Raks Star * Yvonne
Miami, Florida
Forward by Zaina Hart and Sue-Ellen Sanders
From the moment I laid eyes on her, then watched her dance, I knew the dance world had a new Raks Star. Yvonne's love of this dance art was clear as she danced, but more importantly, her joy of life shown through those captivating eyes. She is amazingly creative (as evidenced by a Dance of the Seven Veils like no other I have seen in my lifetime as a dancer) quickly developing her own signature style. Add that ethereal grace and exotic beauty and you have one incredible performance. Getting to know her has been an honor, listening to her talk respectfully and passionately about the dance as well as those within its arms renews my belief we are in fact in good hands with this next generation of artists. Please welcome "Yvonne" to the pages and hearts of those readers of iShimmy.
Performer/Teacher Yvonne finds Artistic Expression and Passion in Belly
Dance
By Sue-Ellen Sanders
For belly dancer Yvonne, performing and teaching go hand-in-hand. An
award-winning Middle Eastern performing artist who has focused her studies in Classic
Egyptian Oriental and cabaret stylization, Yvonne is a performer who has
developed her own unique style with a progressive twist. Over the past ten years, her talent as an
instructor and performing artist has captivated audiences and earned her the
respect of the belly dance scene.
Although she has only just begun to compete professionally in the last 2
years, Yvonne has already garnered prestigious honors.
This Canadian-born woman now calls the East Coast, Florida, home and is
a favorite subject of her photographer husband’s work. In between teaching classes and performing,
Yvonne is often on the road, traveling throughout the United States, at
workshops and competitions. She continues to deepen her study of Middle Eastern
dance and culture with frequent travels to Lebanon, Dubai and to Egypt’s
international Ahlan Wa Sahlan Belly Dance Festival.
Here is her story:
Yvonne
Photo by Michael Baxter
The seed of interest planted
Although Yvonne never had formal dance training as a child, she toyed
with belly dance as a hobby, as a young girl in the home of her best friend,
Yasmin, who was of Egyptian descent. As
the children played their little girl games, young Yvonne found herself
intrigued by the music, the food and the beautiful culture. Yasmin showed her friend what she knew about
belly dancing, which had been passed along in her family. It wasn’t until years
later that Yvonne started taking classes at a local studio and soon began to
lose herself in the dance.
A Teaching career begun by accident
Meanwhile, the belly dance classes at the studio weren’t working out
just the way Yvonne had planned, she craved more culture ties to the lesson.
But, they were fun and high energy, and one day, when the teacher didn’t show
up for class, the students stayed on as Yvonne informally led the class. That progressed into her first teaching job
and some of those students are still with her today.
As Yvonne learned more about the dance, what had started out as a
hobby, soon progressed into a full-time obsession and profession. “Middle Eastern dance offers a great outlet
for artistic expression, fitness and cultural awareness,” she says, with
emotion. “It’s not just about doing the
dance; it’s about sharing the passion with others.”
“Belly
dance as a fitness class is one thing; belly dance as an art is an education,”
says Yvonne. “What I love to do is to
teach the culture, from where the dance comes from, what the dance entails, how
to interpret the music through your body—everything. There are always tidbits of information in
every class. I push physical activity
with them too, of course. No one leaves
my class without breaking a sweat, but somewhere in there I’m telling them, the
music we are dancing to is a Masmoudi or Baladi
rhythm. It’s not just teaching a rhythm or dance; it’s talking about how it
makes you feel, the progression of doing the moves and seeing how it is
emotionally displayed. All of those
things have to be consolidated into every class, so people feel both physically
and spiritually fulfilled.”
Yvonne got her first dance job at a local Greek restaurant in 2006,
where she got her first taste for performing.
“I was a baby belly dancer,” she remembers “and I wanted to learn so
much more; I feel this is when I started
studying belly dancing on a professional level.”
Yvonne - Beach Shot
Florida Glamour Photography
The next step in training for Yvonne
While her life as a teacher was transforming her, Yvonne faced several
challenges in her growth as a performer.
First, she was challenged to take the next step in her instruction. “From the beginning, I was blessed with two
wonderful “old school” instructors, Setarah and Zayda, both of Florida, who
really grounded me from the start. Then
later I sought out more contemporary teachers, who brought me to develop my own
classic stylization with a progressive twist.”
In 1999, before she was even dancing, Yvonne attended her first large-scale
belly dance show. It was at this show that Yvonne witnessed the grace and style
of an incredible belly dancer, Virginia Mendez.
Virginia and Yvonne - Giza
Yvonne feared her lack of a musical or dance background would hold her
back. She need not have worried; even
though her training began later in life for a dancer, her talent, grace and
undying determination to succeed would propel her forward at a rapid pace.
Virginia was already well established in the international belly dance
community and she had founded C.O.M.E. Dance (Coalition of Middle Eastern Dance
& Arts), in Miami, Florida. Yvonne
knew training with Virginia would be just what needed; even though that meant
traveling two hours, each way, from her home to attend a one-hour class.
In 2006 Yvonne started taking classes regularly with Virginia, and in
2008, her hard work paid off. She became
an ensemble member of Virginia’s troupe, Wa
Nour Al Ayun, a professional belly dance performing company, and in 2009,
she became a core company member of that troupe. Yvonne has participated in two of Virginia’s
theater shows, “Once Upon a Time in Arabia,” and “One,” and is working on a
third this year,”Rakstar2011.”
Says Virginia of her student:
“Yvonne is a stunning presence on stage. She is beautiful…sensuous …graceful…the
epitome of the Oriental Dancer personified.
She is technically precise as well as effortlessly fluid. Her strength lies in her ability to own the
stage and captivate her intimate public.
Her diligence and discipline are ever present in her work.
“In her four years of intensive study with me and three years as a
company member, she has incorporated my technique, vocabulary and definitive
style of choreographing and has implemented them seamlessly into her own
repertoire. Yvonne has garnered rave
reviews as one of the most accomplished competitors in the Belly Dance circuit
today, an indication of the great things to come. I have witnessed her growth and am very proud
of all her success.”
Yvonne with Suhaila Salimpour
In addition to her work with Virginia of Miami, Yvonne studies with
Suhaila Salimpour, a second-generation master instructor from California. Suhaila is the daughter of Jamila Salipour. Jamila is “the first one to solidify a format
of terminology in belly dance still used today. Her format is taught and
applied to dancers' movements worldwide. Jamila has been an influential figure
in belly dance for over 50 years.” Suhaila continues in her mother’s footsteps
and runs one of the most internationally recognized belly dance certification
programs to date. Yvonne is now
certified in the Suhaila Salimpour format level 2 and is currently working
towards her level-3 certification.
In 2010 Yvonne was thrilled to be one of
only 25 professional dancers/instructors selected to be a part of the ground
breaking and popular competition web series called “Project Belly Dance,”
(www.topbellydancer.net) produced by Michelle Joyce of Cheeky Girls Productions
and Lotus Niraja. She ended up featured
in the instructional DVD produced after the series was published, honored to be
selected as one of “The Final Six.”
New to Competition World
Yvonne with Nathalie
1st Place, Miami Belly Dance Competition 2010
Photo by Denise Marino
Although Yvonne has been competing for less than two years, she won her
first big award at her very first competition in 2009, as first place winner, in
Mini Ensemble, at Wiggles of the West in Las Vegas, from her dance duet with
Isis San Miguel. The two partners also
took First Place in the Duet at the 2010 Belly Dancer USA competition in
Oregon.
Yvonne most recent win is 1st Place Runner-Up for Belly
Dancer of the Year USA 2011, one of the largest and longest running belly dance
competitions in the United States, now in its 38th consecutive year!
Other awards have included:
1st Place (Pro Category) Miami Belly Dance Competition 2010
1st Place Miss Belly Dance USA 2010 in the “7 Veils”
Category
2nd Place Miss Belly Dance USA 2010
People’s Choice Award Belly Dance Nationals in Baltimore, MD
2nd Place Jewel of the Sierra in South Lake Tahoe, CA
“For me, these recognitions show my personal growth,” says Yvonne,
“From the artistic challenges in creating original choreography that pushes my
technical and creative abilities, to the setting of goals and working towards
them, and then enjoying the process, no matter the outcome.”
But, what drives Yvonne isn’t the competitions. “It’s the connection to both the audience and
to my students. I can’t just perform on
a stage in front of hundreds of people and be completely fulfilled—I need to be
teaching, because for me personally, that’s my full circle. I couldn’t give up one and do the other
exclusively.”
Yvonne with Zaina Hart
The passionate teacher
When Yvonne talks about her students, she speaks passionately, her dark
eyes lighting up with excitement. She
loves to watch how belly dancing transforms each of their lives. “One of my oldest students was 87. When she walked into class, I thought, oh, my
gosh, I’m going to break her! She did
not look over 95 pounds and I was a little scared, wondering what she would be
able to do. But, she followed along with
every movement we did—her agility may not have been as great as someone younger
in years, but she got through it and she showed up for class again and
again. Then, one week she came in almost
crying, and I said, what is wrong? Are you hurt? She told me, “This is the first time in years
that my sciatica isn’t bothering me!”
“Because the movement of a large hip circle was stretching her lower
back and it was such a gentle comfortable movement that broke her daily walking
positioning, my student started to do it on a regular basis. She told me,’ I
never would have thought that belly dance class would alleviate a pain that
I’ve carried for so long,’ and yet it was a very simplistic movement, done with
proper form.”
One of Yvonne’s students, Apryl- Grace, an Oriental and Tribal Belly
Dance Artist from Florida, tells this story about her teacher:
“I remember when Yvonne encouraged me to do my first solo performance;
she knew I was ready long before I knew it. It was at a celebration party after
a big Hafla (belly dance show), all the guests of honor from the event were there,
including my long time belly dance idol, Bozenka of The Belly Dance Super
Stars.
When Yvonne saw I was nervous and scared, she reminded me all the
reasons why we dance. ‘It’s because we
love this Art and sharing that passion among friends’, she told me. “Have fun
and rock the house!’ My music came on and off I went; Yvonne literally pushed
me out onto the floor I think if she hadn’t done that I would have never gone
on. It was one of the most memorable performances of my life. It was my first
solo performance and I have continued dancing as a soloist and troupe dancer
ever since.”
Of course, there are many students who aren’t looking for a career in belly
dance - Still, Yvonne loves seeing
the physical and spiritual changes that happen through belly dance being part
of their lives; “whether it’s through weight loss, stamina or just being able
to sit down with us and create their own costumes. It’s such a wonderful creative outlet,
physically, emotionally and artistically,” says Yvonne.
For Yvonne, one of the most rewarding moments as a teacher is when she
holds her annual student showcase. “I
love seeing the excitement of the women, teens and kids as they step off the
stage for the first time. Initially,
they may be nervous and can’t wait to get it over with, but the second the
performance is finished they always say “I can’t wait to do that again”. It’s
the excitement in their accomplishments that is most rewarding to me and why I
will never give up teaching. I love to
see my students gain a sense of self-confidence, witnessing some of them
blossoming from beginners to professional dancers and knowing that I was a part
of that growth.
The future
The two training programs; Virginia’s Egyptian Teacher’s Training Format
& Suhaila Salimpour’s Certification Program, that Yvonne is currently
involved with are both very long term and some of the most intensive belly dance
programs that are being offered right now.
This means years of commitment ahead, but the knowledge of that path
doesn’t discourage the teacher/performer, rather, it invigorates her. Says Yvonne, “It may take me another three to
five years to complete the programs and yet I am so excited about that. I want to keep learning and take classes for
years to come – you (as a dancer) are forever a student”.
Yvonne - Performance at MBDC 2010
Photo by Denise Marino
In one of Yvonne’s favorite books, The
Artist’s Way, inspirational author Julia Cameron encourages taking a
spiritual path to greater creativity at any age. To naysayers who are hesitate to embark upon
a creative journey because they think they may be too old, or it’s too late,
Cameron says one should ask themselves, “But, do you know how old I will be by
the time I really learn to play the piano (act, sing, dance, etc.)?” Yes, the
same age you will be if you don’t, so let’s start now! “ (From The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron)
Although Yvonne’s path to her highest level of belly dancing might take
her many years, this passage describes why it is something she is happy to
pursue. “ I recommend belly dancing to everyone who wants to try it, at any
level, and at any point in their lives.
Belly dance is an organic dance form that anyone can start at any time
and still be as fulfilled as I am.
“Everybody’s path is different; not everybody sets out to be a professional
dancer or instructor. Some people want to perform and some just want to use
belly dance as an artistic outlet. I
know nurses, doctors, scientists and other professionals who dance with me,
looking for a creative outlet they don’t get in their day-to-day professionals
lives.”
Belly dance has changed Yvonne's life forever and the lives around
her. It's an art form that has survived
the test of time being given new life as it is passed down from generation to
generation, mothers to daughters, or friend to friend, as
it was to Yvonne; thanks Yasmin.
Today, Yvonne is a full-time Professional Belly Dancer.
