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INBC's Directory of Belly Dance & Music Teachers

If you are interested in studying the dance or music of the Middle East, North Africa, Turkey, Andalusia, etc. you are in the right place.  INBC has members who are experience teachers for dancers of all levels (from the belly dance curious to the advanced) and all belly dance styles (raqs sharqi, cabaret, folkloric, Romani, fusion, group improv/FCBD® Style, etc.)  We also have members who offer lessons on various Middle Eastern instruments.

Click on a region to find an instructor near you!

Please contact the teacher directly for rates, class schedules, etc.

 

Doni Palmer (Fort Wayne )

Contact Info:

Dance Styles: Egyptian Folkloric, Fusion, ITS

General Ages & Genders of Students: All Genders 

Ashley Donaldson (Indianapolis & Carmel)

Contact Info:

Dance Styles: Oriental, Egyptian, Fusion, and fitness

Teaching Base & Methods: Technique, Artistry and Fitness

Experience: I teach weekly dance classes in person and online based in my Carmel, Indiana studio. I am available for workshops and performances, both in and out of town. Please contact me for pricing and scheduling.

General Ages & Genders of Students: Adults, Teens, and Seniors

Kat Lebo/Shuvani (Lafayette)

Contact Info:

Dance Styles: My dance style is predominantly American Orientale, with Egyptian, Lebanese and Turkish influences, and folkloric styles. I am available to coach and or critic your dancing, to coach you in dancing improvisationally. I can help you choreograph your own piece, or choreograph a piece specifically for you.  I am also available for coaching, critique, choreography, and basic zil and drum instruction. Retired from the Bare Bones Belly Dance program sponsored by the West Lafayette Parks & Recreation Department 1995-2020.

Teaching Base & Methods: Contact me to let me know how I can help you. While I am offering no recurring dance classes, I am available to teach zilling and basic drumming. I am also able to help you recognize various rhythms used in MENATH dance, and to teach you to play them on zils and doumbek. My approach is the same as it was when I was actively teaching: spreading my love of this dance to new students, teaching students to appreciate themselves for what they are — not what someone else tells them they should be, and on having fun. After all, if it isn’t fun, why would we work so hard at it?

Experience: I began belly dance at the Lafayette YWCA in 1974 with Kokomo instructor, Pat Koontz. I also studied with Charmaine of Chicago and did summer intensives with Dahlena in Evanston, as well as more seminars, workshops and week-longs than I can remember! I taught my first class in West Lafayette back in 1976 and taught at West Lafayette’s Morton Community Center from 1995 through 2020. I danced and choreographed for a local troupe, Raks al Sehr, for a little over twenty years (late 1970s to early 2000s). From the the mid 1980s to the mid 1990s, I performed at restaurants in the Indianapolis area, including The Parthenon in Broad Ripple (now out of business I believe) and The Acropolis in Southport.

I am the former director of the Bare Bones Belly Dance program, part of the West Lafayette Parks and Rec offerings and of its student troupe, Troupe Oasis, which is both a dance troupe and a drum group that performs at many Greater Lafayette area festivals such as Mosey Down Main Street and occasionally the Taste of Tippecanoe. The troupe has done multiple appearances and events like Dancing In The Streets and Global Fest, as well as planning an annual stage show, and even doing a couple of half-time shows for the Lafayette Brawlin’ Dolls, our local flat track roller derby team.

General Ages & Genders of Students: Adults, Seniors, Teens, All Genders Welcome

Adam Riviere (Indianapolis)

Contact Info:

Music Styles: Classical Arabic/Egyptian, Turkish, Moroccan, & Cabaret

Instruments Taught: Darbuka/Egyptian Tabla, Riq, Frame Drum/Daff/Tar, Mazhar, Finger Cymbals/Zills/Sagat

Experience: I have studied and performed Middle Eastern music for nearly 30 years. I have taught music for just as many years, having the honor of studying and learning with MENAHT style musicians. I want to share my knowledge with anyone willing to learn.

General Ages & Genders of Students: Adults, Children, Seniors, Teens, All Genders Welcome

Donna Barbrick Carlton (Bloomington)

Contact Info:

Dance Styles: Cabaret, Egyptian, Folkloric, Turkish

Teaching Base & Methods: Technique, Therapeutic, Traditional

Experience: Teaching since 1989

General Ages & Genders of Students: Adults, Teens

Bette Lucas (Bloomington)

Contact Info:

Dance Styles:  Cabaret, Egyptian, Flamenco

Teaching Base & Methods: Traditional Egyptian and occasional fusion

Experience:  30+years dancing, 25 years teaching

General Ages & Genders of Students: Adults

Laci Watson/Samira (Evansville / French Lick)

Contact Info: 

Dance Styles: American Cabaret, Egyptian, Folkloric, Romani, Turkish Oriental, Tribal Fusion and Fire Performance.

Teaching Base & Methods: Instructor certified in The Magic of Bellydance, American Cabaret, and Bellydancing From The Heart Method. Group Fitness Instructor Certified through NETA. 

Experience: Growing up immersed in the world of dance at her brother’s studio, movement became Samira’s second language. In 2006, she discovered belly dance, which quickly blossomed into a lifelong artistic passion. Since then, she has become a versatile performer, instructor, and fire artist. Her repertoire encompasses a rich tapestry of Middle Eastern dance styles, seamlessly blended with American Fusions.  – Dance Resume

General Ages & Genders of Students: Anyone with an interest in the feminine styles of Middle Eastern Dance are welcome in my classes. That means any experience level, body type, age, race, or gender. Any energy that feels unsafe in the classroom to anyone of any identifier will not be tolerated.

Daewen/Stygian Dance (Highland, IL/Greater St. Louis Area)

Contact Info: 

Dance Styles: Metal & Dark Fusion, Beginner-Advanced.

Experience:  Daewen has built a thriving international dance community through Stygian Dance, producing online festivals, leading workshops, and offering a comprehensive Stygian Certification Program for dancers of all levels. She has studied extensively in the fusion style since 2012 with many top-tier instructors, with the most inspiring being Ariellah, Silvia Salamanca, Michelle Sorensen, Belladonna, and her dance bestie Ami Amoré! With a background in psychology, coaching, and rune divination, she combines technical expertise, magical flair, emotional depth, and a passion for personal growth to support dancers both on and off the stage. 

Teaching professionally since 2013, Daewen has made it to the festival circuit as a headliner for Gothla Atlanta, Stone Soup, and Gothla Australia, and as a featured instructor at Bayou Belly Festivale, Great Lakes Belly Dance Convention, Indiana Bellydance Collective Annual Bazaar, and more. Daewen regularly hosts workshops, choreography classes, Runic Dance classes, and technique labs both online and in the St. Louis area.

General Ages & Genders of Students: All ages, genders, pronouns, etc. Everyone is welcome with Stygian Dance.

Jamila Zahran (Louisville, KY)

Jamila

Contact Info: 

*Please email a request with a little about yourself to be added to this group

Dance Styles:  Jamila has over 40 years of experience in Middle Eastern, North African, Hellenic and Turkish belly dance, and over 30 years of experience in Spanish dance. 

Experience: Directed Nejoum al Raks for 15 years; performed in Kentuckiana area, Missouri, Ohio, Illinois; Founding member of MEDSOK based in Louisville, KY. Actively involved with Arab American Association in Louisville, KY.

General Ages & Gender of Students: Teenage & Adult Women

Interested in being part of the dance and music instructor directory?

Click the button to submit your request to be included in the directory or to update your current listing.  Effective 2025, you must be a professional level member of INBC to be listed.

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