A Little Bit About Me
It was Spring 1998, a Sunday evening in the Fairfax district of Los Angeles. I met with a friend who had invited me to a private ladies-only belly dance class. I was excited to go and really had no idea what to expect. I found myself in the small living room of the dance teacher, surrounded by several other women. I felt incredibly self conscious, but as soon as I heard the music and saw the dance, it felt like home.
I was instantly hooked. The following week I went on a mission to find a coin belt and buy a CD of the music my teacher was using: George Abdo and the Flames of Araby – Belly Dance Music.
After a few weeks of classes, my teacher announced she was moving to Hawaii. My heart sank. What was I to do? I had to find a new teacher.
I went to the store where I had purchased my belly dance supplies and asked if they could help me. I was handed a brochure for an upcoming festival called Cairo Caravan and told that I would surely find a teacher there.
What I discovered was heaven. Two stages with nonstop dance performances, amazing food and beautiful shiny things to buy! I found my new teacher by calling the different teacher listings in the back of the event programme.
Once I started with my new teacher, I progressed quickly. I met many lifelong friends and discovered the entire Los Angeles dance scene. I started dancing in restaurants and parties.
I moved to Santa Barbara in 2000 where I continued my dance training and performing. I studied with several different teachers, and discovered the UCLA Middle East Ensemble concerts where I fell in love with the incredibly diverse and beautiful world of MENAHT (Middle Eastern North African Hellenistic and Turkish) dance in all its forms. When I first saw Turkish Roman style I was absolutely gobsmacked. I thought to myself, I must learn this dance, but how? It seemed unimaginably difficult.
It took a few years, but in 2014 I finally got the courage to start learning Turkish Roman style and shortly after, I joined a Turkish Folk dance class in Los Angeles. I became obsessed with understanding the uneven counts of 9/8, 7/8 and 5/8 music and I spent hours practicing the uneven counts and footwork. I ended up performing in two groups, doing Turkish Roman style as well as traditional Turkish Folk dances.
In 2017, I moved to Izmit Turkey.
I had taken a job as an English teacher at a private high school, but my true mission was to learn more Turkish dance and music. Surprising, this was quite a challenge because very few people speak English well in Turkey. After a lot of lookin and asking, I finally found a Black Sea Horon dance class in Istanbul. Every Sunday I travelled over 65 miles by bus, coach, ferry and metro (3 hours in each direction) to go to my one-hour lesson in Topkapı, Istanbul. As I settled in to the culture and learned more Turkish, l discovered more local classes. I was also incredibly lucky to be able to study with a master dancer/teacher from Fire of Anatolia who was also the director of the high school folk dance club. Every Friday after school I would practice for hours with the students. I learned exciting and intricate dances and choreographies based on traditional Turkish dances. I am in awe of the experience I had and grateful to all the people who helped me along the way.
In 2020 my Izmit Horon teacher announced that we could sign up to go on a dance tour of the Balkans and perform in an international folk-dance festival. I was so excited. But a few weeks later the whole world went into lockdown. Life was never the same...
I still studied, I found teachers online and took lots of classes. I invited my friends over for weekly dance parties in my living room. These parties were the best parties of my life and I will always hold the memories of those pandemic days in my heart.
Finally in 2022, life returned to normal, but things were never the same. My Turkish adventure ended and I came to Prescott AZ where I am close to my immediate family.
I miss Turkey incredibly, but my passion for learning still burns and I am forever a student.
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I have a B.A. in Middle Eastern Studies and a Masters of Acupuncture and Traditional Chinese Medicine. I am Yoga Alliance RYT 200 yoga teacher and a licensed acupuncturist in Arizona.
I am training with dance ethnologist Helene Eriksen in preparation to join her Traditional Dance Theater Group - Anar Dana West Coast. This training is incredible, taking a deep dive into traditional women’s dances of the Middle East, North Africa, Anatolia, the Balkans and Central Asia.
I also train with Claudia Massera of Dance Body Mind in London. I am a certified Level One Dance Body Mind Instructor. I am working on Level Two Teacher Training as well as constantly developing and growing my dance technique in Raqs Sharqi.
Over the years I have studied with many different teachers and I owe a debt of gratitude to everyone of them. They have shaped me as a dancer. Some of my most influential teachers were: Angela Buttrey of Los Angeles, Zeina of Los Angeles (now living in Australia), Jean Graham of Los Angeles, Bonnie Paul of Santa Barbara, Alexandra King of Santa Barbara, Natasya Katsikaris of Ventura, NEMA Belly Dance of Oxnard (Neighbors Embracing Multicultural Arts) with Jan Straka, Vedat Gürsoylü of Los Angeles, Gülfem Acar of Izmit, Sedar Mustak of Izmit, Çihan Genç of Istanbul and Volkan Gündoğdu of Izmit.
For me dance is more than just a passion, it is a lifeline to my soul. Despite all of life's challenges, dance has been the one constant that kept me going. I love teaching as much as I love learning and I am excited to continue my dance journey with you.
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My very first belly dance CD and me in 1998 as a baby belly dancer. My first teacher is dancing behind me.
Travel and Dance Experiences
WHY TURKEY?
I get asked many questions as a foreigner in Turkey. Some of the most common are one, why did you come to Turkey? And two, more specifically, why did you come to Kocaeli?
I can’t pinpoint exactly when my love affair with Turkey started, but I was first exposed to Turkish dance and music in 1998 while taking belly dance classes in Los Angeles. Los Angeles is an utterly amazing city because it is so culturally diverse. The entire world is represented in one place, and it has a thriving Middle Eastern community. It was here that I started my journey of learning the different dance styles of Greek, Egyptian and Turkish style belly dance (also called raks sharki and oryantal dans). I also became completely obsessed with collecting as many CDs as possible. The music and its rhythms pulled me out of my mundane existence to a world of beauty and joy.
In 2002, my mum suggested we go on a trip together and asked where I would like to go. I immediately said Turkey. In March the following year, we were on a plane to Istanbul and we joined a three-week tour of Turkey. It’s really hard to explain, but the moment I walked out of the airport and breathed the air, I was hooked. Wanting to see as much authentic dance as possible, I asked the tour guide if he could arrange for the group to see some shows and he didn’t fail to deliver. I realize in retrospect that all the performances I saw were designed especially for tourists, but it didn’t matter, I was captivated by all of them.
I think it was the second night in Istanbul, we went to see a show at a restaurant called Sultanas. The dinner was accompanied by several different belly dance and traditional folk dance groups. If I remember correctly, I saw Zeybek from the Aegean region, Romani dance from Edirne, and Horon from Northern Turkey. I was absolutely impressed by the energy and skill of the dancers, and I made a mental note to try and learn these dances one day in the future.
As the tour continued, I saw many historical and beautiful places around Turkey. I collected as much music as possible and brought back a suitcase overflowing with belly dance costumes. For me Turkey was a magical place, and I knew that I wanted to return there one day and learn more about it. I tucked these incredibly special memories away, deep in my heart. Thirteen years would pass until I was able to return to Turkey.
Over the next few years, the depression of my youth returned with a vengeance. This time I found solace in dance. I expressed all my feelings through movement, designing and making my own costumes and searching endlessly for the right piece of music to fit my performances. I performed solo and in various groups. Around 2014 I put my focus on learning Turkish folk dance. I had previously avoided it because quite honestly, I thought it was too difficult. But I practiced obsessively and I joined a Turkish folk dance group in Los Angeles, where I was fortunate to perform at some Turkish cultural events. It was through this experience that I was able to entertain the idea of returning to Turkey.
With the help of my Turkish dance teacher, in spring of 2016 I planned a three week visit to Istanbul where I would have the chance to study the folk dances of northern Turkey (Horon), as well as take classes in Romani and Dans Oryantal (bellydance). This time I wasn’t part of a tour group, I stayed near Taksim Square for the entire three weeks and got lost more than I found my way around as I navigated this massive city. I met many people; some became lifelong friends and others ended up breaking my heart. As I flew back home, I knew that I needed to return to Turkey.
That summer I completed my studies for my Teaching English as a Foreign Language Certification (TEFL) and undertook my internship programs. After I received my qualification I decided that it was time for me to look for a job in Turkey.
In 2017, I received a few job offers, and the best one was in Izmit, Kocaeli. I came out to Turkey again in March to visit the school. I spent a full day at the school, observing classes and meeting the teachers and students. This really helped me to understand what I was getting myself into.
So, to answer the second question, why Kocaeli, the answer is simple, I got offered a decent job. In 2017 the Lira was still strong, and the school offered me a great contract including housing. The students were lovely, and the best part was the foreign languages department was run by a fellow Scott who understood the difficulties a foreigner might face working in Turkey.
In August 2017, after a fourteen hour plane ride, I landed in Istanbul ready to start my new life in Turkey.
Shortly after landing in Istanbul April 2016
Istanbul 2021
Why I love teaching.
I believe that belly dance is for everyone and I aim to make my classes inclusive and safe places. I promote creativity, personal expression and growth. I was taught to perform early in my dance education and I encourage all my students to perform in group choreographies or to create their own solos when they are ready.
I aim to teach students to respect the cultural integrity and roots of the dance and honor all the dancers and pioneers of this dance form that came before. As a teacher I am responsible for passing on a lineage and sharing the knowledge that I was taught in a respectful and accurate way.
Dance is more than just learning the moves and stepping in time to the music. It is a powerful healing modality that reaches deep into our souls. For me the most important part of the dance is the enjoyment of the movements in our own bodies. I believe it is important to laugh and have fun and my classes reflect this.
Cappadocia
I spent five years of my life immersed in Turkey. I learned the language, dances, culture and history. I became a completely different person as a result of this experience. It's been almost three years since I left Turkey and adjusting to life back in the USA has been one of the most difficult experiences of my life. I have so many stories to tell and I haven't had the heart to write them all down yet. I created this space in my website to do just that...
Stay tuned...