12 Ways to Be an Ally
STAY UP TO DATE ON THE BLACK BELLYDANCE BUNDLE & WORK ON ANTI-RACISM IN YOUR DANCE PRACTICE
This Black History Month
Let's commit to dancing with more
Black Bellydance Teachers!
12 Ways to be an ally
Get our newest guide & stay up to date on this bundle & work on inclusivity in your dance practice
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Sale begins February 16th
Have you been wanting to expand your personal dance community to be more culturally diverse while enjoying the best of online instruction?
The first ever Black Bellydance Bundle is at your fingertips.
We are empowering YOU to help make the bellydance community more inclusive, starting with your own education.
This is the world’s first curated collection of online bellydance classes by Black artists, designed to give you unbeatable quality and variety of instruction in your training, and the chance to diversify who you're taking classes from, all at one unbeatable price.
On sale for one week, February 16-23rd, but classes will be live happening through May of 2022.
Recordings are available for ALL live events, so even if you can't attend live, you won't miss out.
“
The bundle gives you access to a wide range of talented and diverse teachers. I find working with different teachers and trying different styles and approaches is invigorating to my practice
- Anonymous re: The Raqs Sharqi Bundle
With the Black Bellydance bundle you Get to...
Diversify your teachers
You’ll get to know and learn from excellent Black teachers with unique cultural perspectives and contributions to the bellydance world.
You’ll be contributing to racial equity and representation in our bellydance community
Share the Love
Your participation uplifts Black bellydance professionals, making them more discoverable to all kinds of dancers. This strongly encourages aspiring Black dancers in various bellydance communities, and makes them feel welcome in the dance. This is a win for all of us!
Stop Searching
It can be hard to break out of your bubble and find new teachers to dance with, especially in a world shaped by racism and other cultural factors.
Breaking out of the white box can be tough, let us help you take the first step.
Save some cash
Look, classes are expensive. And classes with world class teachers? You're gonna have to pay for those. With the Black Bellydance Bundle, not only do you get to change up who you're taking classes from, you also get to save yourself a ton of cash doing it.
On Sale Feb 16th-23rd
Classes Happening through May 2022
& get our newest Guide
Why now?
Isn't it time?
Everyone teaches differently. Lots of us get stuck taking from the same 2 teachers, or if we take from multiple teachers they tend to have the same backgrounds.
Taking from multiple dancers, from different backgrounds, ethnicities, and races is something that pushes your dance to the next level.
It's not the same thing from different people. It's a different life experience, a different cultural lens, a different perspective.
Everyone brings their own perspective to this dance, sure, but seeking out people who's life experiences differ from your own can only expand your learning.
Instagram and Facebook are fickle, and the algorithm only shows you the people who are like the people you already follow.
And unless you've consciously diversified your feed? You're probably missing a whole group of amazing dancers.
As a result of the algorithms, unconscious bias, and our tendency to stick with what's familiar to us, many Black dancers have to rely on word of mouth to be "discovered".
With the increased focus on being anti-racist in all portions of your life, you've been seeking to learn more from the Black community and to create opportunities for others to learn as well. Who can you invite to your haflas? To teach a guest workshop? Take classes from?
With this Bundle you're gaining fresh perspectives, you're celebrating Blackness in our Bellydance community, and you're doing it all for a hell of a discount.
Learn from amazing Black teachers, diversify your Instagram feed, and who you're taking classes from. All while saving yourself a ton of money and supporting Black dancers.
Isn't it time?
In my personal practice I would just practice the same things, there wasn’t much variety. I felt like I was going through the motions, but not challenging myself enough. With the bundle I’ve been able to add variety to my personal dance practice and I can do it on my schedule. I love studying with different teachers about different topics.
- Amanda
On Sale Feb 16-23rd
Classes Happening through May 2022
14 Amazing Black Bellydance Teachers
Giving you fresh new perspectives to improve your dance
Ebony Qualls
Ebony's playful spirit flavors both her performances and her approach to teaching belly dance since 2003. She teaches and performs both traditional Raqs Sharqi and her own dynamic fusion belly dance style, which is fueled by her background in both oriental and urban dance genres.
Lotus Niraja
Widely recognized for her dance style, dramatic energy, and vibrant interpretation and technique, Lotus Niraja is a professional Middle Eastern dance artists specializing in Contemporary and Modern Egyptian, North African, and Lebanese belly dance styles. Her dance style is dynamic, infused with glamour and style!
Aicha Babacar
The Senegalian Egyptian Aicha Babacar was led by her talent to start her career in teaching belly dancing classes. She has achieved a professional reputation through working among the famous gyms in Egypt & throughout the 15 years in this field, she has accomplished a lot & built up a great base of fans & members whom she considers friends.
Amar Garcia
Born in Havana, Cuba, she began her Raks Sharqi & other MENAHT dance studies at the age of 13 in Florida. She has been a member & principal dancer for various Afro-Cuban, Contemporary, & Middle Eastern Dance Companies plus she is co-founder of Bellyqueen Dance Theater & was a principal dancer with Bellydance Superstars.
Danielle Hutton
Danielle started dancing at the age of 17 but it wasn't until 2005 when she started fusing belly dance movement with contemporary & hip-hop dances & choreographed pieces to electronic music. She sees dance not only as an opportunity to be vulnerable with ourselves & the world, but also as an opportunity to create intention.
Donna Mejia
Donna Mejia, M.F.A, Associate Professor, Department of Theatre and Dance at CU Boulder, is a choreographer, scholar, JEDAI and pedagogy consultant, instructor, life-long student, & performer specializing in traditions of the African & Arab Diaspora, & emerging fusion traditions in Transcultural Electronica.
Sadira - Lady Liquid
Sadira is the Producer of the epic Black Bellydance Show “Afrodisiac”! They are a DanceCraft certified dance instructor, a yoga teacher in multiple modalities, a Thai Massuse, & a fire performer. They are also a core member of Zoe Jakes' dance company Coven, House of Tarot, & the Beats Antique!
Chudney
Chudney is known for her grace, fluid Egyptian technique, and an effortless embodiment of her musical interpretation. She is a Virginia native who is a performer, instructor, dance coach, event producer, and is also the proud director of Raks Royale belly dance troupe.
Lara Adrienne
Lara is an international belly dancer & yoga teacher. She performed nightly in Turkey for many years, & recently moved to L.A. where she continues to perform. Lara is a dedicated yoga practitioner & has 300+ hours of yoga teacher training. She enjoys helping others explore their bodies’ capabilities through movement.
Nefertiti
Nefertiti also know as Dr. Val is an international bellydancer, Jewels of the Orient bellydance festival organizer , author & clinical sexologist with over 35yrs of experience. Nefertiti lived & performed in Egypt for many years & has performed around the world in her unique dance style.
Omoladun
A trained musician from a young age, Omoladun brings vibrant musical expression to her dance. Omoladun performs raqs sharki, folkloric dances from the MENA region, & sometimes dabbles in fusion. She is currently based in Denver, Colorado & teaches online classes with Sahara Dance in Washington, DC & Raqs Online.
Raqs Razi
Raqs Razi is an international instructor & performer specializing in American Cabaret and Modern Egyptian dance. She has been a student of MENAT dances since 2001 & professionally performing since 2008. She started teaching in 2014 and is notorious for her musicality & energy.
Iona
Iona originally started belly dance in 2002 to surprise her husband, but later found it to be so much more! She is the owner of Lotus Belly Dance & director of the Amani Lotus Student Troupe and is also a certified Datura Style Teacher (fusion belly dance).
Khadijah
Khadijah is a diverse international performer/instructor & Educator of Afro-Arabic dances of North Africa, Gulf Folklore & Central Asian dances. She has become a highly sought after performer, instructor & choreographer due to her unique energetic style. She currently resides in Denver, CO USA she is of Kenyan heritage originally born in Jeddah, KSA.
Ebony Qualls
Lotus Niraja
Aicha Babacar
Amar Garcia
Khadijah
Donna Mejia
Sadira - Lady Liquid
Chudney
Danielle Hutton
Nefertiti
Omoladun
Raqs Razi
Lara Adrienne
Iona
What's included? How Much does it cost?
Click below to see all 17 classes included in the 2022 Black Bellydance Bundle.
Each item will have the description, if the class is live or pre-recorded, and how long you'll be able to access it!
An 88% Discount on Buying the classes individually,
and many of them are exclusive to the Bundle!
Payment Plan
$955 USD
$ 70 USD/month
for 2 months
Take your time & Spread it out
Join the waiting list and get our new guide, 12 Ways to be a Great Ally
Sale Ends Feb 23rd
Classes through May 2022.
Single Payment
$955 USD
$120 USD
Take advantage of our best deal
Join the waiting list and get our new guide, 12 Ways to be a Great Ally
Sale Ends Feb 23rd
Classes through May 2022.
We created this project...
Hello friends, I’m Ebony. I feel extremely fortunate that when I first discovered and began to study raqs sharqi - I was welcomed into an existing diverse, supportive and encouraging bellydance community here in Washington, DC. While my teachers and dance peers demonstrated inclusivity and warmth, I didn’t realize that there was something more that would soon further inspire me to express my authentic self in this artform. I saw a beautiful and extremely talented bellydancer named Lotus Niraja perform live, and it set me on fire. Seeing a Black woman demonstrate such unapologetic excellence in her artistry sparked an increased feeling of belonging in the bellydance world for me. It made me feel like I could be MORE myself in this dance. And, I know I’m not alone. My Black bellydance peers and I love relating on this very shared experience. The experience of seeing that first Black dancer that shows you what’s possible for you. And since then, I have had many aspiring Black bellydancers relate that I was that spark for them.
My intention is to create a space where more of these “sparks” occur. To highlight Black excellence and professionalism in bellydance so that aspiring dancers of all kinds can be inspired and benefit. To give an avenue to our non Black allies who want to uplift Black bellydancers - both beginners and pros - and show them that they’re welcome in our community.
With this intention, I approached Tiffany, the creator of the original Bellydance Bundle. I have been working with Tiffany as a contributor to her bundle for 2 years and have been more than impressed with her business sense and her demonstrated allyship towards Black dancers. She was all in!
So, together, we present to you the first ever Black Bellydance Bundle. We hope you are as excited as we are!
Using the platform of the existing Bellydance Bundle made sense, and we cannot wait to get dancing with all of the amazing instructors featured in the 2022 Black Bellydance Bundle!
Don't miss out
The Sale Lasts from Feb 16-23rd
Classes happening through May 2022
Supporting the Community
With every Bundle, we make a point to support the community & causes that we rally behind.
There are award seats available and each year we donate a portion of our profits back to the community, either through organizations or directly to dancers in need.
This project is no different. We will be having open applications for Black dancers in need and will be providing a % of profits directly back to the Black bellydance community.
From paying studio rent to helping dancers afford classes & costuming, we're more than happy to help financially where it is needed.
Money will be disbursed two months after the end of the Bundle, with an open application process. Stay tuned to The Bellydance Bundle's social media & email list to be notified when these applications open.
FAQs
I feel like I won't be able to take ALL the classes! Will it be worth it?
100%! You don't get a library card expecting to read every book at the library! Think of this like a resource library for Dancers to utilize as they see fit.
No one takes everything in the Bundle. You'd be superhuman if you did!
Most people take the classes with the teachers they love, regardless of the subject. Then they take the subjects they love, regardless of if they know the teacher or not, and then they experiment with the rest!
Because the cost of the Bundle is so low you can get your "monies worth" with only 3-6 of the 14 classes included, so you definitely don't have to take it all for it to be worth it.
Perfectionism shows up everywhere, and the idea that you have to take it all is definitely partially drive by the idea that there's a "perfect" way to do the Bundle. And that if you can't be perfect, it's not worth doing.
When in fact, there isn't a perfect way to do the Bundle, there's just your way. You're not trying to cram yourself to the Bundle, you use and mold the Bundle to your practice and your schedule so you can do things your own way.
That's one of the reasons there are recordings for absolutely everything. You do what you can and want to do. On your schedule. And these one of a kind classes alone are worth the price, so even if you didn't attend a single live event you will still be able to watch the recordings. You'd still get your monies worth out of the Bundle!
Why only 14 dancers? There are so many amazing black artists...
You're right, and we encourage you to shout out any of your other favorite Black dancers as part of our Instagram challenge this month.
Since this is the first time we're running The Black Bellydance Bundle we wanted to keep the number smaller, but we have an ongoing list of dancers we'd love to feature in the future if we're able to run this Bundle again.
If you have someone specific in mind, feel free to email us at hello@thebellydancebundle.com to let us know who you would like to see in a future Bundle, and don't forget to tag them and share more about them on your social media feeds as well to help point people in their direction!
How will I receive my classes?
All classes are 100% digital. You will receive a login to a special page here on the bundle that will keep track of each of your classes for you.
Instructions on how to access your courses will be here, along with information for joining any live events. There are sections at the top of the page to help you navigate both your practice and the Bundle, and there will always be reminders for the next event coming up.
We’ll also mark you as a buyer in our email system so you can receive reminder emails for live events. We’ll make sure you don’t miss a thing and we’ll notify you whenever classes or recordings are available.
If I don’t buy the Bundle now will I be able to do so later?
Nope. The sale is up for only this one week. With a discount this large (over 90%) there’s no way we can keep it going for long.
Purchase now and take the classes at your own pace.
Can I buy just a couple of the classes?
Nope. The Bundle comes as a complete package with all the Dance & Lecture class.
If you would like to pick and choose on a more granular level than that then you’re welcome to purchase individual classes from the teachers directly at full price if they are available. Some items however are only available through the Bundle.
This type of discount only comes along once a year, so get in while you can!
How long do I have to take the courses?
Depends on the course. Half of our courses are lifetime access, so once you have redeemed them, you have access to them as long as they’re on the internet.
Many of our live events have recordings with access periods. We have consolidated expiration dates for these to make sure you're able to keep track of your courses easily. Think of it like a semester in school! You will receive emails at every junction so that you don’t miss a single thing.
You’ll also be able to opt out of emails if you’ve taken the course and don’t need them anymore so we’re not in your inbox reminding you about things you’ve already done.
You can find the access periods for each individual course under that course’s description, along with the type of class, the length, and the value of the course.
I’m a _______ level dancer. Is this suited to my level?
The beauty of online classes is that you can scale everything to your level and there’s no one to tell you anything different!
There is something here for absolutely every level of dancer. From the very beginner just dipping their toe in, to the professional dancers, there is so much to learn.
You always learn to your level, whether or not you know it. You remember and absorb information differently at every stage of your journey. If you took the same class you took as a beginner 10 years later you would learn something totally different from that class because YOU are a different dancer.
So no matter where you’re at in your journey, you’ll find value here that helps you move forward in your dance.
Still not convinced?
Tell us why or ask whatever question you've got! and we'll help however we can! Some common answers though in case you were wondering...
12 Ways to be an ally
GET OUR NEWEST GUIDE & STAY UP TO DATE ON THIS BUNDLE & WORK ON inclusivity IN YOUR DANCE PRACTICE
Copyright 2023 The Bellydance Bundle, All rights reserved.