Since the age of four, Emilie Lauren has been involved with dance and gymnastics. She was a gymnast for seven years before moving on to classical ballet, which she continued to study in college. She took her first bellydance class in high school and has been studying bellydance in its various forms ever since, including Tribal, American Cabaret, Turkish and Egyptian.  Emilie draws on her ballet and gymnastics background to create her own elegant and athletic style of bellydance, and help her students become stronger, more confident dancers.  Emilie is also a certified Balanced Body Barre instructor and is finishing her 480 hour Pilates mat and equipment apprenticeship with Momentum Pilates at Pearl Pilates.

Ameena Lacey is a Pilates, Barre and Aerobics instructor. She is Stott Pilates and Total Barre certified through Merrithew Fitness, having trained in NYC with founder Moira Merrithew and at Pacific Northwest Pilates in Portland. She has a background in dance and marketing, holding a BA in Anthropology from the University of Oregon.

Tiare Tashnick is an internationally renowned, breakthrough fusion dance artist who specializes in Tribal Bellydance, Classical Temple Fusion and Ritual Theatre. After spending 3 years in the California mountains refining her artistry, she is excited to return to her Portland roots where she began her career as a performer, grew into a teacher, choreographer and director, founded and mentored her dance troupe Apsara, produced multitudes of shows and toured with the circus. She is a certified Vinyasa yoga instructor with an extensive background in Tribal Bellydance, Indian Classical Temple dance, Modern Contemporary, Ballet, Hula and Butoh. Her classes are fun and encouraging, while her teaching approach is extremely informative fused with a focus on feeling good in your body, therefore easy to digest and always inspiring.

*Classes start November 12th.

Kate is a passionate and soulful dancer who has studied various styles of dance from North Africa, the Middle East, and Levant. Since 2008 Kate has studied American Cabaret,Turkish, and Lebanese Styles of dance, but fell deeply in love when she began studying Egyptian Oriental and folk dance and since has dedicated her time to specializing in this particular style. Kate is passionate about celebrating and honoring the power of womanhood through dance, creating community, and guiding others towards reconnecting to their bodies and deeper creative essence through movement.

*Classes start November 13th.

Zora Phoenix is a Portland-based burlesque production powerhouse, producing two monthly burlesque shows (including Portland’s Longest Running Burlesque Show) as well as two bi-monthly events and quarterly burlesque & variety productions, all with a goal of bringing incredible burlesque to Bridgetown since 2009 with an emphasis of the diversity and variety in the art of striptease.  In addition, she is the Executive Director of the Rose City School of Burlesque, as well as founder and webmistress of BurlesquePDX.com. 

*Next burlesque series starts January 13th, 2019.

Claudia is a soul dancer with roots in many dance forms. A broad title for her style could be “American Cabaret,” however she has been active in the ever-changing progression of this grand art. Being inspired by many innovations in this dance, and allowing herself the freedom to create her signature style, she has developed into a compelling and powerful dancer over the past 13 years.

*Claudia is on an extended teaching break.