Zuleika, Belly Dancer in Hampton Roads

So you want to know more about me...

Me! Me! Me! Sorry, got a little carried away there...

I bellydance in the Hampton Roads area of Virginia. I love classical Egyptian belly dance style as well as tribal and tribal fusion. My principal belly dance instructor is Taaj fi Qalbi of the central Virginia area (she rocks). I'm the only Hampton Roads, Virginia bellydancer on the web who speaks fluent Spanish (Hola! íViva bellydance en español!)

I'm proud to say I won the 2006 Headliner category of the East Coast Bellydance Classic in Virginia Beach, Virginia and I was the Second Place contestant in the 2006 Personal Best Silver category competition in Ohio. (I have some awesome trophies that I sleep with sometimes. Although they do poke me in the eye, though, so they stay on the mantle more often than not.)

I've studied with Raqia Hassan in Cairo, Egypt (in the middle of the night while wearing evening clothes...long story!), with Morocco "Aunty Rocky" (who's not only a bellydancer, but a Mensa member), Sharon Kihara of the Bellydance Superstars (love the peacock tattoos!), Taaj fi Qalbi (need I say more?), Addel Youssef of the Cairo, Egypt Tannoura Show (zagat finger-cymbal player extraordinaire) and many others.

I'm available for bellygrams throughout the Hampton Roads, Virginia area (Norfolk, Virginia Beach, Chesapeake, Portsmouth, Suffolk, Hampton and Newport News). (I don't perform at bachelor parties, sorry, love!) My Hampton Roads belly grams can be brought to your business or other venues with another bellydancer, so don't be shy about asking!

Gosh, you made it this far and you still want to know more about me? I'm flattered! (I'm ready for my closeup...) Here's an article I wrote that was published in "Zaghareet" Magazine's September/October 2006 issue that tells you a bit more...

"East Coast Bellydance Classic 2006: A Personal Journey"
By Zuleika
I’m a hardcore bellydancer. I started practicing for the May 2006 East Coast Bellydance Classic (“the Classic”) in November 2005. In six months, I mixed in one trip to Egypt, four intense workshops, constant critiques, mountains of makeup, and…I won. So how did a nervous girl on the sidelines become a cabaret champion?

As many have expressed before, artistic expression is both physical and emotional. The decision to compete forced me to look within, to seek and accept feedback in order to improve. Criticism, no matter how constructive, is a challenge.

So I got out there: I danced, made mistakes, and slowly saved my instructor’s comments to form my routine for the Virginia Beach-based event. I formed personal goals: have fun, entertain the audience and be open to the judge’s suggestions. Goals helped control my anxiety and forced me to focus.
I analyzed the criteria for my category (Headliner). We’ve all heard “less is more”, so I didn’t take the maximum time for music. I decided to focus on my strengths, so I didn’t use any props at all. I chose music that I love that also expresses my dance style: an Egyptian piece, a drum solo and a Turkish piece. I was taking a risk combining very different elements, so I’d have to strongly distinguish the pieces, showing my range.

Taaj Fi Qalbi, one of the “Classic” sponsors and its founder, also instructed monthly workshops called “Intermediate Intensives”. Her critiques offered just enough to work on without making students feel overwhelmed. Taaj’s workshops also built in convenient deadlines to work on my routine. Every time I was observed by Taaj (and yes, my peers!), I’d work on older items and also new tasks for the next workshop.

Taaj had been my instructor for about a year and a half by the time I competed, but I, and everyone else who competed, worked hard to be part of the Classic. I competed in the same category as many classmates and other dancers from various places on the East Coast. We all learned not to sacrifice what Taaj calls “gimme points”, which are points for entrance and exit, costuming and makeup.

In the end, before I went on stage, I had serious doubts. I was very nervous and couldn’t remember why I even wanted to compete. My sister, who helped me with my makeup that day, was the one who reminded me to have fun. Somehow, I let go of everything. I let go of caring, and everything just flowed. I felt a magnetism from the audience as I seemed to float above the ground, the sounds of zaghareet filling the air…and it was enough. I did win my category and People’s Choice, but most of all, I remember feeling that the audience and I were one, and it all made sense. I am a hardcore bellydancer, infected with the sometimes sickness of this daring dance, and I love it…no matter what.

Photo credit (top right): Portrait Photography of Virginia Beach