Professional belly dance entertainment for hire for your private party or event. Serving King & Snohomish County, including Bellevue, Bothell, Edmonds, Everett, Lynnwood, Mill Creek, Seattle, Redmond, Kirkland, Mountlake Terrace, Mukilteo, Tukwila & Tacoma. Contact Us mail@mellilah.com 206-370-2881
ABOUT MELLILAH Mellilah is an award winning belly dancer and an intuitive and generous instructor with a strong background in performing arts, dance, movement, and fitness. Mellilah's classes are undeniably designed for mastery of the dance, thorough and systematic, and at the same time, fun and rewarding! Please see below, left, for Mellilah's credentials.
CLASS DESCRIPTIONS Belly Dance Basics (Level 1) Belly Dance Egyptian Style: Beginners Looking for a creative way to stay in shape or a new hobby? This is the class to take if you've never taken a belly dance class, if you're new to Mellilah's style of teaching, or want to freshen up on the basics! This fun, low-impact course will allow you to express yourself creatively, while increasing flexibility, core strength, coordination, confidence and poise. Classes are designed to meet the needs of the individual students.
Belly Dance Egyptian Style: Int- Adv (Level 2) A multi-leveled class for intermediate to advanced. The first 30 minutes will include warm-ups, essential fundamentals, drills, and stretches, followed by enrichment, including layering, stylization, combinations and finger cymbals. Finger cymbals are needed for this class. I recommend purchasing the Arabesque (advanced student) finger cymbals (zills) from Saroyan Mastercrafts.
Belly Dance Choreography Class: "Troupe" (Level 2) Apply what you've learned and work as part of a group, learning choreographies designed by Mellilah. This class focuses on learning and polishing the individual dance pieces, stage presence, and the application of technique. Handouts are provided to assist students and video footage for practice at home is often available. Class sessions are cumulative, as troupe members build a repertoire of dance pieces throughout the year intended for performances at student showcases. Performances will be at the discretion of the teacher, and costume and/or prop purchases may be required for those wishing to perform. Outside soloist opportunities for members who demonstate appropriate level of dance for public venues. New members are welcome and should contact Mellilah prior to enrolling. Prerequisite: You must be enrolled in a current belly dance class taught by Mellilah or must be actively taking private instruction with Mellilah. This class will not focus on technique and assumes a basic level of understanding and ability to execute movement vocabulary and isolations.
FAQ'S (Frequently Asked Questions) What do I wear to class/lesssons? Belly dance clothing is not required. Wear comfortable exercise clothes. Dance, yoga or exercise pants, t-shirt, crop top or choli, and/or exercise tops are all fine. A hip scarf or coinless belt is optional. Most belly dancers dance barefoot but some choose to wear shoes. Any comfortable shoe that you can move in will work. Jazz dance shoes and ballroom shoes are excellent options, too.
What do I bring? Bring water and yoga mat or towel for stretching. A notepad and pencil are recommended. If you have special dietary needs, like hypoglycemia, please bring a healthy snack. Bring finger cymbals to Level 2 classes.
POLICIES Arrival: Please arrive to your scheduled class/lesson on time. If you have not registered, please arrive ten minutes early. If you do arrive late, Mellilah will continue the class/lesson for the remainder of the scheduled time. No refund will be given for time lost due to tardiness.
Payment: When you pay for an entire session in advance, you receive a discounted rate. Alternatively, you may drop in to any class without an appointment for a one-time drop-in fee per class. Payment may be in the form of cash or a check, payable to the City of Bothell or City of Mukilteo for group classes. Private instruction may be paid via cash, check or PayPal, payable to mail@mellilah.com.
Pro-rated Fees: If you wish to join a session that has already begun, the fees are pro-rated as long as it's not the last day of the session. (If you join on the last day of a session, you must pay the $15 drop-in fee.)
Cancellation: Any cancellations must be received before the first day of the scheduled session in order to receive a refund. For private lessons, please notify Mellilah no later than 72 hours before your scheduled time in order to cancel. Lessons may be rescheduled, if sufficient notification is given. In the unlikely event that Mellilah must cancel a lesson, the lesson may be rescheduled or refunded. Fees paid for private and/or group sessions are non-transferable; fees may not be transferred from one scheduled session/class to another. In the event of inclement weather call Mellilah, City of Bothell Parks & Rec, or City of Mukilteo Recreation for classes held there.
STUDENT RESOURCES Mellilah's Blog: Everything Belly Dance: You'll want to subscibe to and visit the blog for interesting belly dance facts and information. Check back for updates. Click Here
Mellilah's Links: There are many valuable links on my "links" page, including some of the best costume designers/vendors, places to purchase music and accessories, magazines and organizations for dancers, excellent performers and bands and more. Take time now and again to visit this page. Click Here
Practice Videos: There are many wonderful dvds/videos that will help support what you're learning in class. However, there are also a lot of videos that contain poor quality dancing, unsafe movement, and/or erroneous information. I recommend any performance or instructional videos/DVDs by Sahra Saeeda and Hadia's "Oriental Belly Dance System." These dancers are similar to my style of teaching and dancing, too. Read my blog article on belly dance videos: Click here
SCHEDULE OF CLASSES Located in Bothell, Mill Creek & Mukilteo
Bothell Classes - 3 classes Belly Dance Egyptian Style Wednesdays 6:30-8:00pm Beg- 6:30- 7:30; Int-Adv- 7:00- 8:00 (Jan 11- Feb 29) (March 7- March 28; 4 class session)
Choreography Class "Troupe" Wednesdays 8:00-9:00pm (Jan 11- Feb 29) (March 7- March 28; 4 class session)
Mukilteo Classes - 2 classes Belly Dance Basics Mondays 5:30- 7:00pm Beg 5:30-6:30; Int-Adv 6:00-7:00 (Jan 9- Feb 13; no class 01/16 - 5 class session) (Feb 27- March 26 - 5 class session) (April 9- May 21, no class 4/23 - 6 class session)
Mill Creek Classes Belly Dance Basics Contact Mellilah for current schedule.
REGISTRATION & FEES All session fees pro-rated after start date.
City of Bothell Parks & Recreation In the Lytle House Great Room Register: www.bothellparks.net 425 486 7430 (Bothell Landing) Park across the street. 9919 NE 180th | Bothell | 98011 | Map $79 for six-class session or $15 Drop-in (Troupe Class: $64 for six-class session) Bothell residents recieve 20% discount; not applicable on drop-in fees.
City of Mukilteo Recreation Register: City of Mukilteo Recreation In the Rosehill Community Center 304 Lincoln Avenue | Mukilteo | 98275 425 263 8180 $72 for six-class session; $15 Drop-in
PRIVATE LESSONS Private lessons are highly recommended for all students. Cost: $40 for one hour of instruction. Lessons are located at Mellilah's private residence, conveniently located near Bothell, Edmonds, Lynnwood, and Mountlake Terrace.
WORKSHOPS by Mellilah Mellilah will travel to your location to present one of her innovative workshops, or you may have her design a workshop for your specific needs. Pre-designed workshops include:
~Egyptian Stylization ~Body Dynamics ~The Mind-Belly-Body Connection ~Belly Practice Drills ~Belly Blast Workout ~All About Saidi ~Choreography 101
MELLILAH'S TEACHING CREDENTIALS: Emerald Rain Professional Belly Dancer- 1st Runner Up 2010
Completion of Sahra Saeeda's Cairo Style 1, 2, and 3 (Modern Egyptian styling, technique & history) ~ www.sahrasaeeda.com
Completion of Hadia's Middle Eastern Dancer Teacher Training Level 1, Level 2, & Level 3 ~ www.hadia.com
Fitness Instructor Certificate, Fitness Institute International, Ft Lauderdale, Florida ~ www.fit-cpts.com
Producer, promoter & event organizer for several restaurants and clubs featuring belly dance
Board Member, Vice President, and Dance Company Member of Middle East Arts International ~ www.middleeastarts.org
Professional performer, regular house dancer, dancing with live Middle Eastern bands