| Lana |
| A professional dancer throughout the Detroit area, she's also director of Detroit Belly Dance - a dance tribe that provides students with opportunities to perform. |
She's taught and performed in the U.S. and overseas and educates hundreds of students
throughout metro-Detroit - from those just wanting to have fun and get fit to more "serious"
students.
Lana performs elegant dances at nightclubs, restaurants, festivals, corporate and non-profit
events, weddings, anniversary and birthday parties, bridal and baby showers and bachelorette
parties. (Sorry no bachelor parties!) Email detroitbellydance@yahoo.com for booking
information or lessons.
Just a few years ago Lana needed a break from the heart-breaking volunteer world of animal
rescue. With no prior dance experience she walked into a belly dance class out of pure curiosity.
It was then she felt the fire of this ancient dance and the passion of Middle Eastern song.
Traveling in the U.S. she enrolled in every instructional workshop she could find, studied regularly
in her hometown and with some of the world's best instructors and quickly became an in-demand
dancer performing almost weekly.
throughout metro-Detroit - from those just wanting to have fun and get fit to more "serious"
students.
Lana performs elegant dances at nightclubs, restaurants, festivals, corporate and non-profit
events, weddings, anniversary and birthday parties, bridal and baby showers and bachelorette
parties. (Sorry no bachelor parties!) Email detroitbellydance@yahoo.com for booking
information or lessons.
Just a few years ago Lana needed a break from the heart-breaking volunteer world of animal
rescue. With no prior dance experience she walked into a belly dance class out of pure curiosity.
It was then she felt the fire of this ancient dance and the passion of Middle Eastern song.
Traveling in the U.S. she enrolled in every instructional workshop she could find, studied regularly
in her hometown and with some of the world's best instructors and quickly became an in-demand
dancer performing almost weekly.
Photo courtesy of the Raging Grannies
Above: A performance at Detroit's Dally in the Alley Festival with Ara Tapouzian's Eastern
Winds Ensemble, a band that creates authentic Armenian music.
Above: A performance at Detroit's Dally in the Alley Festival with Ara Tapouzian's Eastern
Winds Ensemble, a band that creates authentic Armenian music.
Just a few years later, she also grew into an in-demand instructor. Today some of her classes now have waiting lists. To make room for anyone who wants to try dance, she teaches up to five classes per
week.
Lana's studies of Middle Eastern dance is lifelong because she holds the philosophy "when you think you know it all is when you stop growing."
Her speciality is improvisation...meaning dances that are not choreographed and instead designed as she's performing live on stage...the way belly dance should be. While her style focuses on traditional
cabaret - the type of dance traditionally performed at today's Middle Eastern nightclubs and restaurants -- Lana also studies and teaches Tribal Fusion - her true love. Whether it's with a sword, zils (finger
cymbals), a cane, veil or her hips, she understands that a strong dancer helps her audience see the music they hear as the dance is an interpretation of song.
In 2004, Lana was granted the honor to perform as a guest dancer with the stunning Belly Dance Superstars, an L.A. production company headed by Miles Copeland (former manager of The Police, Sting, The
Bangles and others). She's performed for U.S. dignitaries; has been featured in major Detroit newspapers and on Detroit's Channel 7, 4 and Fox2 television news. She dances at some of the city of
Dearborn's most prestigious Middle Eastern nightclubs and believes dance and music can help bridge cultural differences. (Fast fact: The city of Dearborn has the second highest Middle Eastern population
next to the Middle East!)
Even though she performs at large events, Lana embraces the intimacy that Middle Eastern dance was founded on: And that means dancing also at smaller functions. From the residential parties in Wayne
County to the mid-size restaurants in Oakland, to banquet halls throughout Macomb County and tucked away restaurants in Europe....she's realized it's anywhere that this dance can be enjoyed and even
participated by small groups to celebrate life!
As an educator and performer Lana works to break the Hollywood-stereotype of the Belly Dance Harem girl. The most disciplined dancer studies hard and knows this dance was created by women for women.
. A good instructor not only teaches the dance and helps each student develop their own style and have fun, but also helps women realize their own beauty and gain confidence in a world that is much too
hard on them.
week.
Lana's studies of Middle Eastern dance is lifelong because she holds the philosophy "when you think you know it all is when you stop growing."
Her speciality is improvisation...meaning dances that are not choreographed and instead designed as she's performing live on stage...the way belly dance should be. While her style focuses on traditional
cabaret - the type of dance traditionally performed at today's Middle Eastern nightclubs and restaurants -- Lana also studies and teaches Tribal Fusion - her true love. Whether it's with a sword, zils (finger
cymbals), a cane, veil or her hips, she understands that a strong dancer helps her audience see the music they hear as the dance is an interpretation of song.
In 2004, Lana was granted the honor to perform as a guest dancer with the stunning Belly Dance Superstars, an L.A. production company headed by Miles Copeland (former manager of The Police, Sting, The
Bangles and others). She's performed for U.S. dignitaries; has been featured in major Detroit newspapers and on Detroit's Channel 7, 4 and Fox2 television news. She dances at some of the city of
Dearborn's most prestigious Middle Eastern nightclubs and believes dance and music can help bridge cultural differences. (Fast fact: The city of Dearborn has the second highest Middle Eastern population
next to the Middle East!)
Even though she performs at large events, Lana embraces the intimacy that Middle Eastern dance was founded on: And that means dancing also at smaller functions. From the residential parties in Wayne
County to the mid-size restaurants in Oakland, to banquet halls throughout Macomb County and tucked away restaurants in Europe....she's realized it's anywhere that this dance can be enjoyed and even
participated by small groups to celebrate life!
As an educator and performer Lana works to break the Hollywood-stereotype of the Belly Dance Harem girl. The most disciplined dancer studies hard and knows this dance was created by women for women.
. A good instructor not only teaches the dance and helps each student develop their own style and have fun, but also helps women realize their own beauty and gain confidence in a world that is much too
hard on them.
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| Lana's |
| -- special thanks to the writers who helped compose this, you know who you are! |