About Our Instructors
AZIZA NAWAL
Aziza Nawal has been involved in Oriental Dance (bellydance) for 13 years. In addition to regular and guest appearances in restaurants and stage shows throughout the U.S., Aziza was the winner of the Middle Eastern Dance in North America Competition in 2002,
placed Third at the 2005 Double Crown Competition and finished 3rd Runner-up at the Belly Dancer of the Universe Competition in 2006. She has appeared
on WGCL's Good Morning Atlanta, Fox Television's
30 Seconds to Fame and recently featured on
“Yildiz Yagmuru”, a live variety show filmed in Istanbul, Turkey.
As an instructor, Aziza has taught ongoing group classes and specialty workshops in the Southeastern United States since 1998. She was a featured instructor and performer at the Annual Mabruk Festival in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil and has taught workshops in Seattle, Washington, and Tulsa, Oklahoma.
Aziza Nawal’s extensive knowledge of Middle Eastern music and rhythms allow her to perform eloquent musical interpretation and dynamic drum solos. She attributes her compelling performance skills to her lifetime love of epic movies and vaudeville.
YASMINE
Yasmine, who has an extensive background in ballet, tap, jazz, &
Middle Eastern dance, is the studio owner of Mid-East Dance by Yasmine. Yasmine spent much of 2004 touring with the Bellydance Superstars performing in major cities around the United States as well as Barcelona, Spain and after touring teamed up with Master Tabla Player Issam Houshan in offering Drum & Dance workshops.
Yasmine's distinct performance style referred to as "Cutting Edge Cabaret" and dance curriculum in Middle Eastern Dance are supplemented by Suhaila Salimpour's Level 1 format. Featured on the cover of the May/June 2007 issue of Zaghareet, Yasmine also appears in IAMED's Bellydance-O-Rama Volume 3 DVD.
Yasmine hosts several workshop and show events in the Charlotte area & is currently teaching seminars throughout the U.S.
ONCA
Since 1999, Onça has been the source for quality bellydance instruction and performance in Western North Carolina. She was honored to be
the first dancer ever to recieve a certification in General Skills from the originator of the modern Tribal Dance movement, Carolena Nericcio.
Onça's dance company, Baraka Mundi Live Music & Dance Ensemble, was nominated in 2004 for both Best Dance Company in WNC and Best Kept Secret in the national Golden Belly Awards. Triboriginal, her annual Tribal Dance camp, was nominated for
Best Event in 2008.
Onça's touring project for 2007-2008 is The Mezmer Society, a Balkan-infused Vaudeville revival, with multi-instrumentalist, August Hoerr. Her commitment to live music is absolute in an increasingly electronic dance world.