SHAMSI (CHARLIE PETTUS)

Shamsi Pettus is a professional dancer with a varied background in Middle Eastern, North African and Turkish dance, Bharatanataym, Yoga and Tai Chi. In addition to being a Certified Teacher of Dancemeditation, Shamsi is also a level III Reiki practitioner. Owner and co-founder of BayouShimmy dance studio in Baton Rouge, LA she offers classes in Dancemeditation, Bellydance and general fitness. Shamsi's teaching is guided by a desire to make beautiful, healing movement accessible and possible for everyone. By cultivating constant, subtle awareness, Dancemeditation reaches in and wakes our sleeping inner Beauty. Shamsi brings these dynamic principals to her teaching.

NOURA (KAYE BUHLER)

Noura saw her first bellydancer in Denver, CO over 10 years before she began taking lessons. Noura began studying Middle Eastern dance in 1998 under Belita Karima and Zahara Kasmir, attending two classes a week. Noura flew fast and furiously from zero to nearly professional by attending workshops with Mesmera, Morocco, Suzanna Del Vecchio and Shareen El Safy (just to name a few) within the first two years of dancing. Noura and Shamsi began teaching together in the summer of 2000. Noura has never stopped learning, continuing to take workshops throughout the U.S. and even traveling once to Africa with Mesmera. Noura is a licenced massage therapist and a former student of Tai Chi, both of which allow her a unique perspective on the body and how to teach movement. Noura’s skill and poise with sword and her smooth polished Egyptian style of dance make her a joy to watch.

KATE JENSEN

Kate has always had a love for dance and music. She studied ballet in her youth with the Baton Rouge Ballet Workshop. As an adult she decided to try out tribal bellydance at a friend's suggestion. Now a co-director of Indudala Tribe, Kate has had many teachers and instructors including: N.O.Madic Tribal, Megha Gavin, Rachel Brice, and Darshan.

Kate has found that dance is a top priority of hers and wants to share the fun and interest of ATS (American Tribal Style) and its many incarnations with others. Although her dance is founded mainly in the ATS-format, she enjoys experimenting with other styles and incorporating them into her ATS repertoire.

SHELLY PLAISANCE

With 27 years of music experience, Shelly began playing guitar seriously at the age of 19. Now, while he remains a talented and ever evolving guitarist, many Middle Eastern dancers know him primarily as a percussionist. Shelly began drumming in 1997 and since then has proven himself one of the top professional Middle Eastern percussionists in the Gulf South. Performing for such venues as Festival Internationale de Louisiane and The Cite’ des Artes in Lafayette, Fest for All in Baton Rouge, and the Hammond Renaissance Festival, Shelly continues to wow audiences with his spectacularly energetic drumming style. Shelly has studied with such masters as Omar Faruk Tekbilek, Armando Mafufo, and Salah Dawson-Miller. Shelly began teaching drumming in our community in 1999, exponentially increasing the number of percussionists. Since then, dancers in South Louisiana have had more opportunities for live music than perhaps many in the United States.

ASHLEY ELDRINGHOFF

Born in the jungles of Metairie, Ashley lived with a tribe of roaming wolves until she finally settled in the great city of Baton Rouge at age 4. There she began her dancing journey with her aunt at Cindy's Dance Company in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. She continued to dance through highschool taking classes in ballet, tap, jazz, lyrical, and hip-hop. At the age of 18 she followed a little door that led down the rabbit hole, and then up some stairs, to discover the wonderful world of belldancing at BayouShimmy Dance Studio. After committing herself as BayouShimmy's personal slave, she took numerous classes from its wonderful teachers including Shamsi, Iona, Gia Sabine, and Kate Jensen.

Ashley currently teaches beginner's classes in bellydancing at the studio and co-directs the Bayou Shimmy Beginner's Troupe. She also performs in Baton Rouge and Lafayette. Her favorite color is green.

EMILY MEYERS
At the age of three Emily started dancing with her ribbon stick and soon blossomed into a dance enthusiast. At the age of seven she choreographed her first piece to Enya's "Sail Away." Emily began bellydancing in 2003 under Marisella Ali, Angelique Jamail, and Sahira in Houston, Tx. She performed tribal style with Urban Gypsy in the student troupe and the professional troupe. She moved to Baton Rouge in 2006, and began teaching at Bayoushimmy soon after.

Her favorite bellydancers are Aziza and Darshan. And her favorite ice cream flavor is Mint Chocolate Chip.

CHRISTINA CHRIST

Christina Christ took her first bellydance class in 2005 and has been dancing nonstop ever since. She has been instructed by several members of the south Louisiana bellydance community. In New Orleans, she began her study of bellydance with Selena de la Luna at a workshop she co-taught with Dolphina of California, and attended classes taught by Sabrina and Gretchen of the Sisters of Salome. After Hurricane Katrina, Christina worked extensively with Shamsi of BayouShimmy in Baton Rouge. In April of 2007, she returned to New Orleans and now studies primarily under Kryss and Amae of the Sisters of Salome and Shannon Wolfe of Saffron Studio. She has attended workshops taught by a number of internationally known bellydancers including Morocco, Megha of Devyani as well as Sharon Kihara and Kami Liddle of the Bellydance Superstars. Christina credits her instructors for her rapid transition from beginner to performer despite having almost no previous formal dance training. Her personal style is a mixture of cabaret and tribal style bellydance, which she performs as a solo artist in New Orleans and Baton Rouge, and with the members of Indudala Tribe. She is an instructor in Baton Rouge and New Orleans.

LADY MORRIGHAN (MORRIGHAN ASPARA)

Morrighan began her study of Middle Eastern Dance over 11 years ago. She has been able to study with a variety of teachers like; Ergallis Kakias, Morocco, Chonchi, and Ruby Jazayre, all of which, she incorporates into her style of American Tribal. Her first teacher, Susan (By the Sea BellyDance, KY) loved Egyptian dance. She was the first to remove the veil and show her mysteries and dances of our ancestors. Teresita (Rakadu Gypsy Dance, KY), shifted Morrighans’ focus from choreography to queues and transitions, the silent language of BellyDance. With the knowldege of this physical language one can incorporate all; Egyptian, African, Hula, Flamenco, etc. into seamless queues for others to follow. The all encompassing style known today as American Tribal.

VISIT LADY MORRIGHAN'S WEBSITE: www.boundlessfushion.com

IONA (KIM KARNELL)

Iona is a native New Orleanian and has been a performer of belly dance since 2001 and instructor since 2004. After years of exploring the artistic venues of music, art, and Theatre, Iona finally found her true passion in belly dance! She has since studied Cabaret and Folkloric styles principally with Betty Karam in New Orleans and has also had dance instruction from Dollie Eaglin, Layla Isis, Shamsi, and Serena Wilson, as well as seminar class instruction with prominent dance artists like Amaya, Sahra Saeeda, and Superstar Jillina. With a Master’s in Theatre studies, Iona brings her joy of performance and stage experience to the classroom. As a Theatre person, she is particularly drawn to dance work with props including sword, cane, and zils. Iona’s name, meaning 'purple jewel', is a tribute to her grandmother, Iona Meneray.

VISIT IONA'S WEBSITE: www.dancingjewel.com

GIA SABINE (MEGAN MORAN SMITH)

A born artist in several mediums, from the first time her mother changed Gia’s diaper and she danced away naked, her mother knew Gia loved to move. She studied tap, ballet and gymnastics, becoming a skillful gymnast and later transferrring that skill to collegiate cheerleading. While in college studying fine arts, Gia taught children’s gymnastics. After being kicked out at the end of her gymnastics class by ‘some bellydancers’ Gia discovered the ancient dance. She took a beginner’s class under Belita Karima in the summer of 1999, finding a new and passionate art form. Gia began teaching Middle Eastern dance classes in the spring of 2003.

CLAIRE HATTY

Claire Hatty began training at Data’s School of Dance in Marrero, Louisiana at two years old and continued taking classes there until the age of 18 when she graduated with her teaching certificate. During her years there, she studied ballet, jazz, tap, hip hop, character, lyrical and modern. Throughout those years, she also competed in several competitions and won several performance awards and dance scholarships. Claire attended Louisiana State University where she was a part of the LSU Golden Girls Dance Team and the LSU Tiger Girls Dance Team. While on Tiger Girls, she competed in Universal Dance Association’s regional competitions where they won first every year. In UDA’s national competition, held in Florida, her team placed in the finals each year. Also, while in college, she was asked to be on Universal Dance Association Staff and worked as an instructor for two years. During that time she taught junior high to college-age dancers across the state and country. She also judged several dance team tryouts and choreographed and critiqued for several award winning high school teams. After graduating from LSU, Claire moved to the New Orleans area and taught hip hop and jazz at the very place she started, Data’s School of Dance. Now Claire is back in Baton Rouge and is excited to teach hip hop at Bayou Shimmy and get to know a new crew of talented dancers.

TANYA RAWAL-JINDIA

Tanya is a student of classical indian dance including Bharatnatyam and Kathak. She has trained in Bharatnatyam for 15 years and Kathak for 6 years. She has been performing classical, folk, and bollywood style dances for 14 years but has been performing on a professional level for 4 years. Tanya has just returned from India after training again in Kathak for a 6 month intensive program. The classes will consist of Bollywood style dances including classical indian dance steps.

2006 Bayou Shimmy Dance Studio
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