Mission -
Tara belly dance invite you on a journey of discovery through the door of oriental dance to experience its facets with performance participation monthly workshops retreats and Women's circles on the Wirral around the Mersey and beyond.
Tara belly dance hold formal certificates and are fully qualified and insured to teach yoga, Holistic beauty, Healing and safe dance. Holding extensive experience in dance, Yoga practice, Holistic beauty therapy for wellbeing and Reiki healing. Tara belly dance have been students and practitioners, Professionals, Teachers and life long learners of all of the subjects continuing to update skills and training (CPD). *Qualification in yoga teacher training gained in 2023.
We offer a variety of belly dancing classes in Liverpool Wirral and surrounding areas of Merseyside. We teach individual styles of dance from different parts of the world such as Egypt and Turkey ect with a base in folkloric and traditional dance. We also include cabaret and theatrical fusion oriental dance with or without props. Belly dance is a social dance, a performance art and an holistic practice suitable for exersise and over all wellbeing.
Tara started out teaching belly dance for Women's groups at Womens aid / refuge and for groups of women who follow religions and faiths that encourage female community. This inspired her to dedicate most of her teaching work to women. The Women's group gathering has gained popularity in recent year but it is not a new idea or trend it dates as far back if not further than the bible that tell us of the red tent where women would commune. It is also an old custom in places where belly dance comes from for women to come together to without the company of men and often dance is performed. Tara believes in naturally honouring this tradition and has done for a long time, She had started a sharing group called belly circles over ten years ago.
Mission and Aims
- We belive that dance and arts build bridges from one community to another creating unity peace and respect. Our aim is to continue in building them bridges.
- We belive that dance and yoga are holistic theraputic healing in movement of the body with mind and space connection and it is accessible to all people regardless of education status. class, race, ethnicity gender sexuality or religion ect.
- We practice inclusion and have done before it became a trend, a hash tag, a movement or a law, we have lived it through the experience of discrimination first hand and been witness it also.
- We belive that dance, music and movement have a place in all communities and we are gentle empathic service providers as apposed to diva type personalities. In our ten year experience we know that some of our attendees have been lonely and a weekly belly dance class is the only human contact some people have. We have seen transformation in some people not by magic but by providing a service that not only offers a dance class but offers support and sign posts. Always pointing people in directions of help and support afterwards.
- We may not draw attention to ourselves in a dominating way, we are gentle in our way and most importantly we practice what we preach and teach honestly with open eyes open hands open minds and open hearts.
-We always have an open door policy without expectations. We open the door where you may choose to walk through it onto your own personal dance path as a teacher or a performer. If after several years of learning you are ready to we will always advise encourage and help you as our duty as teachers who expect that some of our students will want more forward in dance.
- We belive that good technique is a strong foundation that supports the body for a life time and any good dancer with a strong foundation should be able to strip back the glitz and glamour and still showcase the dance artistically, and this is our aim. The technique and culture come first glitz and glamour is an added embellishment of the belly dancer.
- We belive in creating choreography alongside improvisation to compliment our body of work that showcases unique authentic and dynamic artistry and teaching techniques.
- We believe in encouraging people with learning or sensory differences and disabilities to become involved in dance. We have first hand experience of living with dyslexia (Dyscalculia) etc. We check in with our students and we offer alternative teaching techniques and resources to ensure learning is taking place within the teaching space as best we can and when we can't we offer honestly and a point in a direction to those who can.
- We teach people how to be and feel more grounded in their bodies as well as teaching awareness in the body.
-We recognise that everyone has a unique way in which they experience movement in their bodies and how we move in the world continously seeking news ways for people to learn.
- We belive that belly dance in all its forms has roots in folk dances of the people first. Out of respect for the people whom this dance belongs to we always include cultural aspects if the dance and where they come from.
- We belive that belly dance comes from many places not just one, for example North Africa, Middle Eastern Countries and part of the Medetarean. There are many countries in these areas all who have their own cultures and dance styles. We will never mislead people to buy into our service by claiming that our way is the only way... how could it be? We always tell the truth and share correct information.
- We belive that there isn't any competition in high standard artistry we work alongside others we recognise as high standard and we practice non competitive behaviour.
-We belive that everyone has a unique talent or skill to bring to the table and everyone has the right to shine and grow we encourage and celebrate the light in others crediting those who co-create or offer their leadership and ideas.
- We always support our fellow dancers who offer professional honest and a fair healthy service to people.
- We have been trained in trauma sensitive teaching techniques, we do not use touch teaching techniques without your permission and when group or pair work is included in our lessons we lead our sessions in the same manner.
- We belive in holding space for people and we belive the spaces we hold must be honoured and respected. This also transfers in honouring and respecting all of the people who share space.
- We offer ground rules at our sessions or as we like to call the heart agreements. They are expected to be honoured and respected.
- We consciously understand energy and we clear space before and after our sessions
- We offer pop up sessions for all genders however our courses and Women's circles are dedicated to women (all Women) respectfully. Without discrimination to Men we belive that both men and women need their own spaces from time to time. The women's circle is so old it is written about in the bible (red tent) it is custom in many of the places where belly dance comes from for women to group together to dance and be in the company of other women without the presence of men.
- We belive in trying to elevate this dance and respect and honour those who try to do the same
- We consider ourselves life long learners and we constantly update our training by attending workshops courses amd private lessons with other teachers regardless of their style or level / experience. We belive there is always somthing new to be learned.
- We support the belly dance community by organising specialist workshops and attending profession performance or charitable events and haflas organised by fellow dancers and teachers locally and further afeild.
- We belive that we are experts at our craft pulling only from what we are good at and what we have trained in and have experience in. What we do, We perform it and we teach well!
"Dance is an holistic art form as well as a performance art and I have dedicated many years to learning practicing and sharing it with open hands an open heart and an open mind. Sharing it with others leads them through an open door where they get to discover its beauty for themselves and they get to choose what they want to do with it. I belive that dance belongs to everyone and it belongs to no one all at the same time. Rhythm is the heartbeat of the music and Mothers heart beat is the first thing a baby knows and connect to in the mothers womb. Movement to music heals the soul lifts the heart and it frees the mind. I encourage everyone to learn dance practice and share it regardless" Quoted by Tara
How it all started -
Taras established her successful professional dance career back in 2012 after she was offered opportunities to perform at establishments and celebrations of people who had seen her perform.
Later she was invited to teach beginners belly dance at a dance school as well as running her own popular public classes on the Wirral and in Liverpool. Over the last ten years Tara has taught many people how to dance some of whom she encouraged coached and supported have gone onto perform professionally and teach abroad. Before belly dance Tara studied dance performing arts and makeup at college she had a love of creating in the background as apposed to being centre stage where she eventually found herself. She comes from a family of dancers musicians and creatives her mother was a flamenco dancer, her Father was a musician songwriter and talented guitarist with credits and her brothers are musicians and Music / beats creators / Dj with credits. Growing up it was normal to be around artistic people.
Tara first learned about belly dance as a child through her mother's teaching of flamenco and how there where links with North African dance.
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| Taras Mum - Flamenco |
James Bond movies where where often played on TV and Tara loved from Russia with Love namely because she loved watching the belly dancing scene. When Tara moved areas as a teenager she was job hunting and was offered a belly dancer job at a local restaurant she declined. A few years later she found a class that she attended for six years and performed in student amture shows.
Tara had learned belly dance in the UK and in Turkey first starting a beginners mixed level class in Merseyside attended for almost seven years. It was this class that she had learned cabaret style with fusion no particular cultural style still fun and informative. Loyally she had learned and performed choreography at ameture class recitals where she gained cabaret belly dance performance skills. She also got to co-create and put forward her creative ideas that where used and had experience performing to professional standard at events minus professional pay but she was gratful for the professional performance and stage craft she had learned from that time on her dance path. Tara left her first class with a good base in mixed cabaret dance however it wasnt enough to persue the level of art she wanted to work towards so she studied the dance in many of its genres from scratch through online resources, books and eventually other high standard teachers, this was how she became a technically stronger well informed dancer who was influenced to be the dance teacher she needed. There are several teachers that she credits whom she had learned alot of her strong authentic belly dance technique from and they include Dina Talat, Charlotte Desorgher (undeniables) Kay Taylor, Sara Farouk, Jillina, Yasmina Ramzy, Saqura, Salimpour school, Susie White, Serena Ramzy just to name a few but every single one of her teachers she is gratful of. She also learned some informative drumming with Michelle Pender. Tara has been a soloist performer and part of dance troupes including ya raqs whom specialised in traditional North African dance performance at history and culture events including World Museum and reenactment events. Tara has been featured on TV radio and in printed publications and taught sessions for charities and organisations including Women's Aid Whisc Liverpool Hoylake Festival of Firsts, Wirral Arts Fest Liverpool Mental health consortium and more.
Although Tara admits she is not academic due to her learning differences (Dyslexia / Dyscalculia / sensory) she believes that dance yoga and movement have played an important role in her life helping her to maintain dicipline and routine that have helped her to succeed in reaching her goals. Over the years she has had valuable experience and opportunities to learn with great teachers which has given her confidence to persue study towards a formal teaching qualification. Her sessions are held in a safe space with inclusion and respect. She has taught many autistic and ADHD adult learners to dance at her weekly sessions offering alternative teaching methods, checking in amd listening to the needs of her students so learning can take place withing the learning environment.
More about Taras Belly Dance School
Tara belly dance has evolved pulling from a natural ability to specialise in teaching beginners to improve in their dance technique rhythm and to become better stronger more well informed higher level quality dancers both at professional and ameture level. She also specialises in inticate choreography for performance. Over the years her classes have been very popular and very busy but now she prefers teaching small groups where quality of dance is the focus over quantity of students and people learn more efficiently in smaller groups. Her dance circles are highly sought after and mostly include people who honour the dance and the calm safe spaces where teaching and learning takes place suitable for those who want to learn from a seasoned experienced professional who is down to earth and personable.
About This Website -
This website is now voluntary looked after by Tara belly dance group members Marie Siobhan and Kathleen.
About Tara Belly Dance Performance Group-
We are a group of dancers who met at Tara's classes, we have years worth of experience between us learning with different teachers and having performance experience. Our style of performance is mainly Egyptian golden era with inspiration of theatrical tribal fusion with elements of folklore and flavours of other eastern styles. Keep an eye out for us appearing at events. Our performances and choreography are secret so you get to enjoy a unique and spectacular show unlike any other. We offered to look after the website and carry on performance as a separate project whilst Tara coaches us the website and point of contact is through us. You can find information on other dancers who teach locally on the learn dance page.
Tara Belly Dance is a small independent buisness that does not receive public or charity funding from outside sources. Any funded or free sessions are provided by us and donated by us at our discretion with money used from non refundable £10 deposits where students have cancelled or not shown up at all. Money left over from previous tax year when space has been taken by another person from our cancellation list ect. Some costuming props stage and class materials have been donated to us by kind people that we are very grateful and thankful for.
Want to know more?
The contact form will be up again from January 2024 where you can enquire about booking a performance or registering an interest in joining us at our dance circles.
* Please note we do not run fitness type busy drop in classes or tasters anymore. We attend public events in Merseyside and further for performance and participation.
