BETTINA "I love to dance and have been doing so since I was a little girl. I hope to continue for my entire life. I started with ballet at age 8 and added contemporary dance to my repertoire at NC School of the Arts where I went to high school. I like belly dance because it celebrates women (and men) of all ages, shapes, sizes, and abilities. The dancing comes from the heart. This builds a community of respect, support and friendship. I currently dance with Blue Moon, Cosmic Nomads, and Syzygy."








EMILY "I have to credit my discovery and love of bellydance to my fabulous mom, after seeing her taking lessons and starting to perform. The energy and beauty of the dance was just so striking to me, that after only a few classes, I was hooked. I have been dancing for about five years, mainly with Blue Moon, but also on occasion with Sparkle Oasis and World Spirit. I am inspired by almost every dancer I see, especially my fellow troupe mates, but in particular I have drawn a lot of my dance style from artists and troupes such as Jill Parker, Urban Tribal, Zafira Dance Company, and Ansuya. Though my heart will always lie with the power and strength of Tribal Bellydance, I also love to explore all styles of bellydance and would consider my own style of dancing more "tribaret" that strictly "tribal". Aside from bellydancing, I hope to develop my knowledge of other forms of dance such as ballroom dancing and Argentine tango. Branching out from dance in general, I have started to learn how to play the electric guitar and would love to gain enough musical skill to play along with the Blue Moon musicians someday."




NANDANA first saw tribal style belly dance in 1994. She was mesmerized!! From that moment, she knew she had to dance. Nandana has studied Tribal Fusion style with the incomparable Zafira Dance Company. She has achieved certification to instruct "American Tribal Style" from Carolina Nericcio of Fat Chance BellyDance. Other inspirational and influential teachers have been Jill Parker, Rachel Brice, and Gypsy Caravan. She teaches both ATS and Tribal Fusion. Nandana lives for the dance and strives to pass on the forms and her passion to the next generation of dancers. Nandana is lucky enough to be a part of Blue Moon Dance Company along with her very talented troupemates Sashi, Sara and Emily, as well as its very talented musicians Andy (her husband), Brian B. and Brian L. Whether as a soloist, as a part of the Blue Moon Dance Company or the Devoted Bellydance Collective, she has entertained audiences across the U.S. with her smooth and eclectic dance style.





SARA "Bellydance is my life. I have been performing Tribal belly dance for around five years in the Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill area of North Carolina. I am a member of Blue Moon Dance Company, the Devoted Dance Collective, and Sparkle Oasis, and I dance locally as a soloist. My main influences include Ultra Gypsy, Zafira Dance Company, FatChanceBellyDance, John Compton, and Rachel Brice. In addition to teaching and performing Tribal, I am a student of all styles of bellydance. My goal is to incorporate all styles into my personal practice in a holistic and respectful manner. I'm always striving to learn more Folkloric, Egyptian, and American Cabaret, and I would very much like to learn Turkish, although I've only taken a workshop or two. I will always be proud to call myself a student of this dance form. In addition to being a bellydancer, I am a graduate of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. I speak Japanese and I like to do yoga, play tabletop roleplaying games and attempt to cook ethnic food."







SASHI A blue moon, by definition, is a relatively rare occurance, happening when there are two full moons in the same month. Rarer still is when a blue moon falls in a month with only 30 days. How auspicious, then, that the one blue moon of the year 2001 (the year Blue Moon Dance Company was formed) should occur on Sashi's birthday. But the gift that is tribal dance has extended beyond that of the joy of a single day. Through this dance and Blue Moon Belly Dance in particular, Sashi has found an abundance of blessings: the intoxication of the rhythms of the music; the explosion of emotions contained in both the music and the movement; the sensuality of the fabric, textiles, metals, jewels and body adornments integral to the costume; the excitement and energy bestowed by an eager audience; the profound spiritual connection to women of different cultures, times, and traditions; and, most of all, the uniquely fulfilling and nurturing bond with the members of the troupe- sisters of her soul. Tribal dance has given Sashi the freedom to explore, expand, unite, become whole. " It has been filled with frustration, physical challenges, aches, pain, yearnings to improve - yet I come to it each and every time filled with joy and excitement. Through dance, I feel I have been given a most precious gift; the type of gift that comes along once in a blue moon."






ANDY/AZHIR “To me, Tribal belly dance is all about the grace, strength, beauty, and power of the female spirit moving through the female form. When done well, it is as much felt as seen by the audience. The only thing better than watching the dance is being a catalyst for the dancing. When dancers are enticed to their art by rhythms and melodies of our (musicians’) creation, there can be no greater compliment. Creating a musical environment that makes dancers not just want, but need to dance is my ultimate goal. Since the mid-90’s, this has been the ambition behind my studies of Middle Eastern rhythms, free-style percussion, and the fusion of Middle Eastern and western musical flavors. With ever growing vigor and, hopefully, skill, I (along with Brian) attempt to create musical environments with doumbek, djembe, davul, miscellaneous percussion “toys” and flutes of various types. I’m hoping to someday become adept enough to add mandolin and saz to my abilities…but not yet.”








BRIAN My wife (Sashi) has been my inspiration to get involved in the bellydance community as a middle eastern musician. I started my journey of inspiration by learning to play doumbek and djembe and have continued to expand my horizons by learning to play the saz and more recently the cumbus. I aspire to continue my exploration of middle eastern music and improve my skills. I am very grateful to be part of the Blue Moon family and to share our love for this artform.