About
Our Mission
Our mission is to help you love your body unconditionally. With this in mind, our instructors will guide you through the mesmerizing movements of belly dancing, helping you build strength, flexibility, and confidence. So, put on your comfy clothes and get ready to shimmy, shake, and let loose! Don’t miss out on your exciting opportunity to discover the beauty and joy of raqs sharqi- bellydance.
Teachers
Leanna
Leanna is a captivating dancer whose profound passion for raqs sharqi has led her to enchanting dance experiences, including appearances on the TV show Reign, the film Al Qamar and a live performance with the renowned Cirque du Soleil.
As a lead dancer in YRA (formerly Arabesque Dance Co.), Leanna has spent years gracing the stage in numerous productions, lighting up the CNE’s International Stage, and becoming a staple performer at Dance Ontario’s Dance Weekend.
In her solo performances, spanning almost 2 decades, Leanna has consistently captivated audiences with skill, grace and artistry. She is also the director of the Bellas, which is an extension of her advanced students at BellaDance Hamilton. Along with many performances in the GTA, this troupe made waves at Hamilton’s biggest art festival, Supercrawl.
Alethea
Alethea’s introduction to dance began with her parents; family time involved listing to disco records of the mid to late 70s and early 80s while watching them dance in their living room on idle Saturday afternoons. When she joined it – at the tender age of four – her parents noticed how she kept to the rhythm of the music and decided to enroll her in ballet classes. However, a life-altering experience prevented her from continuing. Her tenacity drove her to informally explore every opportunity she could to dance by participating in school productions, fundraisers and church functions.
At sixteen years old, it was at one of these church functions where she learned the Tsifteteli, a Greek/Turkish version of belly dancing and fell in love with the art. However, instructors in the late 80s were few. It was 20 years later Alethea could take belly dance classes with a close friend and discover her true passion, and she continues to pursue this artform today.
Leah
Since the age of 4, Leah has been involved in different genres of dance. From ballet to theatre, cheerleading, hip hop and Latin dances, she enjoys the benefits it gives her both mentally and physically. Since being introduced to it in 2007, bellydance has been the genre she continuously turns to for inspiration. Leah has been performing with The Bellas since 2016 and now teaches the kids classes at BellaDance.
Leah has been working with at-risk children and youth since 2004 in both schools and residential settings. She has taught subjects such as academics, English as a Second Language, social/emotional, cultural, activity, self care and life skills programming. Leah has also done some behaviour therapy and was also a foster parent.