MEET OUR INSTRUCTORS | FOTN 2024
OMARIS
Omaris, "The Dominican Rose" will sweep you away with her Passion, Authentic Spirit, and Magical Technique. She is a Multi Award-Winning dancer, teaches all over the world, and is embraced in her local dance community by beginning to advanced performers alike. With almost two decades of Teaching and Performing, Omaris is loved by studios, students, and audiences. Internationally sought-after, Omaris has taught and performed in the USA, Puerto Rico, Mexico, South Korea, Brazil, Guadeloupe, Serbia, Japan, Italy, The Czech Republic, and of course in her home country, the Dominican Republic.
Omaris holds a BA in Advertising and a Technique Course Certification in Photography. She owns her own clothing line called RedButterfly by Omaris sporting artistic athleisure to empower and inspire women.
Many say Omaris is Art in Motion. To watch her dance is not just a passive event; Omaris touches everyone's soul when she performs. A true artist, Omaris evokes from her audience the emotion she wants them to experience: passion, longing, pain, and joy just to name a few. Omaris possesses a strong technical foundation to back up her artistry. Her classes are extremely popular because she fuses techniques with insights on showmanship that are priceless for any dancer. An often overlooked but extremely important facet of Omaris’ dance is her deep understanding of musicality. Her specialty is expressing the melodic lines in pieces seamlessly and with intense feeling.
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ZHOR
Zhor, Began his studies of dance in classical ballet with accomplishments as a principle dancer for the Scottish American Ballet.
His journey into the world of Middle Eastern Belly Dance began in 1985 under the tutelage of a Turkish dance artist. Zhor continued as a Performance and workshop artist with 4 International tours. In 1992 he released his international video “Zhor’s Magical Tour of the Ancient Art of Bellydance” following performances with the Bindelstiff Circus, Belly Dance Superstars and numerous other performance showcases. Zhor left the performance stage to teach and work in 2002 after a near death experience and began dancing again and performing as dance has always been his one true passion in life. Zhor’s performances are legendarily known for his veil, flair, and vintage style.
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Please visit guilfoildanceartscenter.com for more information about Ballet and Belly Dance classes, group classes, pre-professional training, and coaching from beginner, pre-professional, and professional dancers, workshops, and events.
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SUSU PAMPANIN
Susu Pampanin is a dynamic percussionist of exceptional strength and sensitivity. Daughter of prominent San Francisco belly dancer, Amina Goodyear, she was surrounded by Arabic music before she could walk or talk. She studied under master drummers, Vince Delgado, George Dabai, Yousef Mustafa El Effendi, and Nagib Al Bahri; honing her skills by accompanying her mother’s dance classes, rehearsals, and performances with her dance troupe, the Aswan Dancers.
Having earned the respect of the Arab community, she performed regularly in various musical ensembles for celebrations such as Arab weddings, festivals, concerts, and cultural events. She continued performing and touring with other world music groups, which led to an invitation by Mickey Hart to perform with him on his Planet Drum tour. Susu's talent and passion for percussion and rhythm enabled her to create an innovative style and sound, uniquely her own. In 1991, ‘Susu and The Cairo Cats, Dancing Drums, Live at the Giza Club’ was released. The recording featured her drum compositions and drum solos. Through this work, she became known internationally for her virtuosity in Arabic drumming.
Her love of Arabic music, along with her quest to continue to improve her musical knowledge and drumming skills have inspired numerous trips to North Africa and the Middle East, over the years. In 2013, she went to Egypt to record, Nostalgia, Susu Pampanin, and the Cairo Cats with Safaa Farid. More recently, in January of 2020 she returned to Egypt to record with Reda Henkish on the collaborative release, Reda Henkesh Live with Susu Pampanin.
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ZIZI ZABANEH
ZiZi Zabaneh is the director of Fusion Gitana. She is an international instructor, performer, and choreographer, a professional dancer with over 28 years of experience.
Born in Bogota, Colombia of Lebanese descent.
ZiZi has provided entertainment for celebrities including Tom Arnold, Elizabeth Shue, Chris Evert, Alonzo Mourning, Dwyane Wade, Alan Thicke, and many more.
Her international performances and workshops include Argentina, Colombia, Mexico, Italy, Dubai, and Puerto Rico to name a few.
Currently, ZiZi teaches locally in Central Florida (Winter Park) and via Zoom. She teaches workshops nationally and internationally. She is the producer of Caravan of Dancers, the only Flamenco and Middle Eastern dance festival in the United States.
Precision, strength, and stamina characterize her dance style and make her a favorite amongst audiences of all ages.
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GINA MARIE
Gina Marie is Founder and Director of Blue Lotus World Dance.
Gina is fluent in many genres including;
Rom Gypsy, Turkish, Tunisian, Folkloric, American Cabaret and more.
She loves to work with a variety of props such as cane, veil, candles, Isis wings, and her favorite, swords.
Gina is a certified FCBD® Instructor as created by Carolena Nericcio.
She is honored to be a sister studio to the originator of this enchanting dance style and has created many of her own dialects.
Gina provides a warm, supportive environment for her students to grow and learn. She has provided multiple, weekly classes since 2008. Gina and her troupes have performed at countless shows and events.
Gina produces an annual 3 day Bellydance festival, The Sweetheart Gala, in which she hosts many of the most sought-after master instructors in the world. She considers herself a forever student and loves to learn and grow alongside other dancers.
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TERRIANNE GUTIERREZ
TerriAnne Gutierrez has been the featured performer at many prestigious San Francisco Clubs and restaurants, as well as performing frequently at Middle Eastern weddings and events. She has made several television appearances and had the honor of being asked by the San Francisco Egyptian community to dance for their Egyptian Consulate to the United States on his visit to San Francisco.
TerriAnne is the director of award-winning, international dance company, Troupe Joweh R.A.W. who has been voted, “Best Performing Dance Company”, (Sonoma County) for the last three years in a row and the producer of Sirens Fest and the owner of Sirens Studio in Sebastopol, CA.
She has been playing music since a young age and is accomplished on a number of instruments. She enjoys playing Deff and Riq with Susu Pampanin, and other musicians, and is well known for her Zill playing. She put out a book and DVD on the subject called, ZILL DRILLS.
Jacques Al Asmar
Jacques Al-Asmar was born in Accra, Ghana. He was raised in Beirut, Lebanon. For the past twenty-five years, he has lived in the United States. He has studied, performed and taught Internationally. His passion for dance was noticed at an early age. Influenced by the legendary Nadia Gamal, Jacques watched his own body move in the same genre as Nadia Gamal. However, his lack of formal training in dance and cultural barriers held him back from pursuing a much-loved art form.
Jacques' formal training came at a later stage of his career. Thanks to the Legendary Amina of the ASWAN DANCERS, who trained, educated and supported Jacques, He became a dance sensation overnight. Jacques is co-founder of the Arabian Knights band and producer of Salamat Sundays in San Francisco, California.
An extra surprise for all our Festival on the Nile Inetrnational fans! To Jacques delight, Amina Goodyear will be joining him to add her great wealth of knowledge and in-depth insight to both his workshops.
Anastasia
Class description coming soon!