Cristie has been dancing for 14 years after seeing Ghawazi Caravan on stage and having that magic moment that many of us experience – I want to do THAT! or rather, not only ‘do’ that, but ‘BE’ that! Imagine her bliss when, after much training and focus, she joined that troupe and has been passionately performing, learning and co-teaching with them ever since.
In the past 5 years, she teaches American Tribal Style (ATS ®) and Tribal Fusion at Amera’s Palace and directs the troupe, Oreades Tribal Bellydance. If that wasn’t enough fun, Cristie performs in the trio, Bohemia, with Ali and Alex of Kush Cabaret, ‘painting a luxurious picture of vintage decadence, combining clarinet, Egyptian tabla, and Tribal Fusion dance’.
Along with intensive training and performing with Devi Mamak, Cristie has studied with local and international teachers in a range of styles, but especially with Carolena Nerricio, including traveling to the FatChance BellyDance studio, San Francisco, in 2004 and 2011, completing ATS General Skills Certificate in 2007 with a ‘top up’ in 2009 along with private lessons and workshops. She took Devi’s intensive Ghawazi Caravan Teacher Training program in 2008 and 2013. An exciting accomplishment for Cristie was being a part of FatChance Bellydance®‘s instructional DVD ‘Vol.9 Anatomy of a Step’. As well as her teacher and mentor’s instructional dvd, ‘Devi’s Inspired Combinations’. Image by: John Clutterbuck. ghawazicaravan.com ameraspalace.com.au
