Springs Oasis Belly Dance with Zafia
Colorado Springs, CO

 

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About Me

 

Barb Ferrill Van Hoy
~ Zafia ~

I began studying Middle Eastern dance in 1998 and immediately fell in love with this joyously expressive dance form. I love sharing it as a teacher because of its rich beauty and because anyone can do it. My interest in the variety of movement and costuming led to a dedicated exploration of the cultural and historical roots of this diverse and often misunderstood dance form.  

I first studied Egyptian Raqs Sharqi style and had the great opportunity to learn American Tribal Style belly dance from FatChanceBellyDance in San Francisco in 2003. I have studied with a dozen different teachers including  Carolina Varga Dinicu, aka Morocco (New York),  Carolena Nericcio, director of FatChanceBellyDance (San Francisco), Souhail Kaspar (Los Angeles), Eva Cernik (Denver), Joynan (Denver), Isidora (Pueblo) and Mahisha (Colorado Springs).  

My dance education includes seminars in Persian and 
Kurdish folk dances and classical Indian dance (Bharata Natyam). My interest in the context of this dance form has led to an independent study of the history and culture surrounding dance in Spain, North Africa, the Middle East, and Central Asia. I have danced professionally at Moroccan restaurants in Colorado Springs and on stage. 

My dance repertoire includes sword, cane and veil dances, 
and I am a skilled finger cymbal player. I have taught for five years, beginning in 2001, with breaks in 2002 and 2007. Depending on my schedule, I teach American Tribal Style and Egyptian Raqs Sharqi belly dance in Colorado Springs.