About Suhaila

Suhaila Salimpour is a highly acclaimed performer, teacher, and choreographer of belly dance. Schooled from an early age in jazz, tap and ballet, Suhaila began integrating her extensive classical training with the Middle Eastern dance passed on by her mother, Jamila Salimpour. The result was a true artistic breakthrough: a revolutionary foundational technique that has brought the art of Belly Dance to a new level.

In the U.S., Suhaila appeared on television series such as Fame and Max Headroom and choreographed various music videos. For six years, she was the featured dancer at Byblos, a prestigious Arabic nightclub in Los Angeles, where she shared the stage with the most renowned singers of the Middle East. Miles Copeland, owner of IRS records, prominently featured Suhaila in his 2005 documentary, American Bellydancer. Comedian Margaret Cho is currently producing and directing a documentary about Suhaila, and producing Suhaila's one-woman show.

Read more at Suhaila's website.

Workshop Details

Friday though Sunday; 15 hours of level 1 dance instruction with Suhaila Salimpour. Times are TBA.

What is Level 1?

Level 1 starts with the basics of Suhaila's format. Students learn the skills necessary to develop the physical strength and mind-body connection to continue through the certification program. This level represents Suhaila's extensive formal training in the structured disciplines of Contemporary and Middle Eastern dance.

Due to the unique nature of Suhaila's format, all new students in the Certification program, whether they are beginning or advanced dancers, begin with L1.

Read more about Level 1...

Already Level 1 certified?

Level 2 technique and drills will be offered.

Registration

Directions, Transportation, Accommodations

Moon Belly Dance Studio is located at 300 Saint James Street Suite 101, Columbia, MO 65201

Testimonials

"Suhaila Salimpour is the only teacher for this dance. There are a multitude of reasons why we come to this beautiful art form, but one thing is true. We all come with our bodies, which each and all have special needs that may not be addressed in other formats. The Salimpour format is the only way to learn bellydance."

"We can all dance, but if you aren't using the format, it is not bellydance. Salimpour uses her vast knowledge of dance, drawing on an impressive career as the First American Bellydancer as well history, physiology, psychology, rhythm, costuming, beauty, music and art, to create a tremendously rich and safe environment for learning and growing and sharing in the beautiful experience of bellydance as it was always meant to be."

Margaret Cho
Comedian

"My first encounter with Suhaila was via her Stretch & Tone video, which I purchased way back when the interview bits were still spliced between the workout sections. I appreciated the conditioning focus, but had no idea how it related to her technique, or even that she had a technique."

"Years later she came to Seattle to do a series of 1-day workshops. I had reached a point in my dancing where I didn't really understand how to improve, in that mysterious "intermediate" level in my class where I could see distinctions between myself and beginning dancers but couldn't have necessarily explained what they were. Suhaila's workshop was a revelation. It was road map with clear and precise directions, which I was elated to have."

"Anyone who thinks this format is about being able to squeeze your glutes has missed the point."

"This format is about becoming the most fully developed artist you can be. Yes, it demands precise technique, but that technique is a means not an end. That technique enables you to express your artistic vision without technical limitation. But it is the artistry, the statement of the artist, the ability of each dancer to put herself on stage and say, "Here. This is who I am and what I feel," that this format is truly about. And that is why I do it."

Renee Drellishak

"Suhaila Salimpour was not only one of my original inspirations to Belly Dance, she continually reconfigures my understanding of the dance form. She is a dancer's dancer, and will always challenge, encourage, and re-inspire you. Even after dancing all her life, she's got the same enthusiasm of a newcomer, and is incredibly knowledgeable of anatomy and physiology. If you haven't taken a week-long workshop from her, you really owe it to yourself and your dancing to go, every single penny is worth it: you'll be using what she taught you for years."

Rachel Brice San Francisco, CA
The Indigo, Bellydance Superstars

Moon Belly Dance Studio

Moon Belly Dance Studio is a safe and nurturing environment for women to learn dance technique, get a great workout, and connect with other women.

Moon Belly Dance Studio
300 Saint James St., Columbia, MO
573-777-0917
bellydance@moonbelly.org
North Village Arts District