ABOUT MELINA'S CLASSES:

Melina's classes have been described as "incredibly invigorating, outrageously empowering and very tasteful." For beginner's lessons, the focus is both on enjoying the dance form from the get-go and learning new movements in a carefully broken-down form.  Throughout class, Melina emphasizes proper form and body alignment both to prevent injury and to make sure you are doing the often unfamiliar movements properly.   After a fluid &  funky warm-up with stretching, the class moves from basic hip work to shimmies and snake-like slow work.  We always end with a cool down and more stretching.   Melina also introduces mini-choreographies which even the first-time belly dancer can enjoy.  Intermediate and advanced classes feature more complicated choreographies, traveling steps, spins & turns,  fast hip and foot work, layering, and musical interpretation with an eye toward performance.  And yes, you'll sweat!  Melina's classes are workouts for both the brain and body.

Melina cooks up a technique-based medley of Greco-Turkish and Arabic belly dance moves, spicing class with jazz, hip-hop, folk-dance & flamenco stylings.  Check out Melina's Oriental Dance Teaching Statement and read her Biography Page for more on her life of dance. 

Visit Melina's classes and special seminars for hip-work, veil, finger cymbals, floor-work, taqsim, fast & slow combinations, belly rolling, tambourines, the balancing of objects on the head & more.  Melina presents new moves in carefully broken-down form and emphasizes proper body alignment and somatic awareness throughout class.  At the same time, she encourages people to let loose and express their own individual strengths. Melina has pioneered funky and sassy "techno belly" choreographies which incorporate euro-arabic pop remixes and the music of Natacha Atlas, Shakira, Britney Spears, Dimitri from Paris, Claude Challe and more.  Read her Mission Statement for more on her goals regarding Oriental Dance.

Email Melina for more info about her lessons.  For more on Melina's life of dance, read her personal essay "Dancing From the Belly".  

Daughters of Rhea:  An international, multi-generational, life-of-dance experiment.  Carpe Belly-Um!