Thread: Know any teachers in the Pittsburgh area?

I am possibly considering a move back to my hometown of Pittsburgh, PA. Where I am current visiting. Does anyone know of any bellydance teachers/schools/opportunities here. This will have some impact on my decision (well, I won't tell my family that)...g.:

Check out Amethyst at Pittsburgh Bellydance, she is a very sweet woman and a great teahcer.

Hi, Nafiah. I live in Pittsburgh and take classes at Dance Alloy (Dance Alloy Theater | The School) and love it. I think both of the bellydancer teachers there really know their stuff and are pleasant.

There are other options (especially if you're interested in Tribal/Fusion styles), but I haven't taken regular classes anywhere else, so I can't offer personal insight. One of the best sources of insider info on the Pittsburgh bellydance scene is a regular Bhuzzer, so I'm sure you'll get a better answer to your question soon.

Great!! Looked them both up. Thanks.

Hiya!

Here is the list of all of the Pittsburgh Belly Dance Teachers:

Pittsburgh Belly Dance Instructors

Neefa (Khafif) (follow the link for Berna or Safa from the page or khafif@khafif.com) and Maria Hamer (Zafira) both teach Intermediate and Advanced classes. I along with others teach Beginner and Level 1 and 2 classes.

Pittsburgh has a huge world/tribal fusion style.

No real classic Raks Sharki...though the style here is way more fun and built on basics than most fusion styles.

Cheers! Welcome home ..g.:

Bernie (Berna)

Ah, just saw this message, and can't help piping in ;-) I think Pittsburgh is a fabulous city to live in, and I would wholeheartedly recommend moving here!

Moving to Pittsburgh based on the strength of the bellydance scene would certainly be a good choice for those who have a strong interest in fusion; as Bernie mentioned before, there are several fabulous troupes (both well-known and hidden gems) with that focus. There have been a good number of workshops by nationally and internationally known fusion-style dancers in town recently, which is a good indication for the strength of the fusion scene.

However, when it comes to oriental, things are a bit more complicated. It seems fair to say that the oriental-style dance scene is not as great and varied as all the other things that make Pittsburgh a wonderful place to live. Deciding to come to Pittsburgh and expecting to find a flourishing scene is likely to lead to some disappointment.

The classes offered through Dance Alloy (mentioned by my classmate and lovely dancer Kiadorin) are excellent, indeed. However, the instructors are very busy with family and work, which greatly limits their availability. And, to be forthcoming with the negatives, there is no other instruction in oriental style; finding intermediate and higher level dance classes during the summer is a losing game; workshops in oriental style are very rare. To summarize, the classes we have are very good, but not very plentiful.

On the plus side, I find that there are many wonderful people around here who are passionate about the dance and music and about their hometown. E.g., the Jalsah, a community participation music and dance event, was born in Pittsburgh and I find it is a good reflection of the "let's make it happen!" spirit many people here share.

Also, Pittsburgh is fairly close to other cities - Cleveland, Philly and Washington DC are in reasonable driving distance (2-6 hours). For those with an interest in the SCA, Pennsic is less than an hour away.

In any case, Pittsburgh is a great place to live. I would not want to move away, even though I often look longingly at the classes and availability of instructors, performance opportunities, and mentors in other cities.

Alas, I will be flying back to Seattle on Wednesday. Although I've looked up some of the classes I have been unable to make any due to family issues. I am still going to try a drop in class scheduled tonight if things work out.

I am glad to see bellydance flourish here, although as mentioned previously not much classical, oriental styles from what I have researched. But I think bellydancers can find there place amongs other bellydancers regardless the style. That is what's great about the bellydance community.