Virginia - Director / Principal
Virginia is the Director and Principal of Cinnamon Twist School of Belly Dance. She began her journey into the world of belly dance in 1997 when she witnessed belly dancing for the first time by a troupe of dancers at a festival in Katoomba, NSW Australia. She was immediately drawn to the grounded nature of the dance and found in it a fascinating combination of beauty, strength, grace, and earthiness that compelled her to join a belly dancing class the very next week. Well over a decade later Virginia has since studied with some of the most acclaimed teachers of belly dance and Middle Eastern folkloric dance that Australia and beyond has to offer.

Virginia has a broad knowledge of contemporary cabaret belly dance as well focussed knowledge of a variety of folkloric dances from the Middle East and North Africa. Some of which include Turkish Rom, Tunisian, Algerian, Moroccan Guedra as well as folkloric Saiidi, and Khalleegy.

To each and every class Virginia brings her love of dance, her passion for teaching, and her commitment to excellence.

Kim       
Kim’s interest in belly dancing began in 2001 when she took up a class in Corrimal, NSW Australia. Later the same year Kim caught the belly dancing bug when she witnessed a professional belly dancer perform at her own wedding - she was inspired to pursue the dance further, she decided that she wanted to dance professionally. Kim says that she loves everything about belly dancing, “I love the music, the history, the performance and of course the costumes”. After two years of learning “I had enough confidence to perform my first solo with the help of my friend and current teacher, Virginia. I’m still learning from her as my teacher”.

In 2003 Kim fell pregnant with her second child and continued to learn belly dancing throughout her pregnancy, an experience Kim describes as “amazing”. Seven years later in 2008 Kim fell pregnant again with her third child - “I am still active in the belly dance community. I frequently attend workshops in Sydney with local and international practitioners of the belly dance world”. Kim says, “everyone always comments on how lovely it is to see a pregnant woman dance, and it really is. I feel fantastic to be able to do what I love while I’m pregnant. I can also keep up my fitness and self confidence while I am growing”.

Kim has been teaching for Cinnamon Twist School of Belly Dance since 2006. She currently teaches the Beginners/Mixed Level classes on Saturday mornings as well as the Cinnamon Twist Little Genies children’s classes. Kim also performs professionally and as part of Cinnamon Twist’s Advanced Troupe.

Shane
Shane began her journey into belly dancing in 1997 when she was looking for something new and fun to do with her best friend. She has continued to pursue belly dancing with as much energy as she did when she first started. For Shane belly dancing is an important part of her life, “I've never had so many female friends. I think it's really important to meet women from such diverse backgrounds and who have different beliefs about life”. She says, “I'm a big believer in the importance of community spirit and I see Cinnamon Twist achieving this within the school and also to a larger extent by being out there performing in the local community”.

 Apart from her interest in belly dancing Shane has also pursued the musical side of Arabic culture. Shane took up the Arabic drum (called the Tabla or Darabouka) in 2000 when she fell in love with the music and rhythms of the Middle East as well as the dance. Her love of dance and drumming translates in her teaching where she focuses on technique, tradition and most of all having fun. Shane currently teaches Cinnamon Twist’s Arabic drumming classes for beginners on Saturday afternoons.

Safina
Safina joined the Cinnamon Twist teaching team in mid 2008 when she moved to Australia from her home in New Delhi, North India to study at University. Safina started dancing when she was just 6 years old and is well versed in both the classical and bollywood traditions of Indian dance. Her impressive repertoire includes intensive training in Kathak and Bharatnatyam as well as Indian folk dances such as Garba and Dandiya from Gujarat, and Bhangra and Gidda from Punjab... the list goes on, so this is just to mention a few! Safina says, “the cultural heritage of India is portrayed beautifully through dance, it illustrates a woman’s poise, grace and it has so much elegance. Dance has always been my passion”.

Safina has spent many years learning the lively and colourful Bollywood style of modern India, “Bollywood dancing is full of fun and enjoyment. It’s a fusion of the classical styles mixed with traditional dance, jazz, hiphop, and belly dancing”.

An experienced teacher and choreographer, Safina says “it’s a wonderful experience to be part of the teaching team at Cinnamon Twist, it’s full of fun and has a very lively atmosphere, the dance routines are a great workout and each class has some wonderful, memorable moments spent with colleagues and friends. Safina teaches “Indian Dance: Classical to Bollywood” on Thursday evenings.