INSTRUCTORS
Nadira
Studio Owner | Event Producer |
Instructor
Nadira has been performing and teaching bellydance for over a decade with exclusive Tribal Bellydance certification through the Fat Chance Bellydance Sister Studio Training program since 2008.
In addition to being a sought after workshop instructor she is also the owner of Seven Cities Dance Studio and the Producer of Virginia's only International Bellydance festival, The East Coast Classic.
Dana Beaufait
Instructor
"I want to inspire the women and men of today to stay creative and not let their imaginations die in the hustles and bustle of the everyday life. To get back in touch with their bodies and minds, and to show them that every aspect of life can be art. My goal in life is to make everything as magical as I can, because life is too short not to try".
-Dana Beaufait
Award winning dancer, choreographer and artist Dana Beaufait is a second generation bellydancer who is internationally recognized as both an engaging experienced instructor but also as the creator of Voi, a combination of veil and polynesian poi.
Chudney
Instructor
East Coast Classic 2015 Professional Category Winner & People's Choice
Chudney is an award winning professional belly dancer in the Hampton Roads area to include: Virginia Beach, Norfolk, Hampton, Portsmouth, Chesapeake, Newport News, and Williamsburg. Chudney describes her belly dance style as American Cabaret with a love for Egyptian. She performs regularly at local venues and restaurants as a soloist or with belly dance troupes Hippy Chicks Raks, and Saleema Habiba. Her energy and personality enchants and captivates audiences of all age types, and is quickly becoming a favorite.
Arlechina Verdegris
Instructor
Mediterranean dance ethnologist, vocalist, percussionist, author, and local oddity.
Arlechina Verdigris is a historical dance ethnologist who studies and interprets traditional dances of the Mediterranean and Black Seas. She is also an ethnographer who works to record ethnic dances in their own choreutic languages. Arlechina is an author of numerous books and articles on dance history, choreographic notation, and ethnology.
Of all the regions of the world, Turkish dances are her favorite. Since 1994 she has studied and explored over 200 individual Turkish folk dances as both performance and participatory arts. These include numerous zebegler, halay, bar, and casik dances native to individual Turkish cities. She has also studied and recorded a variety of rare and utterly amazing dance traditions of the old Ottoman world that are rarely taught in the USA. Her Roman Havasi is relaxed and playful and she does a hilarious Gobek Tansi.
Arlechina works in vernacular, bridging the gap between Turkish languages and English so that students know exactly what they are learning and where it is from. Her background in so many diverse dances and their related subjects provides students with valuable bonus insights and anecdotes that go far beyond basic movement. You're sure to learn a lot from this special lady.
Aela Badiana
Instructor
Aela: born and raised in Germany, began her journey in belly dance mid 2001. Formerly a gymnast, jazz and ball room dancer, she quickly fell in love with the art of bellydance.
Since then, she has trained countless hours, worked, studied and performed with some of the top dancers in the field. She has made a name for herself by teaching and performing throughout Europe and the USA. Performing for Turkish and Arabic audiences has provided the perfect opportunity to learn to improvise and perform to live music. All of this experience has shaped not only her dance style, but her ability to teach others to dance.
Her classes and workshops are always catered to the students needs and skill levels, yet still pushing them to their personal best while not neglecting safety for the body. Aela’s training and experience as a Personal Trainer, Yoga Instructor, and Wellness and Nutrition Counselor help her to address all aspects of physical fitness and well being. In her opinion, this is the foundation to becoming a skilled and inspiring dancer.
Aela has taught and performed at such prestigious events such as the Las Vegas Bellydance Intensive, TribOriginal, Rakkasah East, the Down East Bellydance and Drum Festival, the Taksim in Berne Switzerland, the Deutsche Meistershaft and numerous studios throughout Europe. Aela hosts an annual event called Tribal Delight, which has evolved from a show and festival into a major theatrical production including storytelling, acting AND belly dance in all it’s different styles.