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Our Master of Ceremonies:

Derrick Foster

Get to know them here!

Dancers
	Kiara Kiara first fell in love with bellydance in 1991 when she took a brief 1 hour introductory course. During her honeymoon in 1996, she was re-introduced to the dance and at the end of the week she won a beginner competition. Ever since, the intoxicating rhythm of the drums has driven her to dance as much as she can. In 2001, she began teaching bellydance for Parks & Rec at the Atkinson Memorial Center. She has performed at events in Ontario, Ohio, Michigan and Pennsylvania as well as recitals here in Windsor and events such as Harem Scarem, Carousel of Nations and Octoberfest. In 2007, she began dancing with Victoria and is a proud member of the Enchanted Dancers. She loves everything about this beautiful artform and enjoys sharing it with others.
	Desert Storm Desert Storm is a group of friends who have recently come together to dance. It includes seasoned dancers of various levels as well as a dancer who is performing for the very first time. This is the first performance for this troupe, which seeks to infuse a fun, unique twist into the art of bellydance. This choreography has been designed specifically for tonight's event, with this venue's unique layout in mind. We hope you have as much fun watching as we have performing!
	Rosalie A childhood wish of always wanting to be a dancer was a dream of Rosalie's since she was about ten years old, when she started dancing, anytime and anywhere. Having had a lifelong deep passion for dance and music, the very first belly dance class was all she needed. She was hooked and knew that it was going to be a way of life.
	Chantal Born and raised in Byblos, Lebanon, Chantal embraces all style of music and dance and has a passion for belly dancing. She is proud of both her Lebanese and Latin roots. She grew up realizing that dancing was naturally in her blood and credits her parents with her ability to learn and adapt to any dance form. This is apparent in Chantal's passion and discipline for dance. Apart from starting her first ballet class at the age of 5, and continuing with a variety of other dance and movement classes throughout her school years; Chantal has been a student of Victoria since 2007 who has truly been an inspiration and a major source of encouragement. She also mentions that her loving family and her spiritual connection with God are her driving forces and her motivation.
	Celine Lecours Céline has always enjoyed dancing. She started belly dance lessons with Victoria of "Enchanted Dance by Victoria" in 2003. Learning this beautiful dance art has improved her self confidence and brought wonderful new friends into her life.
	Tribe Maya Fire Tribe Maya Fire performs American Tribal Style bellydance, or ATS for short. The dance form blends elements of Egyptian bellydance and Flamenco with movements from the tribal dances of nomadic people in Northern Africa and Central Asia. ATS is traditionally performed as an improvisation. A set vocabulary of movements are learned, which all begin with a subtle cue, such as a hand gesture or a head movement. A leader in the group will cue the moves that the rest of the dancers follow and the resulting dance appears to flow, as if it was prearranged. We are based out of BellyUpBellyDance studio in Oakville and are dance students of Valizan, from the troupe Shades of Araby. For more information and performance dates please become a fan of our Facebook page ‘BellyUp’s American Tribal Style Dance Group'
	Kalila and Mahsati Bellydancing has become a part of Kalila's life; learning, watching and dancing!! The feeling of closeness through the love of dance has lead her to a fabulous group of women that are incredibly talented, supportive and encouraging!! She has studied with Najla for the past 6 yrs and only in the last few has she started to perform. She recently teamed up with Vanessa for this show and really looks forward to more performances together!!! Mahsati was first lured into the bellydance web when she attended her first Harem Scarem. She immediately fell in love with the camaraderie of the bellydancers. Since that memorable night over 3 years ago she has taken classes with Najla, Juliana and Meera as well as attending various workshops. She enjoys learning and experiencing the passions, personalities and styles of all bellydancers since no two are ever the same!
	Jenn Snyder Even when you say "you can't" it usually turns out you can. Jenn began dancing in 2005 with Rhaehana of Rhaehana Dance, Cambridge and is still attempting to send Rhaehana off the deep end. She has also studied with Mandy of Down Hips Studio, Kitchener and giggled her way through Khizmet's classes. In spite of or maybe because of her scoliosis she continues to shimmy and shake it as much as she can.
	Valerie Hickey After seeing another dancer and being entranced in 2000, she took up the art more for fitness, but grew to love it, and hasn't looked back since. She learned mostly from DVDs until recently. She dances for fun, mostly doing freestyle dance, but has begun integrating choreography into her repertoire in order to clean up the overall appearance of her dancing. Belly dance is her foremost passion, which shows when she dances.
	Shakti - Sisters thru soul and dance Windsor's newest professional belly dancing troupe: Shakti.... Sisters thru soul and dance. Shakti is the name of a goddess who represents divine feminine creative power, force and empowerment. These words beautifully represent Shakti's trio of performers Nadia, Melinda and Brandi as they dance and move like poetry in motion, united together and to each other through their love of belly dance.
	Aiyanna Aiyanna, is a 100% confirmed Belly Dance Addict. She believes in a philosophy of lifelong learning and pursues this objective on all levels including dance. She has been studying Belly Dance for more than ten years, teaching for over three. Belly dance allows her to indulge many of her favourite things: History, Music, Dance, and Costumes! What Aiyanna enjoys most is being able to encourage her students to accept and rejoice in their bodies and embrace the joy of movement. There is nothing as enjoyable as being able to share something you love with others.
	Hipnotique Bellydance Hipnotique Bellydance is a student troupe of lovely ladies under the direction of Sharita (Kim Cocks) from Chatham, On. The women enjoy the benefits of this beatiful artform such as sisterhood, enhanced self-esteem and well-being. If you haven't tried this wonderful danceform give yourself the gift of appreciating yourself by doing so. Enjoy!
	Shringara - world fusion belly dance Under the artistic direction of Juliana Schewe, Shringara World Fusion Belly Dance weaves together various dance traditions found along the Silk Road, with an emphasis in belly dance. Bringing together dancers from both Windsor, ON and Detroit, MI, this diverse group of ladies encapsulates the passion and beauty of the art of belly dance.
	Juliana Schewe Juliana, a multi-disciplinary artist and teacher, began her formal dance training at the age of 4. Exploring different creative movement and dance styles, she began to study Middle Eastern dance in 2001 and is influenced by yoga and tribal fusion belly dance. Aside from being a belly dance and yoga instructor, she is currently completing a Masters in Art Education at Wayne State University. Juliana’s biggest enjoyment in teaching, aside from the mutual bond that is created through dancing together, is watching her students unfold and reveal their inner beauty.
	Jawahar el Nile Rian, Ricki and Rylie discovered belly dance in the fall of 2005 at the ages of 10,8 and 7. They were immediately entranced by and hooked on the art of belly dance, and, of course, the fun costumes. They have performed at various functions in Windsor and Chatham over the last three years. You can see the passion evident their faces and bodies every time they perform.
	Rian Bellydance is Rian's artistic medium of choice and she enjoys expressing herself through this artform. She has bellydanced for several years and now has performed at several events throught the city.
	Almeh Almeh consists of Athena, Julie and Rachelle who are life long friends. They started out just over a year ago with a single belly dance workout video and have been dancing together ever since. They most recently became students in Kiara's class at the Constable John Atkinson Memorial Community Center.
	Xylia Xylia (from London Ontario) is known for the passion and sensuality she puts into her dance. She belives it's important to break free from choreographies and let the music move you. She has been studing bellydance and various other forms of dance for the past 7 years.
	HipChicks Throughout history, Gypsies have been musical bees, cross-pollinating various musical forms across cultures. Everywhere the gypsies have played music and danced, they have incorporated the local repertoire into their own acting out the elements of music with plenty of drama and flash. Out of beautiful London, Ontario, Asha, Deka, Halima, Nuray and Saphira form the tribal gypsy troupe, HipChicks, which takes various forms of bellydance and infuses it with gypsy passion, tribal soul and Tribaret flair.
	Invoketress Dance Theatre Invoketress Dance Theatre is an innovative and dynamic bellydance troupe that specializes in traditional middle eastern dance as well as bellydance fusion under the artistic direction of Ishra. They have performed at a large variety of events including the International Bellydance Conference of Canada and at the Great Lakes Bellydance Convention in Michigan. They are a frequently sought after group of performers, often as the headlining act. Each member brings her own personal strengths and personality to the group which come together to offer rich, layered, enchanting performances.
	Mary Snow Wyga Mary Snow Wyga has been dancing for the last 6 years as a member of Guelph-based Invoketress Dance Theatre, under the artistic direction of Ishra. In addition to studying traditional bellydance, she also has experience in bellydance fusion, fusing bellydance with other styles such as Irish, Indian, Asian, and Latin. She has also studied ATS under the direction of Valizan and is a member of Tribe Aurealis, a dance troupe that specializes in ATS and tribal fusion.
Singers/Instrumentalists:
	Jay McKee Jay McKee, a retired auto worker, has had a life-long interest in what life was like in medieval times. Almost 25 years ago he joined the Society for Creative Anachronism,( the SCA) an international organization of like-minded individuals, and about 20 years ago he was a founding member of the Essex Medieval Heritage Society, a local non-profit organization which promotes the appreciation of medieval culture here in Essex County. At present, he teaches thousands of school children each year as he presents his one-man show, "The Medieval Man", to Grade 4 students in the various school boards across the county.
	Roberta Quinlan Despite having graduated from the University of Windsor in 1993 with a combined Honours Music/Dramatic Arts degree, she set her love of music aside until the fall of 2005. At that time she returned to her musical background by joining the Windsor Community Choir, reuniting her with Director Edward Kingins and accompanist Matthew Kulbacki. In the summer of 2007 she took over duties as president of the choir, and continues in this duty today.
	Dixon's Violin Dixon is a master of experimental and improvisational electric violin.He blends his classical training with soulful improvisation skillsand the command of a wide range of digital effects to create a uniqueand captivating one-man band show. His cosmic compositions range fromgypsy to electronic, and are always inspiring. Over 100 performancesper year include festivals such as Rothbury and Burning Man. Visitwww.dixonsviolin.com
	Rylie Rylie is 11 years old and loves to sing. Though she has had no formal training, she is always willing to step up for an animal cause. She will also be dancing with her sisters.
	Bailey Soulliere Bailey greatly enjoys musical theatre and dance. She is a grade nine student at Assumption High School, and studies voice with Peggy Dwyer and dance with Claire and Richard at Ballroom At Its Best. She has recently appeared in productions with Theatre Alive and Theatre Intrigue including most recently the role of Miranda in Shakespeare's The Tempest. Bailey is very happy to be supporting the Humane Society tonight and hopes everyone enjoys the show.
	Ioana A wife and mother to two girls who she repeatedly refers to as her inspiration, Ioana is the owner and operator of Studio Kelani. She is also the founder of Kelani Fitness, which is inspired by Polynesian dancing with influences from Pilates and Yoga. As well as being a holistic nutritionist, Pilates instructor, personal trainer and Kelani Fitness instructor, Ioana has performed and been involved in several shows within Ontario, many of which having been for charity. Ioana's love for the arts lies primarily in music and any form of musical expression including dancing and singing. Although singing in front of crowds has taken a back seat for over a decade she has never lost her passion for singing! She is thrilled to be part of this merging of the arts for a wonderful cause.

The intention is to have an open hafla after the show. Please, bring your own hip belts and/or theme-inspired outfits so you can get up and shake it with us. There will even be live musicians, including drums, oud, and possibly others!!! (If you're a drummer, bring your drum! The more the merrier! Let's make this a party to remember!)