Belly Dance Instruction

Professional Belly Dance Instruction in the Carbondale area

Learn to belly dance beautifully! All the Nile Breeze Instructors are experienced teachers and performers with extensive and ongoing formal training. We stress proper posture, correct technique, cultural context and understanding, and musicality in a fun and relaxing environment.

Tedi’s and Sedonia’s classes at the SIUC Student Recreation Center (Carbondale) are 1.5 hrs long and run in 6-week sessions.
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Beginning level with Tedi: Mondays 5:15-6:45 pm, March 17-April 21, $40 ($25 for students)
Continuing level with Sedonia: Mondays 7:00-8:30, March 17-April 21, $40 ($25 for students) bring veil & finger cymbals if you have them (I have some to loan)

Lisa’s classes at Great Shapes Fitness for Women (Carbondale) are 1 hr long and you can join in any time.

Full details here
Tuesdays 6:45-7:45 pm, $5 per class for gym members, $8 for non-members
Baby-sitting available!

 

Tedi and Sedonia are also available for private lessons and group workshops. Private lessons run $25/hr (plus studio fee if necessary) and can be shared by two students at similar level. Inquire about workshop topics and pricing.

 

 

Tedi has over 28 years of experience and formal training in Middle Eastern dance, and over 20 years of teaching experience. Her classes are oriented towards the American style of belly dance, also called American oriental, vintage oriental, or American Caberet (“Am-Cab”). The American style is a mixture of elements from Arabic, Turkish, Armenian and other ethnicities. Props such as veil, finger cymbals are used extensively, and balancing props such as swords may be used as well. This style of dance evolved in the latter half of the 20th century as immigrants (including dancers and musicians) from many countries interacted with Americans in the clubs and restaurants of ethnic neighborhoods across the country. Artemis Mourat has referred to this style as “rare and endangered”, because the trends of belly dance in the U.S. have moved more towards either the Egyptian side of the spectrum, or towards fusion forms such as American Tribal, Urban Tribal, world dance, jazz-influenced, etc.

Sedonia has over 11 years of experience and formal dance training in Middle Eastern dance, and over 6 years of teaching experience. She is also an SIUC professor and thus has drawn extensively on her professonal academic pedagogical skills in developing a philosophy of dance instruction. Sedonia’s classes are oriented towards the Egyptian style of belly dance. The Egyptian style is relaxed yet precise, and features internalized movements and layering of movements. Veil and finger cymbals are also used, but in more limited capacity.

Lisa has been belly dancing for over six years, and has recently begun teaching under the mentorship of Tedi and Sedonia. Lisa has had extensive training and a strong backgorund as a troupe performer under the directon of Zada Al Gaziyeh of Lawrence KS. Additionally, her background as a trained musician and academic enhances her dance instructional skills.

 

All of the Nile Breeze dance instructors are eternal students of the dance, and constantly continue their dance education in the form of master workshops and private coaching. Additionally, we work collaboratively together to constantly refine and improve our teaching skills to bring the best possible learning experience to our students.