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Dance Performances
While still teaching Jazzercise, Marie was at home one night wondering what it would be like to take bellydance classes. POOF! She discovered classes starting up in her own community in the suburbs and decided to give it a try. 5 years later she was asked to take over the beginning classes and gave up her Jazzercise teaching for a gentler, kinder and more feminine form of dance. Since then she has had the pleasure of directing large groups of dancers at the Redwood City 4th of July parade (the largest this side of the Mississippi!), the San Carlos Art Festival, Olive Festival at Canada College and has performed with Troupe Zambalita, The Celebration Dancers and the New Moon Rising Dance Ensemble. Her repertoire includes cabaret, Tunisian, sword, brass pot, double veil, all in glorious costuming.
Her own dance group, The Red Desert Dancers, consists of beginning dancers as well as seasoned dancers. Their first troupe performance will take place this year at Rakassah, the largest belly dance festival in the U.S. on March 15, and 3p.m. Visit www.rakassah.com for more info and location.
The troupe members put in a lot of time and energy in to
perfecting their unique choreographies and costumes.
The members are:
Cayenne,
a dancer for over 13 years and Marie's dance partner in very
unusual and specialized dances such as a belly/tango duet;
Shavani,
a student who has embraced her new passion with a burning
flame and is developing her own wardrobe daily;
Juliet,
a fun loving and gregarious dancer. Her seductive side
comes out as soon as she hits the dance floor.
Katalina
was one of the first members of Red Desert until she had to
take a baby break. Now her son and husband get to
delight in watching her dance.
Nadia
came to class and started to pick up so fast that she was
bound to become a troupe member immediately. Her
precision is impeccable and the thirst for more is always
there.
Check calendar for upcoming events.
~ engraving by H. Wolf
Cayenne and Marie
during sword dance at the San Carlos Art Festival.