All dancers' name reflect something about themselves. Why call myself a witch? My friends say I am a witch, wiccan that is. OK, sometimes I can just be a real witch. It's really an inside joke between my husband and me. When we first met he said I must have cast a spell on him to make him fall in love with me at first sight.
I have never been an athletic person but I do love to dance. I like couple dancing, but could never find a dance partner and I don't have the body for ballet or tap-dancing. Bellydancing is a style of dance my body is just right for. That's the nice thing about belly dancing, you can be any size or age to start dancing and you can dance for as long as you want.
In 1994, my best friend Chrissy told me we were going to take bellydancing lessons at our local parks and rec. She had taken Egyptian style belly dancing a few years before and loved it. The class we attended turned out to be Turkish/tribal style, which went with the Middle Eastern Renaissance Faire guild our teacher had started. Within six months we had joined the guild and were doing Renaissance Faires all over central and northern California. Dancing and participating at Renaissance Faires has helped me with my self-esteem and made me comfortable with my body.
In 1995 I moved from the Sacramento area to Reno, Nevada to get married (what we do for love...he is worth it). For two years I danced off and on and searched for a new teacher who would teach the tribal style I liked. At our local community college I found a teacher who had first learned Hula, then bellydancing. With both dancing techniques she has developed a beautiful style that works great for both tribal and caberet. It was in this class I met four women who had started a tribal dance troupe called Asha. I invited myself in and they let me stay.
So, what happened to Chrissy (Shammira)? She's still doing Renaissance Faires as the lead drummer and solo showstopper for the Ottoman's Traders' guild. I am trying to talk her into moving to Reno. You can never have too many good dancers who can drum too.
Contact Saahira for her teaching schedule or the class schedule listed on this site.
