Showcases

Holiday haflas and more. The school sponsors multiple shows per year, giving students a chance to perform and share the stage with their teachers.

Program

Act One

  • Teuta Ilyriana 

  • The All-Father

  • Orbital Cortège - Undine and Allisun Darline

  • Lucia 

  • Niki Theo 

  • Shira Ghertner 

  • Irina’s Mushroom Ladies - Doreen C, Oksana Savuk, Juniper Gal, Jenny Topolski, Manli Li, Mara Pelto, Samantha Seiver, Pamela Weinstock, Luca Ferrel, Christine Feller 

15 MINUTE INTERMISSION

Act Two 

  • Lady Zimri

  • Inessa Bernal 

  • Allisun Darline

  • OCC - Undine, Rachel Moirae, Bogdana 

  • Queen Elana 

  • Luca Ferrel 

  • Debbie Despina with ASTERIA students Zahra Nadija and Esra

15 MINUTE INTERMISSION

Act Three 

  • The Grey Sisters - The Laurens, Irina and Jeanette

  • Brenna Crowley

  • Shruti

  • Empress Lisonia

  • Elizabeth Khard

  • Elizabeth Khard’s Bloom of Power - Michaella Sangiolo, Samantha Tonn, Hillary Likos, Momo Aoki, Karess Douglas, Melissa Amernick, Geneva Robles, Shira Ghertner, Angela Ng, Yusra Alsayyad

PERFORMERS (Listed Alphabetically)

Allisun Darline

Allisun is a fusion belly dancer based in Brooklyn. She organizes Datura Club NYC, a Datura Style improv group, and performs with the fusion duet Orbital Cortège. Allisun is also the producer of a local hafla, the Brooklyn Belly Dance Blender. Her next event is coming up on November 15th.

Brenna Crowley

Brenna Crowley is a NYC-based dancer, choreographer, and instructor known for her fierce, funny, and powerful performances. Since beginning her dance journey in 2004, she has performed coast to coast—featured as a soloist, ensemble member, and collaborator with companies like Solstice Ensemble, Dalia Carella Dance Collective, her own Zilla Dance Project, and many more. With an infectious charisma, she seamlessly blends traditional belly dance with a contemporary twist, creating a mesmerizing spectacle that captivates audiences. A true entertainer, she loves moving to the beats of popular hits, turning each performance into a memorable dance party. A vibrant presence on stage and in the classroom, Brenna currently teaches at Bellyqueen School and continues to share her unique blend of movement through performance and education.

Debbie Despina w/ Asteria Students Zahra Nadija and Esra

Mirologia (Meero-logia) a song and healing ritual for the spiritually departed.

Elizabeth Khard

ELIZABETH KHARD is a fusion belly dancer who in 2013 founded the fusion belly dance studio "Edem" in Grodno (Belarus). "I love fusion bellydance for its philosophy, for the opportunity to be different, for the atmosphere of events and the uniqueness of images." She has taught for 9 years and currently offers classes in Brooklyn and Manhattan.

Elizabeth Khard’s Bloom of Power

Michaella Sangiolo, Samantha Tonn, Hillary Likos, Momo Aoki, Karess Douglas, Melissa Amernick, Geneva Robles, Shira Ghertner, Angela Ng, Yusra Alsayyad. Amid a garden of blooming roses, each petal holds a spark of strength. Together, they dance — sharing their power, blooming as one. Within every soul lives the power of the dragon — a union of shadow and light. Through movement, we cross our own deserts of silence and reflection. Only by embracing the darkness do we awaken to love.

Empress Lisonia

Empress Lisonia is a Transnational Fusion Belly Dancer and cultural organizer based in Knoxville, TN, weaving movement as a form of African diasporic storytelling. Her signature style fuses the principles of North African belly dance with street dance and Symbol Dance. A self-taught artist shaped by digital and community learning, Jaleria approaches dance as both personal expression and a political act that honors the cultural legacy of belly dance while uplifting BIPOC and queer narratives. She curates immersive performances and gatherings that reclaim space for improvisation, creative risk, and cultural reclamation.

Inessa Bernal 

Inessa is a professional dance artist specializing in Bollywood and Middle Eastern dance fusion. After years of extensive training in classical ballet and interning at the prestigious Broadway Dance Center, Inessa has been performing locally and nationally at public and private events since 2007. She was featured as a dancer in Bollywood films, music videos for contemporary recording artists and has performed at the United Nations and many other cultural events serving the local diverse communities.

Irina’s Mushroom Ladies 

Doreen C, Oksana Savuk, Juniper Gal, Jenny Topolski, Manli Li, Mara Pelto, Samantha Seiver, Pamela Weinstock, Luca Ferrel, Christine Feller.

Lady Zimri 

NYC-based Fusion Bellydance artist. I dance as Lady Zimri, where my steps carry nearly eight years of passion, persistence, and self discovery. Under the mentorship of Elizabeth Khard for the past three years, I’ve learned to blend technique with heart, turning music into story, and movement into a place where I belong.

Luca Ferrel 

Luca is a fusion dancer from Santa Barbara, California. He has trained with many incredible teachers over the years, including Zoe Jakes, Irina Akulenko, and Brenna Crowley. His current artistic passion is paying homage to the media he loves by blending fantasy and dance. He resides in Brooklyn with his pet spiders and a very sassy fish.

Lucia 

Lucia is an Italian-born dancer specializing in contemporary dance and tribal fusion belly dance. She began dancing at age five and graduated among the top seven from the Dramatic Academy of Dance in Milan (2008). After starring in Carmina Burana in Milan, she moved to New York City, performing in Kelley Donovan’s Borrowed Bones (2009) and The Body Becomes the Messenger (2016), with a new project premiering in Boston in April. Lucia danced with Bellyqueen’s Raising Sirens for four years and has collaborated with Sara Solstice, Kaitlin Hines, Bloodline Dance Theatre, Protege inclusive company (2017), and Dalia's DCDC (since 2018).

Niki Theo 

Niki Theo, a passionate dancer from Canada, began her journey with fusion bellydance in 2006 and has been teaching since 2009—cherishing every moment along the way. Her inspiration ignited when she first saw Rachel Brice perform with the Bellydance Superstars in the early 2000s, a moment that left her utterly mesmerized. A dream came true in 2007 when Niki had the chance to meet Rachel backstage at the Spirit of the Tribes festival in Florida. Grateful beyond words, Niki treasures every opportunity she’s had to study under her dance mother, whose influence has been deeply transformative. For Niki, this beautiful dance form is far more than just movement—it’s a source of empowerment. Through fusion bellydance, she’s found a way to help others discover confidence, creativity, and self-love.

OCC 

OCC is a collaboration performance troupe comprised of dancers from around the East Coast.

Orbital Cortège

Orbital Cortège is a Brooklyn-based fusion duet featuring Mx Undine and Allisun. They weave classical raqs sharqi, fusion belly dance, and immersive storytelling into mesmerizing performances.

Queen Elana 

Queen Elana was born in Ukraine, and grew up in Brooklyn, New York. She is a dancer, actor, and singer who regularly performs throughout the area. She holds a BA in Theatre. Queen Elana began dancing professionally while working on her Physical Therapy Doctorate degree. She is grateful to be able to make a living as a "mover", and enjoys helping others to move in her role as a Physical Therapist. Queen Elana loves bellydance as a form of self-expression and as a way to connect with people. She has studied AmCab, Raqs Sharqi, and Turkish bellydance styles, and has been enjoying dabbling with fusion styles more recently. Queen Elana is very excited to bring you her interpretation of a mythological character, and to tell you this version of weathering through storms.

Shira Ghertner 

Theatrical Fusion belly dancer for 10 years now from the middle east. Producer of Theatrical Fusion belly dance events in her country. And also burlesque dancer. Explorer of movement and improvisation. Performed around the world including Berlin & the States. Usually use Rock music, improv and use her own personal grief in her performance.

Shruti 

Shruti is a Mumbai-born NYC-based dancer whose movement journey began with Bharatanatyam, one of India’s oldest classical dance forms. Growing up immersed in the vibrant world of Bollywood, dance became second nature to her from a young age. In 2006, while living in Moscow, she discovered Bellydance and has since devoted herself to learning, performing, and evolving in the art. Her unique style blends the expressive storytelling and intricate rhythms of Indian classical and folk forms with the fluid grace of bellydance. This cross-cultural fusion results in performances that are both rooted and refreshingly contemporary. Shruti’s work celebrates the beauty of cultural dialogue through movement. Her performances are known for their grace, strength, and emotional depth, offering a vibrant exploration of identity and tradition. She continues to refine her craft and explore new ways of merging forms, bringing fresh perspective and creativity to every stage she steps onto.

Teuta Ilyriana

Tribal Fusion dancer, veil fans, poi flags, fire poi performer.

The All-Father

I am a male belly dancer who has been learning and performing for about 8 years now. I started off learning with Khuzama before finding my main studio, Tribal Bellies, where I have been learning with Vikki Gale ever since. Theatrical style pieces are my favorite style of belly dance, with my crow character being my most well known stage persona. I really like to incorporate unique music and costume styles into my performances, with Diana Bastet being a major influence on my dance style. I have performed as a soloist at major events like Art of the Belly, and I also run events in Hatboro on behalf of my studio that have featured many well-known dancers, like Kaeshi Chai, Irina Akulenko, the Salimpour Collective, and Belladonna.

The Grey Sisters - The Laurens, Irina, Marie and Jeanette