biography

Greetings and welcome,

I first discovered Belly Dance as a teenager whilst studying for a Bachelor of Arts majoring in Performance at Flinders University of South Australia. I was looking for inspiring ways to exercise and attended regular classes with two great Instructors in Adelaide, Marjolein and Lassa and. was instantly captivated by the beautiful Middle Eastern music and flow of the dance.

Over the years I have found the dance has not only helped me maintain flexibility but inspired creatively in my work as an Actress, Drama Facilitator and Theatre Maker.

Upon relocating to London I enjoyed the connectivity of dancing at restaurants, weddings, birthdays and themed events. I had a six year residency at the popular Greek restaurant Café Corfu in Camden. During this time I enjoyed the variety and quirkiness of the audiences which included Uri Geller and family, Stelios and the staff from Easyjet, the Nigerian Embassy in London and at a tribute event for the influential 1960s musician Davey Graham.

Belly Dance has also helped me inform and devise characters in the theatre and this incudes playing the rebellious Tania in the world premiere of the stage version of the film My Beautiful Laundrette (Snap Theatre Company) and in The Piranha Lounge for Dende Collective (Time Out Critics' Choice).

Most recently I have explored ways to use Belly Dance theatrically with Zoozaazii Theatre via exploring themes of orientalism and historic gender stereotypes inspired by the character Jeanie from the 1960s TV series I Dream of Jeanie.

As an eternal student of this rich cultural dance form, I have relished all the great opportunities that London has to offer to increase my knowledge. These have increased over the years and I have attended classes with amazing international and local teachers and have also obtained a certificate to teach Belly Dance safely with JWAAD.

This study journey coincided with my increasing work as a Drama Facilitator and I was invited to teach at the student union at Hammersmith and Ealing College and also Southall Gym. I then taught Beginners classes for two years in East London at East Ham Leisure Centre and Muscle Mania Gym.

I met so many wonderful students at these classes and was delighted in 2019 to start up classes closer to home at St Pancras Community Centre in Camden. I had a desire to create affordable community style drop in Beginners Belly Dance classes that would be suitable for all ages and levels of fitness, and I am happy that I am now able to continue this goal with my returning students and the online platform of Zoom.

If you have always wanted to learn Belly Dance then now is a great time. Online classes and the ease of learning from additional video tutorials provides a liberating and affordable way to try out this dance from the comfort and privacy of your own home.

Please feel free to contact me and join a class so you can enjoy this wonderful, uplifting, inspiring and holistic dance form.

Zubaidah