The teaching team at Cinnamon Twist is committed to a shared vision of teaching belly dance with a focus on accurate technique in a fun and warm environment. While each teacher has her own unique style and strengths, their shared syllabus created by Virginia ensures a comprehensive and consistent approach to belly dance and music instruction. 

Virginia is the Artistic 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 community festival. 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. She established Cinnamon Twist in 2004 and in the next year she gained her PhD on the subject of belly dance from the University of Wollongong.

Virginia has a broad knowledge of contemporary cabaret belly dance as well focused 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 Khaleegy of the Arabian Gulf.To each and every class Virginia brings her love of dance, her passion for teaching, and her commitment to excellence. Virginia is an accredited Zumba Fitness instructor.

Mel began belly dancing in 1995 when she was 3 months pregnant with her first child. When she heard about the benefits of belly dancing through pregnancy and labour she thought "it seemed a good time to start". Mel has now danced her way through 3 pregnancies! She says, “I love belly dancing because it’s my chance to be creative and free, plus I love to dress up!” Apart from teaching belly dance Mel is also a member of Cinnamon Twist's advanced class. She says, “it's wonderful to be a student of Cinnamon Twist, I enjoy constantly being challenged and I'm learning and growing with every class. On the subject of teaching Mel says, "it's very rewarding and it gives me the chance to share the joy that I find in the dance; it’s incredibly uplifting".

Mel teaches Beginners & Intermediate for adults and 'Mummy and Me' Belly Dancing, she is also a Cinnamon Twist dance troupe member. Most recently Mel has become the teacher for the Little Genies kids belly dance classes at Cinnamon Twist.

Murray took up the Arabic drum (called the Tabla or Darabouka) in 2007 when he attended the Sydney Middle Eastern Dance Festival and purchased his first drum. He was inspired by the music and rhythms of the Middle East after a trip to Egypt.  In particular this trip cemented his love for Egyptian rhythms – especially the Saiidi. Of his time in Egypt he says, “if the locals heard a saidii beat they would start clapping, singing and dancing. The earthiness of the rhythm really inspired me and I felt I wanted to learn more about this instrument and the variety of styles that could be played on it”.  Murray’s passion for drumming translates in his teaching, “l like to share my enthusiasm for the tabla, it’s an instrument that should be shared”.  Murray is a patient and enthusiastic teacher. He teaches Cinnamon Twist’s Arabic drumming classes for women and men of all levels, ages, and backgrounds.