River City Raqs 2025
Presents:
Aziza (Master Instructor)
Aziza is one of the brightest, most in-demand stars of bellydance in the world today, recognized across
the globe for her unparalleled ability to express the unique synergy of movement and sound that is the
hallmark of this ancient art form. Her innate musicality, effortless creativity and lifelong training allow
Aziza to fully inhabit the dance, simultaneously capturing a range of emotion and intensity of expressive movement - subtle yet intense, fluid yet strong, poetic and powerful. Aziza is of the rare and gifted breed of performer whose styling is instantly recognizable, yet always evolving and new.
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Aziza’s exquisite and undeniable mastery of the stage is matched by her skill in the seminar classroom.
An intuitive, concise and generous instructor, Aziza excels at inspiring dancers to reach the next level.
Promoters and students alike appreciate her ability to present well-organized, relevant and useful bellydance material that is accessible and challenging to all levels of bellydancers from beginner to professional. A lifelong bellydance student herself, she continually seeks inspiration as she travels the world, discovering new and revisiting familiar movement forms, always presenting material that is fresh and exciting.
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Aziza has now opened her home studio to the world. Bellydance students around the globe can now
continue their studies with Aziza online. With her easily accessible group classes, one on one coaching,
and streaming videos you can now take your bellydance to new heights. Aziza works with bellydancers
from beginning to professional. Bring your dance to the next level with a renowned instructor from your
hometown.
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In 2010 Aziza started an intensive weeklong Dreamcamp. Now located in a beautiful renovated convent in the gorgeous Laurentians north of Montreal. Three times a year belly dancers from across the globe
come together to train, eat, play, and dance together in a unique supportive environment. The success of
Dreamcamp is measured by this high rate of returning dancers year after year! To study with Aziza is to be moved by her genuine devotion to her beloved art and to each and every dancer that comes to learn with her.
Valerick (Instructor)
Valerick started ballet, jazz, and acrobatics at the age of nine. From the moment she took her first belly dance class with her mentor Sandra Barreras at thirteen, Valerick became fully dedicated to the study of oriental dance. At fifteen, she took her first workshop with Yousry Sharif in Puerto Rico, changing her oriental dance perspective. She has been mostly focused on Egyptian style and travels annually to New York to participate at Nourhan Sharif events.
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In 2007 she spent six months taking classes in Madrid where she studied with Samara el Hayat. After her stay, she traveled to Morocco and Tunisia as part of the "Encounter of Moorish Studies" with the University of Puerto Rico. She also got the opportunity to study with outstanding Egyptian teachers such as Mahmoud Reda, Tito, Lubna, Hassan Affifi and Nervein.
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While completing her BA with a major in Hispanic Studies and Comparative Literature at the University of Puerto Rico in 2009, she studied modern dance with the acclaimed choreographer Petra Bravo. In September of that same year, Valerick won the Professional Competition of the Miami Belly Dance Convention.
In 2010 she got the Second Place in the Rakstar Professional competition produced by Virginia Mendez and the People's Choice Award. Valerick is the creator of the annual Lebanese Love Affair dance festival.
Najmah (Instructor)
Najmah Nour is a bellydance instructor known for her soulful, intuitive approach to movement. With over 35 years of experience in bellydance, and training in other dance forms including flamenco, she brings depth, musicality, and embodied wisdom to her teaching. Drawing from traditional technique alongside expressive and healing practices, Najmah encourages dancers to move with awareness, softness, and intention.
She believes dance is not about perfection, but about connection to the body, the music, and one’s inner wisdom. Throughout her career, Najmah has been featured on the Today Show and highlighted in dance and lifestyle magazines, sharing her artistry with wide audiences while remaining deeply rooted in the personal, transformative power of movement. Her classes offer a supportive space for dancers to strengthen their bodies, deepen their confidence, and rediscover the pleasure of moving from the heart.
Anaïs Fatale
(Organizer/ Instructor)
Anaïs loves introducing women to the art of belly dance and showing them how belly dancing can help them find happiness and independence. Born in Uzbekistan, she grew up listening to songs from Turkey, Lebanon, and Egypt that were popular for Western artists to translate and sing. Becoming a belly dancer brought her freedom, creativity, and self-expression.
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She began teaching belly dance because there wasn’t anyone offering classes in her town. She wants people to experience happiness and independence in her belly dance classes and workshops. Her approach to teaching belly dance is to dedicate time in each class to let people experience freedom, creativity, and self-expression through dancing and flowing to belly dance music.
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She teaches an open-level fitness-style class called Shimmy Chic Fitness, pop-up workshops, beginner belly dance classes, and open-level belly dance classes. She also hosts pro belly dance stars to teach workshops in Jacksonville, Florida. And she created the annual River City Raqs belly dance convention.
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Her professional dance career spans over 20 years of combined experience in Belly Dance and Latin dances like Salsa and Bachata. She’s been featured/cast in:
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Cast in MTV’s Project Belly Dance (Season 2),
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Cast twice in Belly Dance Evolution (a theater production),
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Won Belly Dance Masters competitions as a soloist performer and in a troupe (one of the top belly dance competitions in the industry).
Raena (Instructor,
Performer, Judge)
Raena is a seasoned professional bellydance instructor, performer, and fitness trainer based in the Dallas–Fort Worth area. She is respected for her warm, encouraging teaching style, with a focus on healthy movement principles and longevity in the art. Raena is passionate about creating welcoming spaces where dancers feel at home in their bodies while exploring creativity, music, culture, and community.
Anaïs Fatale
(Organizer/ Instructor)
Anaïs loves introducing women to the art of belly dance and showing them how belly dancing can help them find happiness and independence. Born in Uzbekistan, she grew up listening to songs from Turkey, Lebanon, and Egypt that were popular for Western artists to translate and sing. Becoming a belly dancer brought her freedom, creativity, and self-expression.
​
She began teaching belly dance because there wasn’t anyone offering classes in her town. She wants people to experience happiness and independence in her belly dance classes and workshops. Her approach to teaching belly dance is to dedicate time in each class to let people experience freedom, creativity, and self-expression through dancing and flowing to belly dance music.
​
She teaches an open-level fitness-style class called Shimmy Chic Fitness, pop-up workshops, beginner belly dance classes, and open-level belly dance classes. She also hosts pro belly dance stars to teach workshops in Jacksonville, Florida. And she created the annual River City Raqs belly dance convention.
​
Her professional dance career spans over 20 years of combined experience in Belly Dance and Latin dances like Salsa and Bachata. She’s been featured/cast in:
-
Cast in MTV’s Project Belly Dance (Season 2),
-
Cast twice in Belly Dance Evolution (a theater production),
-
Won Belly Dance Masters competitions as a soloist performer and in a troupe (one of the top belly dance competitions in the industry).
Anaïs Fatale
(Organizer/ Instructor)
Anaïs loves introducing women to the art of belly dance and showing them how belly dancing can help them find happiness and independence. Born in Uzbekistan, she grew up listening to songs from Turkey, Lebanon, and Egypt that were popular for Western artists to translate and sing. Becoming a belly dancer brought her freedom, creativity, and self-expression.
​
She began teaching belly dance because there wasn’t anyone offering classes in her town. She wants people to experience happiness and independence in her belly dance classes and workshops. Her approach to teaching belly dance is to dedicate time in each class to let people experience freedom, creativity, and self-expression through dancing and flowing to belly dance music.
​
She teaches an open-level fitness-style class called Shimmy Chic Fitness, pop-up workshops, beginner belly dance classes, and open-level belly dance classes. She also hosts pro belly dance stars to teach workshops in Jacksonville, Florida. And she created the annual River City Raqs belly dance convention.
​
Her professional dance career spans over 20 years of combined experience in Belly Dance and Latin dances like Salsa and Bachata. She’s been featured/cast in:
-
Cast in MTV’s Project Belly Dance (Season 2),
-
Cast twice in Belly Dance Evolution (a theater production),
-
Won Belly Dance Masters competitions as a soloist performer and in a troupe (one of the top belly dance competitions in the industry).
Anaïs Fatale
(Organizer/ Instructor)
Anaïs loves introducing women to the art of belly dance and showing them how belly dancing can help them find happiness and independence. Born in Uzbekistan, she grew up listening to songs from Turkey, Lebanon, and Egypt that were popular for Western artists to translate and sing. Becoming a belly dancer brought her freedom, creativity, and self-expression.
​
She began teaching belly dance because there wasn’t anyone offering classes in her town. She wants people to experience happiness and independence in her belly dance classes and workshops. Her approach to teaching belly dance is to dedicate time in each class to let people experience freedom, creativity, and self-expression through dancing and flowing to belly dance music.
​
She teaches an open-level fitness-style class called Shimmy Chic Fitness, pop-up workshops, beginner belly dance classes, and open-level belly dance classes. She also hosts pro belly dance stars to teach workshops in Jacksonville, Florida. And she created the annual River City Raqs belly dance convention.
​
Her professional dance career spans over 20 years of combined experience in Belly Dance and Latin dances like Salsa and Bachata. She’s been featured/cast in:
-
Cast in MTV’s Project Belly Dance (Season 2),
-
Cast twice in Belly Dance Evolution (a theater production),
-
Won Belly Dance Masters competitions as a soloist performer and in a troupe (one of the top belly dance competitions in the industry).