Nora

Nora, born with her 'dance name', never quite got over her mortification of being a big clumsy 7-yr-old dropout from a 6-yr-olds ballet class until her maman noted her inability to stop tapping her feet at Lincoln Center's Midsummer Night Swing, and sent her to charm school at the ripe old age of 26. She became a student of Frankie Manning and his students' Savoy Ballroom Lindy Hop legacy, along with studying (deep breath) the basic 6, polka, cojunto, Cajun 2- step/zydeco, mambo/salsa, Texas swing, flamenco, and Argentine tango (with great love for Neotango music), not to mention repeated hijinks with Fluid Movement, the Pontani Sisters and Trixie Little! She found bellydance as a much-needed release while in grad school, and returned to it in Baltimore later when seeking a partnerless non-social-dance outlet. She is enthralled to have found the exact opposite in the brilliant company of extraordinary women and their supporters.

She is proud to count among her teachers: Lotus Niraja, Piper, Driana Kai, Sara Sathya, Kajira Djoumahna, Lisa Zahiya, Rebecca/Rivka Kumari, Heather Stants & Jill Parker/Ultra Gypsy, Ansuya, Sera Hopi, Sharon Kihara, Asharah, Hajai, Caroleena Nericcio and Megha Gavin/Tribal Pura, all of DC Tribal, and most of all, her Kallisti sisters. Yalla, y'all!