About

Always having a passion for dance, Dana began studying Baile Folklorico (Mexican folk dance), Bon Odori (Japanese folk dance) and modern dance styles during her child and teen years, and then moved on to Salsa and Swing as an adult until she took her first belly dance class and was forever hooked!  Having studied both cabaret with Krisha Kazmira and Improvisational Tribal Style (ITS) belly dance with Faizeh, she found that she was most drawn to Tribal Style and immersed herself in as many belly dance classes and workshops as she could.

With the encouragement and support of her instructors, Dana took advantage of any opportunities to perform with the students in her classes and the student troupe, Rashidah Sabaa. She had a desire to perform more often and founded her performance troupe, Desert Lotus Tribal, in late 2005. Dana spent the next year studying and performing.

In late 2006 she was invited to become one of the four original members of the troupe, Hiplash, under the direction of Faizeh, her original tribal instructor. She was then given the opportunity by her troupe sister Cindy H to take over instruction of the intermediate level class / student troupe, Belly Vision, as a contract instructor for the City of Lancaster Parks & Recreation, and subsequently went on to co-teach the beginning level classes with Faizeh.

Wanting to share her passion, experience, and love of this beautiful art form while incorporating her own creative vision and cutting-edge interpretation, she created AV Belly Dance in 2007 and began teaching her own Tribal Fusion and American Tribal Style (ATS) classes in Lancaster and eventually in Palmdale, as a contract instructor for the City of Palmdale Parks & Recreation.

She spent the next two years studying, teaching, and performing. It was during this time that she had a growing desire to study American Tribal Style Belly Dance in the true FatChanceBellyDance format as created by FCBD director and master teacher, Carolena Nericcio.

Dana proudly received her FCBD GS Certification in ATS in the summer of 2009. She continues her training to further her skills in Tribal Belly Dance by taking workshops from innovative dancers at the forefront of tribal style belly dance including Carolena Nericcio, Rachel Brice, Sharon Kihara, Sherri Wheatley, Ariellah, Unmata, Sabrina Fox, and others.

Dana is the proud Director of Desert Lotus Tribal, the Antelope Valley's premier tribal fusion and American Tribal Style belly dance performance troupe. She also directs her adult student troupe, Sayuri Tribal, and her little girl's troupe, Little Lotus Belly Dance. She was an original member of Hiplash Belly Dance, a past member of the student troupe, Rashidah Sabaa, and in the past directed the student troupes, Synergy and Tribal Essence. She performs on a regular basis throughout California with her troupe and as a soloist.

She shares her genuine love of this art form by teaching weekly Tribal Fusion and Amerian Tribal Style belly dance classes in both Palmdale and Lancaster, California, as well as performing and designing tribal belly dance costumes.