Galaxy & Celestial Seminar Instructors

(For Additional and Special Workshop Instructors, click here)

 
Thursday Celestial Instructors:

Aneena - Aneena has been dancing for 30+ years and teaching workshops all across
the US for 25+ years. Aneena owns Aneena's Silk Veils, selling 3 yard, circular silk
veils with the special rolled edge for easier handling. And she has 10+ videos and
DVDs on the market including her specialties: Double Veil, Single Veil, Props, and
Arms & Hands.

   

Silvia Salamanca - 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.
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 in major
festivals world-wide, including being twice headliner for the Contest of the
Bellydancer of the world in Germany, and being featured as the local talent
for the Bellydance Superstars shows in October 2011 –Houston.

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 ATS troupe.

   
  Mia Sha'uri - Mia Sha'uri is an incredible rising star we have watched blossom
over the last 6 years.  Her amazing maturity, talent, diversity and discipline prepared
her for her recent title of
Belly Dancer of the Universe 2008 and Cabaret
Professional Dancer 2009. Mia's wide range of professional artistic talent
including not only Cabaret, but also Tribal, Gypsy, Latin and Bomba,
coupled with her dynamic stage presence, make her a crowd favorite
everywhere she performs and a shooting star to watch!  Winner of
Yaa Halla, Y'all
People's ChoiceAward Cabaret Star Competition
in 2008 and 2009!
 
   
   

Thursday Galaxy Instructors:

 

Kata Maya - Kata Maya is a member of the Wings of Isis and a life-long
member of the Middle Eastern Dance community. Beginning at the age
of five, Kata Maya grew up on stage. At the age of fourteen she moved
to The Angels of Isis Performing Company, under the direction of Kede.
While there, she helped create award-winning choreographies and won
some awards herself, such as Belly Dancer of the Universe Junior 2008,
Belly Dancer of the Universe Champion of Champions 2008, Cabaret
Professional Solo Star 2010, and third place in the MSC Townhall
Variety Show in College Station. You can also see her in Season 2
of Project Bellydance.

Kata Maya has studied with many of the top Middle Eastern Dancers,
including Aziza, Amaya, Amir Thaleb, Bozenka, Fahtiem, Karen Barbee,
Kaeshi Chai, Mahmoud Reda, Moria Chapell, Sadie, Sabrina Fox,
Sahra Saeeda, Suhaila Salimpour, Vashti, Virginia, Zoe Jakes, and
many more!  She has performed in Chicago, Las Vegas, Long Beach,
Palo Alto, and Waxahachie.  She is known for her energy and grace
on stage.  From sharp hits to quick turns, from kicks to back bends,
Kata Maya is truly an upcoming star in the Middle Eastern dance community.
   

Draconis - Draconis is an androgynous entity with a passion for Middle
Eastern dance. His journey in dance started in elementary school with
the conventional ballet and jazz class, now continued through college.
A sprinkling of cheerleading and hip hop decorated his otherwise bland
adolescence until he discovered his talent for belly dance in 2008 with
the Isis Studio in Bedford, Texas. Since then he's stayed true to his
studio where he grew from student to teacher, becoming beloved as
a local favorite in the area with his unique style and stage presence.

His inspiration comes from the excitement he feels from a piece of
music, a dolled-up model in a magazine, foreign music videos, and
of course other dance disciplines. Although it's not unusual for him
to feel out a more emotional piece, Drake describes his usual style
to be a mixture of American cabaret with Turkish energy, punked
out costumes, drag-esque makeup, mysterious eyes and lots of
silly facial expressions. Samba and hip hop have been current
favorite flavors of fusion, with a touch of burlesque sass and balletic
muscle control.

   

Karlos Khalil - Karlos Khalil is a dancer, teacher and choreographer
extraordinaire! Named Puerto Rico's best up and coming belly dancer
after winning in 3 categories at the Belly Dancer of the Universe that
was held this past February, 2014, in Long Beach, California.

This competition is considered one of the most prestigious and
competitive in the world of belly dancing discipline . Karlos Khalil is
already known as a great artist Tribal Belly Fusion and in this
competition won:  Speciality Props, Belly Fusion, Troupe and
Champion of the champions, the last two categories performed
with the Magic Dance group, performing with world renowned dancer
Mireya Yamilett.  Click here to see Karlos' performance at Yaa Halla, Y'all 2013!
   
   
Friday Galaxy Instructors:
   

Sharon Kihara - A seasoned performer, inspirational teacher and
exotic personality, Sharon Kihara is known the world over for her
avante garde and slightly eccentric artistry, as well as for her skillful,
graceful and powerful technique.  She comes from a strong background
in western dance, beginning with Ballet as a wee tike and continuing
to perform with college Modern and Jazz dance companies throughout
the nineties.  But her true love came in the form of Bellydance, first
witnessed by Sharon as a child in it’s Cabaret form, then as Tribal Style
in the mid nineties, and, as her mind had been blown beyond all hope for
repair, she decided to pursue this art form with full enthusiasm.
When she’s
not on tour, Sharon Kihara maintains her yoga practice, but her favorite
pastime is teaching dance and movement, in the form of Tribal Fusion.

   

Silvia Salamanca - 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.
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 in major
festivals world-wide, including being twice headliner for the Contest of the
Bellydancer of the world in Germany, and being featured as the local talent
for the Bellydance Superstars shows in October 2011 –Houston.

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 ATS troupe.

   
   

Saturday Galaxy Instructors:

   

Ansuya - Ansuya is considered one of the most talented and accomplished
performers, choreographers, instructors, and entrepreneurs in the
Bellydance world today. As a soloist she is known for being a master
of improvisation, musical interpretation, emotional expression, and costume
design. Her performances are energetic, sensual and innovative – captivating
audiences and inspiring students around the world to enjoy her shows and
study her talents. She is an IAMED Best Cabaret Dancer of the year and
a three time Golden Belly Award winner for Best Cabaret Dancer of the year.

Online Bellydance Classes with Ansuya at www.ansuya.com, has her
reaching her worldwide fan base on a weekly basis providing them with
top of the line
Bellydance training with a fun TV show feel. With top selling
instructional DVD’s on the market, acting experience including roles on
Judging Amy and Days of Our Lives, and countless on camera press
interviews, this was a natural progression for
Ansuya. Her brand new
dance company “Gypsy Sugar” showcases her unique style which she calls
Cabaribalusion”. This eclectic name blends Cabaret, Tribal and
Fusion techniques (including Indian, Spanish, African, Gypsy, and
Modern Egyptian) with her own innovations to create an extensive
and impressive vocabulary that she uses in her choreographies.

   

Sharon Kihara - A seasoned performer, inspirational teacher and
exotic personality, Sharon Kihara is known the world over for her
avante garde and slightly eccentric artistry, as well as for her skillful,
graceful and powerful technique.  She comes from a strong background
in western dance, beginning with Ballet as a wee tike and continuing
to perform with college Modern and Jazz dance companies throughout
the nineties.  But her true love came in the form of Bellydance, first
witnessed by Sharon as a child in it’s Cabaret form, then as Tribal Style
in the mid nineties, and, as her mind had been blown beyond all hope for
repair, she decided to pursue this art form with full enthusiasm.
When she’s
not on tour, Sharon Kihara maintains her yoga practice, but her favorite
pastime is teaching dance and movement, in the form of Tribal Fusion.

   
Sunday Galaxy Instructors:  
   
Sal Maktoub - Sal has been dancing for as long as he can remember. He grew up with
music and dance, particularly that which was heavily infused with drumming. He spent
summers on the beach with his family, dancing to the Latin social dances – punta,
salsa, merengue, bachata. As he grew older, other forms of music and dance came
into his life, such as Brazilian Samba and Middle Eastern dance. His natural curiosity
for these art forms and the cultures from which they stem quickly became an obsession
and a passion to improve.

In 2010, Sal attended Black Orchid Danse’s event in Atlanta, GA, and entered in
the Drum Solo Competition. Considering his upbringing and his affinity to percussions,
it seemed appropriate and fitting. He won first place in the competition, which was judged
by Tito Seif, Kaeshi Chai, and David of Scandinavia. In 2011, he decided on taking his
talents to an international stage and competed in London’s Shimmy in the City Male
Competition. He won third place in the competition, which was judged by Egyptian
superstars Asmahan, Khaled Mahmoud, and Tito Seif.

Today, Sal is an accomplished dancer, performer, instructor, and choreographer in
Middle Eastern, Brazilian, and Latin-style dances. In any genre, he has outstanding
musicality and mesmerizes audiences with his amazing technique. His time spent within
the Middle Eastern culture and his own Latin background bring to his performances an
authentic and very musical quality. His dedication to the culture behind his dancing has
made him a well-rounded dancer with a great connection to the meaning behind the
movements and the music.
 
Click here to view Sal's performance at Yaa Halla, Y'all 2012!
   
Jennifer - Jennifer is a multi-award winning belly dancer and designer based
in Orlando, Florida. Her emotional, abdominal heavy, and elegant
performances have made her a sought after performer and instructor.
As an instructor, Jennifer enjoys breaking down movements and
concepts into detail while splashing her goofy humor through it all.

Her most recent title of Bellydancer of the World in Duisberg, Germany
in 2013 was a wonderful milestone and she hopes to continue to
develop her signature style and meet more talented and inspiring
performers in her travels.

She is a committed artist and her company, Bellydance By Jennifer Inc.,
has been offering business management for entertainers seeking to
improve their business, couture crystal costumes, and instruction for
students and dancers around the world since 2007. To learn more
about Jennifer visit:
http://bellydancebyjennifer.com

   
  Mia Sha'uri - Mia Sha'uri is an incredible rising star we have watched
blossom over the last 7 years.  Her amazing maturity, talent, diversity a
nd discipline prepared her for her recent title of
Belly Dancer of the Universe
2008 and Cabaret Professional Dancer 2009.   Mia's wide range of professional
artistic talent including not only Cabaret, but also Tribal, Gypsy, Latin and Bomba,
coupled with her dynamic stage presence, make her a crowd favorite everywhere
she performs and a shooting star to watch!  Winner of Yaa Halla, Y'all
People's
Choice Award
Cabaret Star Competition in 2008 and 2009!
 
   
   
Additional and Special Workshop Instructors
   
Thursday Constellation Room:  
   
  Janie Midgley - Janie has been performing this wonderful art form for
nearly 40 years. She started belly dancing back in her college days. She
has been dancing, since she could walk and figures it was a past-life-thing.
She started formal dance training with Tap and Ballroom, later venturing
out into Modern Dance and Hula. But her passion is and will always be
Belly Dance.

Being 5'8" and never runway thin, she has been sewing since she was 14.
When she started Belly Dance, venders were few and far between, so she
made costumes for herself and others, for extra money.  Fast forward many
years, this passion developed into becoming a professional Costume Designer. 
She makes her living by creating beautiful costumes, costume pieces and
jewelry. Her business is Designs By Janie. She is Internationally know for
being both the designer and creator of The Comfortable Body Stockings.
   
Thursday Comfort Inn Conference Room:  
 
  Olivia 'Inaya' Medlock - An up-and-coming dance performer, Inaya started
hoopdancing around the same time she began studying bellydance. She teaches
hoopdance workshops and lessons in the Dallas/Fort Worth area. Inaya flavors
her hoopdance style with bellydance and fusion moves and is currently focusing
on creating drama in her dance performances. She is a member of and performs
with the Isis Performing Company. Inaya performed at the Dallas premiere of the
independent film, The Hooping Life.
  Click here to see a demo of Inaya's Hoop Dance!
   
Saturday Comfort Inn Conference Room:  
 
  Frank Farinaro - Frank, a life-long dancer, is Colorado's premiere male
bellydancer. Over the past decade, Frank has trained in numerous contemporary
and ethnic dance styles. Since 2005, Frank has performed and taught classes
and workshops at events in over 18 cities and 6 states across the US. In 2009,
Frank won Yaa Halla Y'all's the
People's Choice Award Tribal/Alternative Star in
Dallas, TX. Frank's current project is developing his signature Hammerhead
Sharqi Dance Technique, a style of dance and dance instruction which focuses
on artistic dance fusion,
athletic body conditioning and new-age meditative practices
.
 
   

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