Meet the Teachers!
Lileith Polite
Professional Belly Dance Instructor and Performer
Class Title:Embodying Emotion, Freedom andConfidence in Your Dance
www.lileithpolite.com
Facebook: Lileith Rose Polite
Instagram: @lileithpolite
In 2009, shortly after seeing her first live bellydance
performance, Lileith was able to find classes with the
Siren Bellydance Troupe of Northwest Arkansas, led
by local belly dance teacher Diana Shepherd. After
studying with them, she quickly became a performing
troupe member, and performed her first solo dance
after just one year of study.
This led to many other troupe and solo performances at
conventions and festivals and eventually
to professional work in hookah bars, private parties,
fundraising events, art shows and corporate events.
Lileith has studied privately with both local teachers, and world famous belly dance stars including Ansuya Rathor, Sadie Marquardt and Isidora Hart (Izzy) and Egyptian dance star Mohamed Shahin.
She has taken workshops with Yasmine of South Carolina, Aradia, Michelle Joyce and Zoe Jakes, Princess Farhana, Suhaila Salimpour, Aziza, and Mia, Hassan Khalil, ZaZa. She was fortunate to take private lessons with original Belly Dance Superstar Ansuya Rathor, eventually earning her Ansuya Bellydance Certification, in 2013. This program is a deep dive into creating an evolving, eclectic, sensually empowered, personal belly dance style with a strong technical base in American Cabaret Technique and Improvisation Concepts,
Fusion and Prop Technique and Combos.
In 2019 went to Egypt where she performed at the Crazy Nights International Dance Festival; Competition; she has been honored to perform at the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art;
the Arts Center of the Ozarks; the Big Night Gala for the Children’s Safety Center; regional hookah lounges/restaurants; multiple regional belly dance and cultural festivals; private dinner
parties; special events; graduation parties and more!
Lileith holds a bachelor’s degree in Psychology and a Master’s in Adult Education. During the same time period she found belly dance, 2009, Lileith also found her love of personal coaching. Her friend had been consulting and coaching for the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, so she was able to shadow her work there with the leadership organization, soon thereafter, earning her
professional certified coach title in personal and executive coaching from the College of Executive Coaching in Pismo Beach, CA
Class Title:
Embodying Emotion, Freedom and
Confidence in Your Dance
In dance, it’s almost impossible to be in our heads and in our hearts at the same time. One of the biggest challenges I have found is moving from dancing from the head to dancing with the heart. When
we can let go and dance from the heart, here is where the magic starts. Expressing ourselves exactly how we want to when it counts is what freedom and confidence is all about.
In this class, you will learn a combination to a taqsim; then learn methods to define and embody your emotions and confidence in the dance; and finally apply the methods to the combination and add your
own moves in to the music.
Lucy Langston
Class Title:
Come back to the basics.
Lucy resides and plays in NW Arkansas and proudly calls it home. Lucy has been dancing since 2001, taking a couple of breaks as life intervened. She began dancing under the instruction of Terry Holland, and danced with Desert Fire for a number of years.
These days she splits her time between dance and fiber crafting, along with a full time job as a legal assistant. Lucy is married to Mitch and together they own Rising Phoenix Martial Arts. Lucy is the emcee of our Saturday night show!
Class: Come back to the basics
This class will cover the most basic moves of bellydance, teaching you the letters of dance and ending with learning to put them together to make a sentence of dance! This is a great class to brush up on those beginning moves you learned years ago. It's always great to brush up on how it all began!
Diana
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Class Title:
Let's take any move and embellish it into belly dance style. Let's learn fusion!
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Fusion Infusion!
Rahil
Rahil will be teaching Egyptian Combos
Rahil is the director of the KC Raqs World Dance Studio in the Kansas City metro area. She has been studying belly dance for over 18 years and considers herself a student for life. Recently she had the opportunity to learn and research dance in Egypt. Her preferred dance styles are Egyptian Raqs Sharqi, baladi, and American vintage style (especially with veils). Rahil has a background in education and uses that knowledge to inform her multi-level curriculum in order to create well-rounded, well-versed dancers. She is excited to be reunited with her friends at Shimmyfest!