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Academy
Instructors: Dance
All of the Arabesque Academy instructors are also part of the Arabesque Dance Company, bringing their real life stage experience and passion to the classroom.Yasmina Ramzy
After many years of performing throughout the Middle East for royalty and heads of state, Yasmina Ramzy founded the critically acclaimed Arabesque Dance Company & Orchestra, Arabesque Academy and the International Bellydance Conference of Canada. She received her key training from leading masters in Egypt and Syria including Aida Nour and Mohammed Khalil of the National Folklore Troupe of Egypt. Her unique and highly creative choreographies have been commissioned internationally by universities, museums, ballet companies, figure skating teams and many Middle East dance companies including the internationally renowned Bellydance Superstars. She has been awarded numerous grants for her choreographies by all levels of arts councils.
Yasmina is invited to teach and perform regularly in over 60 cities on five continents. She has produced 8 instructional DVDs, 7 performance DVDs and 6 CDs that sell worldwide. The "Ask Yasmina" column which is published in the world's largest Bellydance magazine is translated into several languages.
Yasmina is well known for elevating the status of Middle Eastern dance as high art and conveying its relationship with Arab music and culture. She is a member of the Canadian Alliance of Dance Artists and has served on the Board of Directors for Dance Ontario since 1996.
Melissa Gamal
Lead Dancer/Teacher
Melissa began her formal dance training in Ballet with six years of study at the Canadian Conservatory of Dance in Toronto. She began training in Middle Eastern dance at the age of 16 with instructor Raven Crow and has since continued to refine her technique at Arabesque Academy with master instructor Yasmina Ramzy, and senior teachers Mary Cabral and Emese Dosa. Her passion for the dance has led her to study with many world-renowned dancers such as Tito Seif, Randa Kamel, Aida Nour, Nagua Fouad, Orit Maftsir, Sahra Saeeda, Leila Farid, Jillina, Hadia, Camelia and many others. In 2008 she had the honor of being invited to perform in the gala show for dancer Leila of Cairo, held in Montreal. Her newest venture in Middle Eastern arts is learning to play the Dumbek with instructor Suleiman Warwar. Melissa started her apprenticeship with Arabesque Dance Company in 2005, and became a lead dancer in 2007. She is proud to have been a part of their last three stage productions, ASALA, EGYPT and OUM. Melissa instructs weekly classes at Arabesque Academy and is an established soloist in Toronto and the GTA.
Sarah
Lead Dancer/Teacher
Sarah began her formal dance training at the age of 4 in ballet. Throughout the years she has also trained in jazz, hip hop, and modern. She has had the opportunity to study with amazing instructors such as Siona Jackson, Shawn Byfield and Ingrid Abbot. Once Sarah discovered Middle Eastern dance one evening at a restaurant she was hooked. Soon after she began studying the art of Bellydance with Yasmina Ramzy, Denise Mireau and Saba Alemayehu. Throughout her training she has been lucky to study with Randa Kamal, Amir Thaleb and Sahra Saeeda as well. She is currently teaching Bellydance at Arabesque Academy and is a Lead Dance with Arabesque Dance Company and Orchestra.
Shari
Apprentice Dancer/Teacher
Shari was first inspired to learn the art of Bellydance after seeing Arabesque Dance Company lead dancer, Mary, perform at a local restaurant in 2004. Shortly thereafter, she began taking classes at Arabesque Academy, without any prior dance training. At Arabesque, the enthusiasm and passion of the talented instructors encouraged her to continually challenge herself and improve her skills. In addition, during her post-graduate studies in Sociology and Equity Studies, she developed a deeper appreciation for Bellydance as a valuable expression of femininity, power, and resistance. Shari is thrilled to continue her training as an apprentice with the Arabesque Dance Company, and is excited to teach at Arabesque Academy.
Charlene
Teacher
A member of the Arabesque professional dance troupe under the direction of Yasmina Ramzy, the Arabesque Earthshakers, Charlene has been performing Middle Eastern dance since 2009. Performances include: the International Bellydance Conference of Canada, the Canadian National Exhibition, Nathan Phillip's Square, Robert Gill Theatre and the Fifi Abdou Gala Performance in Toronto. A graduate of the Arabesque Professional Course and long-time student of Arabesque Academy, Charlene continues her passion for Bellydance as a substitute teacher at Arabesque.
Nikki Gentles
Lead Dancer/Teacher
Nikki Gentles began her formal dance training in ballet dance at age five. Although her love of sports soon drew her away from ballet towards more than two decades of competitive soccer, she dabbled in various performance dance styles often including Caribbean folklore. Nikki was introduced to Bellydance at a corporate gym and began studying the art form seriously at Arabesque Academy in 2005 with teachers such as Yasmina Ramzy, Denise Mireau and Saba Alemayehu Asfaw. She has furthered her technique in workshops with Egyptian masters Randa Kamal, Aida Nour and Tito. In 2008, she auditioned for the prestigious and internationally renowned Arabesque Dance Company & Orchestra and has since trained and performed with the troupe as a Lead Dancer. Her performance credits include the CBC's Dragon's Den, the Canadian National Exhibition, Zidane and Friends Soccer Tour Toronto half-time show and major productions with Arabesque Dance Company & Orchestra's world premieres of 'Egypt', 'OUM' and 'NOOR'.
Nikki is a Bellydance instructor with Arabesque Academy. She is also a certified soccer coach with the Ontario Soccer Association, a certified fitness instructor specialist with Can-Fit-Pro and a Reebok University certified Indoor Cycle instructor. Nikki works full-time as a senior public relations consultant with Media Profile.
Tatiana Kaptchinskaia
Apprentice Dancer
Tatiana has been involved in the world of dance since the age of six and has received extensive training in classical ballet. Along with classical repertoire, she has also studied and performed a variety of character dances, focusing her attention on Ukrainian and Russian folk styles. She loves performing on stage and learning the intricacies of different styles of dance. Tatiana was inspired to start belly dancing after attending the Belly Dance Superstars performance in Toronto in 2008. She immediately became addicted to the unique movement, technique, and femininity of the dance and wanted to become a part of the culture. She trained with many of Arabesque teachers and is ecstatic to have joined the company as an apprentice dancer.
Saba Alemayehu Asfaw
Lead Dancer/Teacher
Hailing from Ethiopia, Saba is a versatile and innovative dancer, choreographer and teacher. She is known for her uniqueness in both traditional and fusion styles of African, Middle Eastern and related dance forms. Her background being Ethiopian dance, Saba has further training and performing experience in styles such as Congolese Soukous, West African, Hip Hop and Belly Dance. Other than spending ample time teaching herself and practicing on her own, Saba studied and performed West African dance with Franklin & Marshall College African Dance Group (USA) and Imani Edu-tainers (USA). She studied Belly Dance with Yasmina Ramzy and Denise Mireau of Arabesque Academy as well as numerous workshops with Egyptian artists like Randa Kamal, Tito, Aida Nour, Momo Kodus, etc. Teachers of DLM, National Dance of Canada, and DoDat have shaped her Hip Hop skills. She is a teacher, dancer and choreographer with her African dance troupe Jaivah a.k.a Nouvel Expose. Saba has been teaching Belly Dance and Belly Dance Fusion at Arabesque Academy for a number of years and is a lead dancer with Arabesque Dance Company. She can also be seen performing solo and collaborations on many stages and music videos. See clip here