Christy Fricks is a second generation dancer and wanderer, she has followed the Romany trail since childhood seeking out all things Silk Road related. 16 years ago she found her first bellydance class and her love of dance and culture were united. With over 10 years experience teaching and performing a wide variety of middle eastern dance styles, she is the director of Sulukule Dance Ensemble and a longtime supporter of the Athens dance scene. Christy travels around the southeast performing and teaching. She also organizes much-loved community haflas and sponsors frequent world dance and music performances and workshops here in Athens. She holds degrees in Arabic literature, cultural studies and health and medical journalism and publishes articles on health, fitness, and culture for regional and national publications. In spring of 2007, Christy was nominated for a Best Kept Secret Award by Zaghareet! magazine. This March, she realized her dream of opening a dance studio when she became the new owner of Floorspace Movement Arts.
Jaclin Durant (Jaidra) is a fire performer and fusion style bellydancer based in Greenville, SC. A founding member of Sulukule Dance Ensemble she offers classes and workshops in Poi spinning, fire dancing, dance conditioning and tribal fusion bellydance.
Baraka Elihu has studied yoga, bellydance & a tapestry of movement arts for over 14 years & has taught classes in the Athens, GA area since 2002. She is a mother, psychotherapist, writer & performance artist and brings these qualities to her dance offerings. Learn more about Baraka & her work at www.holdingwomanspace.com.
Todd Elihu is a 20th generation disciple of Chen Style Taijiquan & 3rd generation disciple of Chen Shi Xinyi Hunyuan Taiji under Master Chen Zhonghua. Todd has studied & traveled extensively in China with Master Chen and other teachers from the same lineage. Since 2003 he has taught classes, workshops & private lessons - both at home and abroad. In 2009, Todd served as an instructor for a full-time training program at Daqingshan in the mountains of Shandong Province, China.He has been published in T'AI CHI Magazine and served as editor for Chen Zhonghua's translation of Hong Junsheng's Chen Style Taijiquan Practical Method Volume One: Theory. Currently, Todd studies Chinese Language and Literature at the University of Georgia. When not training, he enjoys translating classical texts and exploring Traditional Chinese Medicine. Todd lives with his wife and daughter in Athens, Georgia - just down the street from where he was born.
Rebecca Gose Enghauser is an Associate Professor of Dance at the University of Georgia in Athens. She has performed internationally and collaborated with a wide variety of choreographers, dancers and musicians.
Jennifer Kay-Williams (Rajni) a member of Athens, based Sulukule Dance Ensemble has been performing Egyptian style dance since 2004, primarily with veteran Oriental Dancer Kawakib of Washington D.C.. She is trained in several styles of dance including Egyptian, Tribal Odyssey, Classical Oriental, Folkloric and most recently she has begun adding Turkish style to her repertoire. Founder of Bellies for Breasts, a dance troupe devoted to fundraising for cancer research, she is skilled in several props including zills, cane, sword and veil.
Angela Mullis (Attar) is a longtime Athens bellydancer with over 8 years of experience dancing, teaching and performing. She is the director of Beliluna dance troupe, a doula, nurse and mother.
Kyle Peters training in Yoga began five years ago. He has trained in many styles including; Ashtanga, Kundalini, YogaFit, & YogaWorks. He is a 200-HR RYT ceritified through YogaWorks. His classes promote an inclusive and fun-loving atmosphere. In addition to his yoga training, he has pursued other physical art forms including Aikido, Muay Thai, and Capoeira Angola which he has studied with some of the best Mestres in the world including Mestres Joao Grande and Pe De Chumbo. He can be contacted via peterskylev at gmail with any questions.
Michelle Benson ("Laxshmi") is motivated by a sincere passion to facilitate and inspire self-healing in others, encouraging and empowering her clients to participate more consciously in their own growth, fitness, balance and healing. She brings to her work an extensive background in ballet and modern dance, over 10 years experience in massage therapy and Reiki and a deep understanding of the pleasure and healing power of expressive movement. Michelle is a licensed Nia instructore, a unique fitness practice that combines Martial Arts, Modern Dance, and Yoga. She recently graduated from the Vastu School of yoga in Athens. She is also certifed in Yamuna Body rolling a technique that blends therapy and fitness to create space, length, flexibility and balance using small blalls. Michelle is currently enrolled in the Institute for Integrative Nutrition to become a certified Personal Health and Wellness coach by the summer of 2010.http://www.thebodyeclectic.net.
Michelle Sharkey Vaught & Cora Keber In 2007, the dynamic duo of Michelle and Cora discovered a mutual love for ZUMBA! In 2009, both became certified Zumba teachers, and began offering classes at the State Botanical Gardens and quickly added many other locations around town. Their high energy tag-team approach to teaching has gained them the reputation of being Athens best Zumba instructors. To them, "Ditch the workout, join the party!" is not just a slogan, it is a way of life! They offer both high and low impact options in their classes. Michelle is also certifed Zumba Gold for older adults as well as Group X certified by IFTA.