Hi my name is Amanda Laird. I have always been fascinated with Bellydance for as long as I can remember. The summer of 2005, my dear friend Marta Mitchell mentioned to me that she was taking a Bellydance class from Hyam in Hurricane once a week. I was so excited to hear that Bellydance existed here in southern Utah. Marta invited me to come check it out. The following Wednesday I went with Marta to Bellydance class and met the Amazing miss Hyam. I fell in love with the art of Bellydance and was immediately hooked with the first class. My Bellydance name is “Aphrodite”. I picked this name because Aphrodite is one of my top favorite Goddesses. I also think the name is fitting due to the Goddess of Love; a side note the meaning of the name Amanda: is Latin for fit to be loved. So for me Aphrodite fits me well for the love theme in my life. I dance with the Amazing Zarifa a Middle Eastern Bellydance Troupe. I feel so blessed to dance with the ladies of Zarifa: Marta, Crystal and Colleen. I live in St. George, and have been dancing for 9 years. My first dance teacher was Hyam. I couldn’t have asked for a better teacher, Hyam was truly wonderful, patient, and loving. My favorite professional dancer’s are: Ansuya (love her humble spirit and all around energy), Madame Onca (love her honesty and presence), Ranya Ranee (love her confidence and range of emotions), Rachel Brice (love her playfulness with the audience), Aradia (love her stage presence). My “ah-ha” moment would have to be when I could do a reverse belly roll. My first performance was Yasmina’s student show the spring of 2006 at the Masonic Temple in Salt Lake. I was so nervous and a little irritated while waiting to perform. I was irritated because my sword was lying on a bench and another dancer walked by and some how knocked my sword to the ground and broke the handle, she didn’t seem to care that she broke it. Long story short, my sword survived and I was thankful I remembered most of the dance for my first performance. My favorite style of dance would have to be Egyptian. I have always been drawn to anything Egyptian and especially Egyptian Bellydance. I love to learn about other styles of Bellydance, however Egyptian will always be my number one. My favorite personal costume piece would have to be a coin hip scarf. I love to shimmy and love the way coins sound. In closing, I feel so blessed to be able to dance with my dance sisters (Marta, Crystal and Colleen) they truly are remarkable women! I greatly appreciate the Bellydance community here in Southern Utah; it really has grown since 2005. I hope to meet new faces at future Hofla’s. Much Love, Aphrodite ☺
Posted on: Mon, 01 Sep 2014 05:56:32 +0000
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