JENNA is a professional bellydance artist & instructor, and the proud co-director of DanceGarden LA. Trained in ballet & modern dance from childhood through university, Jenna continues her lifelong passion for dance by soaking up multiple movement disciplines & styles at every opportunity, and passing her knowledge & understanding freely on to her students here in LA and in special workshops nationally & internationally. She is also the star of three highly successful instructional bellydance DVD's. You can read more about Jenna's extensive teaching and performing experience, in NYC, LA and abroad at www.beyondbellydance.com.

ZAHRA Zuhair is co-director of Dance Garden LA, as well as a master teacher, performer, and choreographer who is world renowned for her knowledge, authenticity, and dedication to the art of Middle Eastern dance. Raised in oriental dance from a young age, Zahra is known for her musicality, flawless technique, and elegant style. She has trained and influenced many of today’s international, bellydance stars, and has performed and taught workshops on 5 continents, including the Ahlan Wa Sahlan Festival in Cairo Egypt. For more information about Zahra, visit her website: www.zahrazuhair.com

Princess FARHANA has performed, taught & written about Oriental Dance since 1990, having appeared across the nation, around the world, & at concerts with major Arabic recording stars. Named “Favorite Oriental Dancer 2006” by Zaghareet Magazine, famous for her balancing skills and outrageous belly maneuvers, she is featured on-screen and starring in bellydance DVDs. Trained in classic Egyptian style by the greats (including her first influential teacher, Zahra Zuhair) Farhana is also well-known as a theatrical fusion performer. Her warmth, enthusiasm and adventurous spirit on and off stage captivate audiences and students alike.

Princess Farhana teaches bellydance!
Photo Don Spiro

NASILA has been dancing and performing since the age of 5, exploring ballet, tap, jazz, and gleefully participating in several years of competition show choir. Moments into her first bellydance class with Zahra Zuhair in 2002 she became smitten with Middle Eastern music and movement. Since then she has trained extensively, taking workshops and classes with over 50 different belly dance instructors, many of whom are world-class and/or local super stars in the dance community. She is co-founder of LARaqs.com and performs at local restaurants and shows as a soloist as well as half of the duet Nasila wa Camila: Sharqiyyah Ruh (Eastern Soul). She continues her studies in Middle Eastern dance and folklore while honing her classic Egyptian style and passing on her knowledge through teaching.

Nasila teaches Bellydance

DeVILLA has been dancing and performing since the age of six. She discovered Middle Eastern Dance ten years ago and became passionate about the art of this dance. DeVilla has sought out some of the world's best teachers both in the U.S. and Egypt, and studies extensively with Zahra Zuhair. She is trained in classical egyptian and folkloric styles of middle eastern dance.
Her dance style is a blend of classical egyptian raks sharqi, fusion, a bit of campy fun and a love of drama, costuming, make up and the glamour of old Hollywood!
DeVilla performs as a soloist and with the troupe SAHARAN SIRENS and can be seen, on occasion, at Dar Maghreb Restaurant in Hollywood. She was also the artistic director and choreographer for the award winning MIGHTY ISIS DANCE CO.

DeVilla teaches Beginner Bellydance Workout and Makeup for Dancers!

FAHTIEM is in demand worldwide for her signature artistry, embodied in her quote "There are no magic steps -- only the magic you put in every step." She travels the world giving bellydance workshops and raqs sharqi performances, inspiring dancers wherever she goes. Her unique belly dance style has been developed over years of training and performing, and she passes it to all her bellydance students with great care.

Fahtiem teaches bellydance!

KAMALA began her dance career in Ballet and Jazz. She has performed Raqs Sharki, aka "belly dance", in hundreds of nightclubs, theaters, hotels and events around the world, as well as on television and film. Kamala was a founding member and choreographer for “The Flowers of the Desert”, has produced her own theater productions, and has choreographed and coached many 1st place champions in Belly Dance competitions. Kamala has a broad range of influences. Students will incorporate classical and theatrical Egyptian dance, modern Cairo style, and a touch of Cyd Charisse into performance dances, learning counts and phrasing of Arabic music. Students also bring their imagination to class, and are taught how to construct a choreography. Kamala will begin teaching at DanceGarden in October 2009. Many of her fans are looking forward to her famous bellydance choreographies.

Kamala teaches bellydance choreography!

SHERRI, aka. Cherchez La Femme has been a student of dance since the age of five with diverse experience ranging from ballet to gymnastics, jazz to modern. Her passion for Middle Eastern dance began in 1999 when she began studying with the internationally celebrated Heather Stants, director of the influential Urban Tribal Dance Company. She soon became a full member performing with the company regularly at private events and bellydance festivals across the US. Sherri is distinguishable in her unique serpentine stylization, an interpretation that stylistically embodies a cross between bellydance and mild contortionism. She is also an extremely versatile dancer and can morph from one physical state to the next in an instant.
In addition to performing as a soloist, Sherri finds creative inspiration in collaboration with other performers. Her dedication, professionalism, and superb artistry has given her the honor of working with Desert Sin, a critically celebrated experimental bellydance theatre company, Atash Maya Dance Company, Elysium Dance Theatre, and as guest artist with the incomparable Lucent Dossier Experience Vaudeville Circus and most recently with Los Angeles based performance collective, Zen Arts.
Having relocated to Los Angeles from San Diego in 2005, Sherri continues to study dance in various incarnations and teaches tribal fusion classes and workshops both locally and abroad. Sherri performs internationally and has been featured in several internationally distributed DVDs the latest of which is a collective performance DVD entitled "Tales of Desire."
When she is not working on the latest Cherchez La Femme (her own company) or collaborative project, Sherri can be found performing as Slither with The Living World or as a “buxotica” with Lucha Va Voom.

Sherri teaches Tribal Fusion Bellydance

NANCY Kintisch (Raghubir) has been an avid student and practitioner of many types of yoga much of her adult life, but knew she had found her home in Kundalini Yoga six years ago (in 2004). She’s studied extensively under master teachers Harijiwan and Tej Kaur at Golden Bridge and in Santa Monica, and has received her Level one certification three times….twice just for fun! Her classes are “Kundalini Yoga as taught by Yogi Bhajan”® which means that they are pure Kundalini Yoga and not mixed with any other yoga form…as close to the source as possible! Kundalini Yoga helps us to stay young and vital through dynamic exercise, develops the power of self-healing through meditation, brings peace and clarity to crisis situations, and builds strength of character to persevere. Not only will you tone and strengthen your entire body, but you will experience profound change, optimal health and access to your creative energy in a relatively short amount of time. Nancy teaches East Siders here at Dance Garden and at Heartbeat House, and on the West Side at Yoga West (the home of Kundalini Yoga). She holds Kundalini Yoga Prosperity classes on the last Friday of the month at the Crystal Matrix also in Atwater Village, and teaches once a week at Los Angeles County High School for the Arts where she teaches “Kundalini Yoga and the Spark of Creativity” to young artists, actors, musicians, and dancers. She is an artist herself and her love of creative self-expression permeates every class she teaches. Every class includes a Gong relaxation/meditation period.

Nancy teaches Kundalini Yoga!

ANDREA began performing at the age of 4, born with a love of dance. While classically trained in ballet, jazz and musical theater, her focus for the last 10 years has been Afro-Latin dance. Andrea teaches a street-style of salsa, merengue, cumbia and dancehall. For her class at Dance Garden, she instructs on Afro-Brazilian samba, axe and samba reggae. She performs at various nightclubs, private parties and events. Her curiousity about Brazil led her to study not only samba, but also capoeira and Brazilian history. Under the instruction of Irani da Silva she has honed her skills in Afro-Brazilian samba. Andrea’s students love her fusion of traditional Afro-Latin style dance with modern street style. In class, Andrea’s personal, down-to-earth style allows her to bring out the best in her students, helping them to feel confident and sexy. Aside from teaching dance, she is also a personal trainer specializing in dance conditioning.

Andrea teaches Brazilian-style Samba!

JESSICA is a founding member of Open Road Films and has studied theater, including Suzuki and Viewpoints movement with Ann Bogart's SITI Company,as well as classical and world dance for over fifteen years in New York, Seattle, San Francisco, and Los Angeles. She has completed her KRI certification to teach Kundalini yoga (as taught by Yogi Bhajan) in Santa Monica with master teachers Harijiwan and Tej Kaur. As a performer, Jessica has found the vocal work and breath exercises involved with Kundalini yoga highly complementary to the demands of dance and stage presence. Her goal is to help you connect with the creative energy within for a prosperous and joyful life.
Kundalini Yoga as taught by Yogi Bhajan® is the authentic yoga technology which originated in India several thousand years ago. It is not combined with any other yoga techniques and is a complete energetic workout. It is an indispensable tool for all performers seeking to develop a strong nervous system and a versatile core strength.

Jessica teaches Kundalini Yoga in the mornings!