As a native Austinite, I have seen many changes in our city and our dance scene. What hasn’t changed is the goal of the Austin Bellydance Association (ABA) to educate, nurture and support our community. I'd be honored to volunteer my years of experience and enthusiasm for this art form to help ABA grow and evolve to meet the needs of our diverse dance community. I’m particularly interested in exploring questions like: How might we integrate with other respected dance forms? Can we educate and inspire the public to try a class for the first time? When and how could we learn from each other? Are there enough performance opportunities that are appropriate, inclusive and well attended? I’m also very interested in the questions YOU would like to see explored and addressed through ABA.
Dancer
Student of bellydance for 24 years
Level 5 certified in Suhaila and Jamila Salimpour formats
Creator of the Austin and Texas Belly Dance Facebook groups
Founding member of Sabaya
House dancer and schedule manager for 7 years at Alborz Persian restaurant
Member of Eshta and Mirage dance troupes
Educator
Teach weekly classes since 2004
Workshop instruction since 2008
Choreography Captain for Texas Salimpour and Melbourne Salimpour Collectives
Founder and Director of the Tekatek Dance Ensemble
Producer
Host annual workshops with Suhaila Salimpour
Producer of the Austin Belly Dance Convention (ABDC) 2009-2014
Sponsored theatrical production of “Enta Omri” 2017
Co-produced “Drums N Roses” with April Rose 2014
Choreographed, directed and produced “The Color Project” theater show 2012
Collaboratively produced “Sahara Nights” with Sabaya for 7 years
Collaboratively produced "Hip Circle Hafla" student showcase
Professional
Masters in Library & Information Science
Certified Project Manager (PMI)
Trained in user experience design, innovation and collaboration techniques
Chair of Operating Board representing 10 different city departments
Manage multi-million dollar contracts