{"id":2,"date":"2009-09-15T14:30:06","date_gmt":"2009-09-15T21:30:06","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/?page_id=2"},"modified":"2025-12-30T20:54:09","modified_gmt":"2025-12-31T03:54:09","slug":"about","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/sedonabellydance.com\/?page_id=2","title":{"rendered":"Meet Carrie"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Founder and Artistic Director of the Lotus School of Bellydance, Carrie Konyha is a multi-award-winning bellydancer, choreographer, and instructor with nearly 30 years immersed in Middle Eastern dance. Known for her authentic style, artistic expression, and powerful stage presence, Carrie has performed across the U.S. and internationally, including Egypt and Dubai, sharing the stage with world-renowned musicians and dancers.<\/p>\n

Coming from a family of musicians, artists, and dancers, Carrie\u2019s passion for movement began in childhood and has blossomed into a lifelong career celebrating the timeless mystique and feminine power of bellydance. Her extensive training spans Egyptian Raqs Sharqi, Turkish and Romani dance, American Tribal Style, folkloric traditions of North Africa, and fusion styles, making her both versatile and deeply rooted in tradition.<\/p>\n

Respected as both a captivating performer and an inspiring teacher, Carrie is dedicated to passing on the art of bellydance through workshops, classes, and productions<\/p>\n

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With 35+ years of dedicated training, Carrie\u2019s dance journey spans the rich traditions of Middle\"\" Eastern dance and beyond. Her formal studies include Classical Egyptian Raqs Sharqi<\/strong>, Turkish bellydance, and a variety of Gypsy dance dialects (Turkish Rom, Ghawazee, Banjara), along with American Tribal Style and folkloric dances of North Africa. She has also studied Bharata Natyam, ballet, modern dance, gymnastics, and meditative movement practices, weaving these influences into her unique artistic voice.<\/p>\n

Carrie\u2019s style has been deeply shaped by decades of performing within Arabic communities across the U.S. and by her close collaborations with Middle Eastern musicians. Since 2008, she has traveled regularly to the Middle East to study dance at its cultural roots, with performance highlights in Egypt and Dubai.<\/p>\n

Her theatrical and dance prop specialties include veil dancing, finger cymbals, sword, acrobatic floorwork, and fire props (candle, fire sword, fire baton, fire poi). The result is a dance style that is at once authentic, versatile, and captivating<\/p>\n

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(Photo: Carrie with Raqia Hassan in Cairo Egypt, 2015)<\/span><\/p>\n

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Renowned for her authentic style and versatile artistry, Carrie began her bellydance training in Northeast Ohio, in 1994 studying with Ygraine Silverling, Ann \u201cZimra\u201d Delekta, Isis (Valerie Myers), Dhamia, Hakan Kaya, Erigellis Kakias, and Gita Brabakaran (Bharata Natyam).<\/p>\n

Her path has since been enriched by learning from and being inspired by some of the world\u2019s most celebrated dancers and master teachers, including Raqia Hassan, Dina of Cairo, Sorraiah Zaied, Tamalyn Dallal, Aisha Ali, Eva Cernik, Jasmin Jahal, Suhaila Salimpour, Elisabeth \u201cArtemis\u201d Mourat, Jim Boz, Souhail Kaspar, Sonia of the Bellydance Superstars, Helena Vlahos, Dahlina<\/strong>, and many others.<\/p>\n

Carrie has performed with many internationally famous Middle Eastern musicians and bands, including Grammy-nominated Souhail Kaspar<\/a><\/strong>, Naser Musa<\/a><\/strong>, Georges Lammam<\/a><\/strong>, Rachid Haliha<\/a><\/strong>l, George Moussa<\/a><\/strong>, Charbel Eid<\/a><\/strong>, Enigma<\/a><\/strong>, Stigma<\/a><\/strong>, and Turku<\/a><\/strong>. She has also collaborated with world fusion artists such as Rebbe Soul<\/strong><\/a>, Jazz Bedouins<\/strong><\/a>, Traveler<\/strong><\/a>, Greg Reite<\/a><\/strong>r, Anthony Mazzella<\/a><\/strong>, Eric Zang <\/strong><\/a>and Three Trees. <\/a><\/strong>Carrie was featured as a dancer in the final music video (\u201cSet Me Free\u201d) by pop artist Jermaine Stewart<\/a><\/strong> before his passing in 1997.<\/h4>\n
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Carrie is also a certified yoga instructor (RYT 200) and Yoga alliance continuing education provider. She is the creator of 5Elements Bellydance (a yogic-bellydance \u00a0practice), and was a staff writer for internationally distributed bellydance magazine “Zaghareet” for a decade before the publisher retired.<\/p>\n