian, Samba, Salsa, Bomba and Plena from Puerto Rico, Tango and Western dance such as jazz and ballet. The dance forms Dalia teachers world-wide are Dance Orientale Cabaret, Belly Dance, Flamenco Araby, Turkish Romani and Belly Dance Tango Fusion. Her rich background has lead her to make works utilizing both ethnic and contemporary movement, that are ingrained with a deep spiritual and mystical essence. She is known for her explorations into cultural dance forms, her precise and seamless blending of traditional and modern dance in the theatrical context, and for her dark and sultry cabaret stylings, evocative of the European underground, circa the 1920s and 30s. Dalia’s company, The Dalia Carella Dance Collective (DCDC) will be performing her new production of “SHE” – Female Voices Heard and Unheard, October 22-25, 2015 in New York City. For more information go to : www.daliacarella.com/she/ Ms. Carella’s numerous concerts and teaching tours have led her throughout the US, Canada, England, Puerto Rico, Switzerland, Germany, Spain, Portugal, China, Japan, Italy, and Turkey.

As a transnational fusion dance artist, Donna Mejia distinctive aesthetic dialogs the secular dances of North Africa and the Arab World with American Hip Hop dance and sub-genres of electronic dance. Donna also teaches the Brazilian Silvestre Dance Technique and is a primary representative after twenty years of practice. In October of 2011 she was selected by the Fulbright Association to present the 2011 Selma Jeanne Cohen Endowed lecture for International Scholarship in Dance, notably for her paper “Digital Diasporas and Transnational Dance Communities: The Effects of the Internet on Identity Formation and Collective Cultural Memory.” She joined the University of Colorado at Boulder’s Theatre and Dance department in 2012 as the first Assistant Professor of tribal fusion dance globally. Donna continued her research on Digital Diasporas by producing the first academic Viral Dance Colloquium in 2014 (CU Boulder) and is currently working on several writing projects. Donna received her Master of Fine Arts degree from Smith College on full fellowship, has been a guest artist in residence for eighteen colleges, was the 2013 keynote speaker for Syracuse University’s Symposium on Public Diplomacy and was selected by USA Today as a prominent artist in their review of new images of Black Women in contemporary media (February 2015). She balances her time teaching and touring internationally to teach, lecture, and perform for private sponsors, festivals and community organizations. Donna was the choreographer and solo dancer featured in the 2015 NYC off-Broadway production of 11 Reflections on September, and performed the show at the venerable LaMama Theatre (three week run), The Apollo Theater, and The Kennedy Center in Washington D.C. (http://donnainthedance.wordpress.com/)

Elizabeth performer, teacher, director and event sponsor. has been teaching tribal fusion belly dance for more than 13 years. She loves inspiring her students and seeing them transform through the strength and artistry born of disciplined, joyful practice.

Elizabeth is founder of Muse Studio, Golden, CO, where she teachers weekly classes and leads student performance groups. She is currently studying with Rachel Brice and is a recognized Rachel Brice’s 8 Elements Phase 2: Cultivation practitioner. She is also certified in ATS General Skills and Teaching under Fat Chance Belly Dance.

As the hostess and founder of the Elevation Belly Dance Extravaganza,she continues to be inspired by, in awe of, and extremely grateful to this amazing global tribal dance community. www.ElevationBellyDance.com

Kami has studied various dance styles throughout her life, but found her true passion, Belly Dance, when she was 18 years old. She has studied cabaret style belly dance then found Fat Chance Belly Dance Tribal Style. She began to perform as a soloist incorporating other styles into her ATS repertoire such as modern, hip hop, jazz and Bhangra dance. After earning her degree in Art with a Minor in Dance from the University of Nevada, Reno in 2005, she decided to pursue her passion full time and since then has performed and taught in over 20 countries. Kami toured with the Bellydance Superstars for 6 years and was a contributing choreographer as well as the director of the Tribal Superstars. She is based out of San Francisco, CA and currently tours the world as a solo artist and occasionally tours with Beats Antique.

Kamille dances with one goal in mind- unabashed fulfillment. Passion and an unexpected sense of humor drive her performances. She uses music of all types to tap in to the audience’s own memories to stir their hearts, andadds to it a deep knowledge of history and ethnic movement to excite their minds. She thoroughly enjoys being the fearless leader of RockaBelly, now with their apprentice troupe The Playthings. Kamille teaches regularly on Thursdays in Oakland, CA. Look at www.rockabellydance.com for more information and for RockaBelly’s upcoming show, “More Cowbell!” in January 2016!

Madame Onça, aka Lauren Onça O’Leary, is a career entertainer based on the East Coast. She travels internationally, teaching and performing dance, torch-songs, and stagecraft. A born instigator of community, Madame Onça has produced twenty weekend-long festivals in both bellydance and the variety arts, including seven years of TribOriginal: Tribal Dance, Music & Culture Camp. She owned of a large dance and folk-art center in Asheville while directing her award-nominated dance company. The past two years have been vigorously productive, with the creation of her ‘Fan-Demonium’ instructional dvd, a second dvd in the works, and the birth of a student performance troupe. In addition, Onça has just re-published of her critically acclaimed ‘World Spirit Tarot’, and a companion ‘World Spirit Tarot Adult Coloring Book’. It is her stalwart belief that “The greatest form of rebellion is joy.” www.hardestworkingwomaninshowbusiness.com

Paulette Rees-Denis here…innovator of Gypsy Caravan Tribal Bellydance®, and I am always ready to dance!   As a movement motivator and an inspirator of feminine celebration, my work is ultimately about guiding you on a  Dance and Desire  journey to follow you soul desires through dance, movement, words, and personal creative beauty.    As a creative lifestyle entrepreneur  and founder of this world-wide Gypsy Caravan Tribal Bellydance® movement,  and Gypsy Caravan Dance Company since 1991, I am honored to share my empowering collection of in person and on-line teachings, filled with dance, movement, meditations, words, and music, with my 25 plus years of teaching and directing, coaching and initiating. With my Teacher Training Certification, and our global teachings and performance, Gypsy Caravan is wanting to dance and celebrate with you! As I call upon my experiences and adventures as a creative soul and guide on this inspired journey, I invite you to join me, to dive in, to live BIG with your own beauty, joy, creative, and healthy life.

Rachel Brice first fell in love with belly dance when she saw the famous Hahbi’Ru in the early nineties. When she saw gorgeous, proud men and women with strong carriage and charisma adorned with spectacular antique tribal jewelry, facial tattoos, and rich textiles, it changed the way she saw beauty.

She started classes in American Cabaret style right away. In the early 2000s while studying dance in college, she studied American Tribal Style® Belly Dance, African Haitian, Flamenco, Modern
Dance, Kathak, and Odissi Classical. At this time she was also in Jill Parker’s Ultra Gypsy, the first Tribal Fusion troupe. Her style began to be influenced by the various forms she was studying. She also began to dance with Mardi Love, one of her biggest aesthetic influences.

In 2001 she was discovered by rock mogul Miles Copeland and toured for five years with his company, Bellydance Superstars. In 2001 Rachel also formed the Indigo Belly Dance Company, where she had the great pleasure to collaborate with her friends, Michelle Campbell, Janice Solimeno, Ariellah, Sharon Kihara, and later, Mardi Love and Zoe Jakes. These tours sparked a global interest in this very San Francisco style of belly dance, known as Tribal Fusion, which has gone on to grow, change and evolve.

Today, Rachel studies belly dance with her teachers Carolena Nericcio, creator of American Tribal Style®, and yoga with Gary Kraftsow. Whenever possible, she takes classes with her colleagues.

When not teaching on the road, she lives in Portland Oregon where she’s opened a studio, Datura, an online studio, Datura Online and has begun a production company, Little Scarab with her partner, Sol Crawford. Together they’ve created a belly dance training program called the 8 Elements™ Approach to Belly Dance. Someday they hope to own a dog and tend a garden. www.RachelBrice.com

Silvia Salamanca is an internationally acclaimed performer 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 to women 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: Spanish gypsy and Arabic. Hence with her work in the field of Zambra Mora (spanish gypsy-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 of women. In order to reach as many students as possible, Silvia is proud to present 2 instructional Zambra Mora DVDs “Spanish gyspy passion” and “Fire of the Spanish Gypsies”. Silvia is also the director of Shunyata Belly Dance, a nationally awarded tribal fusion company and a proud member of Urban Gypsy,
Houston’s premiere ITS troupe.  www.SilviaSalamanca.com