2021: Get to know your instructor

 Karla Marie (Karlita, as her students lovingly call her) is a grateful guest of the MENAHT dance community (Middle Eastern, North African, Hellenic, and Turkish), colloquially known as "belly dance." Karla Marie teaches and performs Raqs Sharqi, Classical Egyptian and Egyptian Folklore, and MENAHT-influenced Fusion dance. 

DANCE & ROOTS

A proud Latina, Karla Marie was born and raised in Tegucigalpa, Honduras. Her father worked for the US Embassy in Latin America and the family moved to Guatemala City, Guatemala in the 80s and made New Orleans, Louisiana their home in the 1990s.

Growing up in Latin America she was immersed in local folk dances, as well as the music and dances of Central and South America, and the Caribbean- such as Merengue, Bachata, Salsa, Rancheras, and her favorite- Punta (of the Garifuna tribe- the African/Indigenous Kalinago-Taino people who settled in the coast of Honduras).

She is a classical Ballet dancer from the esteemed Academia Madame Marcelle Bonge (Guatemala City, Guatemala) under the tutelage and mentorship of teachers such as Sonia Juarez de Devaux and Richard Paul Devaux Bonge, also studying Jazz, Contemporary, and Modern as part of her classical roots.  

DISCOVERING BELLY DANCE (2005)

While being displaced by Hurricane Katrina in 2005, Karla Marie began her belly dance studies at MidEastern Dance Exchange in South Beach (Miami), under the direction Tamalyn Dallal and Bozenka. It is there that she was introduced to this art form and the love affair began.

BELLY DANCE TRAINING (2008-present)

She has been teaching and performing in New Orleans since 2008, training and studying with Master (source) teachers from all over the world such as Amani of Lebanon, Lubna Emam, Aida Nour, Mounir Malaeb, Madame Raqia Hassan, Nada El Masirya, Lebanese Simon, Francois Rahme, Ahmed Hussein, Mohamed El Sayed, Issam Houshan, and Raïssa Leï, as well as world-renowned masters like Sadie, Suhaila Salimpour, Melissa Gamal, Amar Gamal, April Rose, Zoe Jakes, Artem Uzunov, Donna Mejia, Ryan Yanguochao, Nourhan Sharif, among many others.

REIKI- ENERGY WORK & Movement Healing (2011- present)

Karla Marie was an avid yogi for many years and through this practice was introduced to Reiki and Energy work. In 2014, she received her Reiki Level I Attunement training from Michele Baker (Yoga Instructor and Reiki Level III Master) and has served her community of dancers through her bi-annual offerings of her “Awaken the Goddess Retreats,” incorporating belly dance, energy work, meditation, and essential oil offerings as part of the experience. She is knowledgeable on Chakra education and is a movement healer, working as a partner with the New Orleans Family Justice Center for the past 4 years, offering dance as a healing modality to survivors of sexual assault and intimate partner abuse. She continues to offer classes that combine Belly Dance, Chakra Activation, and Energy Healing such as “Dancing through the Chakras” and “Unblocking the Elements.”

EVENT PRODUCER: Shimmy Soul (2016-present)

In 2016, Karla Marie produced her first ever Belly Dance Festival- Shimmy Soul: A New Orleans Belly Dance Experience which hosted Lebanese Simon and Sadie in its inaugural year. She has continued producing Shimmy Soul to continue to bring quality instruction to the local Louisiana area. The latest Shimmy Soul was the first of its kind, hosted in early December 2020 and offering a hybrid of safe and socially distanced in-person classes, as well as virtual workshops, as well as the first in-person workshops and performances after the pandemic began for many, including the featured instructors- Simon Sako, April Rose, and a virtual performance by Melissa Gamal.

CONTINUED PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT (2020)

In 2020, Karla Marie was one of five dancers accepted to a mentorship with Nada El Masirya among 53 applicants from around the world. An unfortunate injury prevented her from completing the program, fully. However, she persisted and remained a student of Nada learning incredible technique from the master, herself. Nada El Masirya’s oral history lessons, as well as her approach to teaching continue to be instrumental for Karla Marie’s personal and professional growth, especially as it relates to her study of Egyptian culture and dance. Her motto is “I become a better teacher as long as I commit to remain a life-long student and learner.”

TEACHING & MENTORING (2021)

In 2021, she began a mentorship program for local dancers and teachers that allows her to share an introduction to MENAHT dance and raqs sharqi of the generous instruction and knowledge her incredible teachers have shared with her and based on the personal research conducted in the dance form. 

“After 16 years of dancing, 12 of teaching, traveling, and training, and hundreds of hours of research and information gathering, I started organizing my scribbles and notes and putting together course material. I started sharing the information as workshops and intensives the last 4 years as well as technical training and introduction to the dance. In 2018, I decided to add to my training and dance education and focus my attention on topics such as "decolonizing dance education," "developing and sustaining an inclusive dance community," and "critical literacy/social justice, social action, and representation in dance". I spent time examining my own unconscious biases so I can be a more respectful and inclusive guest of the MENAHT dance community. Sometimes in class I don't have enough time to discuss history and share all of the things I've learned, so having an extended amount of time to just discuss and teach this, is wonderful... I love being able to introduce students to cultures and elements, as well as source dancers and teachers, and influential figures in our dance. I also love assigning homework and assigning research projects to follow up on after class for continued growth.”

Her love of this art form and passion for it passed on from her teachers allows her to share this knowledge with her students, many of whom make up her performance troupe- Shimmy Shakti.

FAMILY & WORK

When she is not dancing, she enjoys time with her beautiful boys, ages 8, 18, and 25 (who keep her very busy), her husband, who doubles up as photographer and videographer for every performance, and her grand-pup Jefe and grand-gecko Morocco (RIP to our furbaby Gucci). She also has an extensive career in Communications, Public Relations, and Business Development and manages her booming Photography business. Life is good.