Vote for the Most Liked NC Belly Dance Photo of 2012!

How to Vote:

1. "Like" the NCBellydance.org Facebook Fan Page (if you haven't already)
2. Visit the 2012 North Carolina Belly Dancers: A Year in Pictures photo album and "like" the photo(s) that you want to win!

It's perfectly ok to "like" several photos, if you just can't decide on one :)

Make sure to get your vote in by midnight, Tuesday December 18, 2012!

NCBellydance.org will announce the winner on Wednesday, December 19, 2012.

If you are interested in being included in the photo album, or want more information about the contest, then visit the Contest Page.

For questions or assistance in voting, email haala@ncbellydance.org.

Thanks for participating - tell all your friends!

Our Featured Sponsor of the Month: Kaitlyn

After seeing her first glimpse of Indian dance in "Indiana Jones & the Temple of Doom" and her first bellydancer in a music video by Prince, the seeds were sewn that would spark the fascination for culture and dance in Kaitlyn's life. 

Growing up, Kaitlyn studied ballet, jazz, tap and gymnastics and dreamed of one day being a professional dancer. It seems that dreams do in fact come true and in the most surprising ways. Little did she know way back when she was just a little girl toting “Dance” magazines to school, that instead of wearing a tutu, she would eventually be donning a coin belt as a bellydancer when her dreams were finally realized. 

Becoming involved in Middle Eastern dance in 2000, Kaitlyn has striven to educate herself and educate and encourage others to help them find the beauty and fulfillment of bellydance ever since. 

Sometimes teacher, sometimes performer, at all times Kaitlyn endeavors to be an advocate for the art of bellydance and stand up for the rights and ethical standards of bellydancers everywhere.

Currently Kaitlyn is performing monthly at Marrakesh in Jacksonville and she is very proud to be the creative director of her student troupe “Apsara”, with whom she hosts the annual “Down East Bellydance & Drum Fest” in New Bern, NC.

For more info: www.kaitlynbellydance.com

Here's what Kaitlyn had to say about NCBellydance.org:

Having been a bellydancer in another state, I was blown away at the amount of organization and professionalism that I found when I was researching the dance community in NC when I had decided to relocate back to my native state. I knew right away that there were some truly amazing things going on and I couldn't wait to be apart of it. What this site does for NC bellydancing is immeasurable and it is the glue that holds us all together.

Our Featured Sponsor of the Month: Maysameh!

Maysameh (Candy Heafner) has been belly dancing since 2000.  In 2003, Rhythmic Essence was started in her basement with 10 girls.  Over the years, Rhythmic Essence has grown into a thriving studio located in historic downtown Newton, NC!

She received her American Tribal Style General Skills Certificate in October of 2007 and in June 2009 she was awarded Middle Eastern Dance Leaders Society (MEDLS) "Star Belly Dance Teacher of the Year."

In 2011, she successfully completed Keti Sharif’s international A-Z Original Personal Techniques Course and was one of 8 girls chosen to appear in Keti Sharif's Pulse8 Belly Dance Fitness DVD series recorded in Los Angeles, CA.  In June of 2012, she was featured in Keti Sharif's latest choreography DVD featuring 30 belly dancers world-wide.  She mainly follows under the teachings of Keti Sharif involving concentration in A-Z, A-Z Advanced, AstroBelly and Pulse8 Belly Dance Fitness. 

She takes pride in her studio rules that have kept her classes going strong through the years:  No negative energy, no competition and no drama are allowed.

Prior to owning her belly dance studio, Candy was a certified Personal Trainer and certified in Cardio Kick Boxing, Stability Ball, and other fitness programs. She instructed various aerobics classes, toning classes, Women on Weights and pre-natal. 

She is a mom and a full time nursing student at Lenoir-Rhyne University, Hickory, NC.

To find out more about the studio and class offerings, log onto www.rebellydance.com

Here's what Maysameh had to say about NCBellydance.org:

"This site has helped so many people explore the art of Middle Eastern Dance here in North Carolina.  Haala and helpers have invested so much time and effort into making sure the belly dance communities in NC have the most up-to-date information on classes, events, workshops and shows.  I want to express my gratitude for everyone who helps make this site the number one place to go for NC belly dance events!"

Our Featured Sponsor of the Month: Laylianah Mahasin!

Laylianah Mahasin (Layla for short) has been devoted to the art of Belly Dance since the age of 15.  She has studied many styles of belly dance with world renowned instructors including Hannan Sultan, Kasha of Raleigh, Faun Finley, Zoe Jakes, Sadie, and Yasmine just to name a few.

Laylianah is passionate about both performing and teaching this beautiful art form. 

As an instructor, she prides herself on providing a fun and supportive atmosphere for all her students, and loves seeing their self-confidence develop.  She currently teaches at 4 locations in the Triangle Area of NC: Durham, Clayton, Hillsborough and Raleigh.

As a performer, Laylianah’s goal is to embody the music and engage her audience in a captivating story! Her style can be anything from impassioned and dramatic to flirty and fun, but is always family-friendly.  She currently performs Egyptian, Turkish, and American Cabaret styles at private parties, weddings, galas and corporate events.

For more information on Laylianah, email laylianah@gmail.com or call her at 919-886-5890.  You can also find her class schedule on NCBellydance.org (an amazing resource for all things Belly Dance!).  

Friend her on Facebook or follow her on Twitter for the latest updates on classes and performances.

Here's what Laylianah had to say about NCBellydance.org:

I love NCBellyDance.Org!  I used it before I became a professional dancer as the best site to keep me up to date on what’s happening in the Belly Dance Community.  As a professional dancer, I have definitely noticed an increased amount of exposure.  Most of the calls I get about classes start with “So, I found you on ncbellydance.org…”.  Thanks, Haala for running such a great site!

And thank you, Laylianah, for supporting NCBellydance.org!

Our Featured Sponsor of the Month: Sharifa Asmar!

Sharifa met Oriental dance in college and since then she has danced through three continents, several islands, a variety of venues, extended engagements in NY/NJ metro area, the Carolinas and Central Florida ~ usually into the wee hours of the morning.

Sharifa dances with playful and effortless musicality, elegant technique and real passion! And her students say she teaches the same way! Her connection to the dance and music is such that audience members often address her in their native Arabic. While best known for her classic Egyptian style, her repertoire also includes Lebanese, Turkish, and Classic American.

A dynamic “teacher’s teacher”, Sharifa is committed to a strong foundation of Oriental dance technique for all levels - beginner through professional. Many ‘already dancers’ transiting through Fayetteville / Ft. Bragg aren't in the right place long enough to learn all they should know for their current level – so filling their skill gaps keeps Sharifa’s skills fresh and sharp.

Sharifa’s own studies are ongoing with the finest the Oriental dance world has to offer.  Sharifa scored a few firsts for the NC Bellydance community when she performed twice for NC Dance Alliance Annual Showcase, and with her Qarisma Dance Co. at the inaugural Charlotte Dance Festival.
Ongoing projects include Oriental dance communities past and present, a narrative of 20th C Oriental dance and teaching dance online.

Sharifa is a history / political science professor in her “spare time”.

[Little known fact ] Sharifa’s very first performance was a Persian wedding and arranged by her first teacher - no preset music or choreo – leaving a special place in her heart for family celebrations and dancing by the “seat of your harems.” Couldn't have been that bad - they asked for Sharifa for their next event.

Here's what Sharifa had to say about NCBellydance.org:

 NCBD is the go-to resource for anything bellydance in NC! It’s a great student-teacher connector and regional calendar!
I have so many students and clients call because they saw me on NCbellydance.org! Thanks for all your hard work and we'll keep that support coming... 

Thank you, Sharifa!

Our Featured Sponsor of the Month: Twisted Dance Studios!

Conveniently located at 313 South Greene Street in Greensboro NC, Twisted Dance Studios features a large variety of world dance and fitness classes, including belly dance, African style dance, hooping, martial arts, self defense, Tai Chai, and Yoga.

Every year, they sponsor a gala world dance benefit show for the Triad Health Project.  This year's Project Shimmy benefit show will take place on Saturday, September 8 at the Gail Brower Huggins Performance Center in Greensboro College and will include a variety of world dance styles and performers from all over the state of NC.

In 2012, They were voted "Best Bellydancing" by the readers of Yes! Weekly.

Twisted Dance Studios partnered with Three Graces Entertainment in April 2012 to present a fundraising workshop and hafla for NCBellydance.org.   I can't thank them enough for their hard work on this fundraiser, and for all their support throughout the years!

For more information, visit their website at http://www.twisteddance.com.

Our Featured Sponsor of the Month: Gypsy!

"GYPSY" (Paula Stump) is originally from Lexington, NC and now resides in Winston-Salem, where she is the owner of PR Stump & Stuff, Inc., a promotional products advertising firm. 

She is a former model and actress and after playing the role of Gypsy Rose Lee in the Little Theater's 1978 production "Gypsy", she borrowed her stage name "Gypsy". 

Gypsy has been a student of Middle Eastern dance for 25 years and has taught the dance for 23 years. She has appeared twice with the Winston-Salem Symphony Orchestra at their "Sunday at the Pops" concert and at "Music at Sunset" where she performed to Bacchanale from Samson and Delilah. 

Her studies have taken her to San Francisco, Atlanta, New York, Seattle, and finally Egypt and Turkey, where she has received training from internationally acclaimed master teachers such as Delilah, Suhaila Salimpour, Nadia Hamdy and famous Egyptian choreographer, Mahmoud Reda.  

For more information, visit her website: www.shimmies-r-us.com.

Here is what she had to say about NCBellydance.org:

NCBellydance.org…the premier online resource for everything having anything to do with belly dancing in North Carolina!  If you don’t believe it, just Google any combination of “belly dance in North Carolina”, and see for yourself.  Haala’s tireless dedication and continuous hard work for the past ten years has certainly paid off, by positioning the site at the top of the search engine results.  Quite often I have been contacted about classes and/or performances, and when I inquire as to how the caller found me, I am told they saw my information/listing at ncbellydance.org!  Thanks to one of the most selfless, generous and supportive, kind-hearted and lovely people I have ever had the good fortune to find myself in the company of.

Thank you, Gypsy!   I appreciate your support!