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Hathor’s Hips
was founded in 2008 and is the student troupe of Belly Dance Topeka. The troupe
currently consists of Huraiva as troupe director and five advanced level
students all with several years experience in belly dance. The troupe dances at
a wide range of community events, as well as performing at shows around the
region. Hathor’s Hips members have studied a range of styles and props and all
have their special areas of interest and expertise.
Hathor's Hips members are available for Belly Dance Parties and Performance Sets (aka Bellygrams)
Belly Dance Parties:
Throw a belly dance themed party! We will provide decorating
ideas, music, incense, bindis and an array of Middle Eastern recipes for you to
prepare for your guests. We will perform in costume and bring coin belts and
veils for your guests to try out when we demonstrate a few basic moves.
One Hathor's Hips Belly Dance Troupe member for each five guests will
provide your guests individualized instruction, with a maximum of 15 guests
(including yourself). The cost for a belly dance party is $75 per hour for each
group of one to five guests (that is only $15 per person).
No bachelor or stag parties (at least 50% female attendance required).
A performance set is usually for a small group in a private setting. The rate for a performance set is $50 for 15 minutes and $10 for each additional 5 minutes, per dancer. Additional amounts can be charged to cover traveling to out of town areas. A 15 minute performance set usually includes three to four numbers. Cabaret style will include a veil number and a drum solo. Gypsy style will include a skirt number and a drum solo. A tribaret style performance set will require two to three dancers and will include a mixture of group improvisation and choreographed numbers. No bachelor parties or other all male events.
Huraiva Alimah loves dancing and has since she was a small child. Whenever music
is playing you'll find her swaying to the beat. She has over thirty years of
dance training, including ballet, ballroom, baton, jazz, tap, and of course,
belly dancing. She has performed throughout the region including Kansas City,
Lawrence, Manhattan, Topeka, Lincoln,
Nebraska and Columbia, Missouri. Huraiva loves the variety of movement in belly
dance; the contrast between slow, snaking undulations and abrupt accent moves
appeals to her playful nature. When asked what she likes best about belly dance
she always answers with a shimmy.
Huraiva has been belly dancing since 2002. She started her studies with videos,
until she found local classes and then enrolled. To this day she enjoys learning
new steps and combinations to use while dancing. Attending workshops keeps her
on her toes and she has studied with Kami Liddle, Eva Cernik, Amy Sigil of
Unamata, Princess Farhana, Ariellah and many more. She loves to explore the
different styles that make up belly dance, and though she hasn't chosen a
favorite yet, Turkish or Rom will probably win in the end.
Huraiva was a founding member of Eyes of Bastet belly dance troupe based out of
Manhattan. She resigned her position at the end of 2010 to focus on the Topeka
troupe she founded in 2008, Hathor's Hips. Huraiva went through an extensive
teacher training process, including student teaching under the supervision of
another instructor, before she began teaching belly dance in October of 2006.
Huraiva founded Belly Dance Topeka in May of 2008 when the belly dance school
she had been teaching for decided to concentrate its efforts on the Kansas City
market. Huraiva took that opportunity to develop her own curriculum and expand
the amount of information presented in each level. The curriculum now in use
incorporates Vintage Oriental and Group Improvisational styles. Huraiva has also
added information on Middle Eastern Rhythms, additional props to the
Intermediate level classes and additional emphasis on playing finger cymbals.
Teaching a mix of American Night Club and Group Improvisational styles keeps
Huraiva’s classes interesting. From beginning belly dance to advanced, she tries
to challenge her students, yet keep the class entertaining. Huraiva enjoys
playing her finger cymbals while dancing and tries to instill that same
enjoyment in her students. She thinks dancing should be fun and
challenging. Huraiva believes sharing this fun and exhilarating art form with friends is the
perfect remedy for stress. She's thrilled to share her love of dance with her
students.
Cyra is a founding member of Hathor's Hips and began belly dancing in 2005; in fact, she was one of Huraiva's first students! Cyra says she took that first class on a dare from a girlfriend over margaritas, and from the very first lesson she fell in love with the entire art form--the lovely moves so well suited to the feminine form and the seductive rhythms and music turned a simple dare from a friend into a lasting passion for the dance. In particular, Cyra enjoys performing with her veil and her zills.
In addition to studying with Huraiva, Cyra has been taught by Maya Zahira and has attended numerous workshops, including the opportunities to learn with Amaya and John Compton. While she has studied several forms of the dance, including Tribal Fusion, Romany and various folkloric styles, Cyra says she remains a Cabaret girl at heart.
Nadima began her dancing
studies in the fall of 2006. This
was the first ever dance class she had taken.
She was wary of her dancing skills, but with the help of her teacher,
Huraiva, she decided, that possibly, she could actually dance.
Nadima is a founding member
of Hathor’s Hips. She enjoys the
variety of topics that are studied in the troupe performance class, as well as
the advanced class. Her
favorite prop is the fan veil. When
she dances with fan veils, it feels as if she is a kid again, playing outside.
Sheer joy.
Nadima augments her studies
with workshops, and has enjoyed workshops with Princess Farhana, Masani, John
Compton and Amaya to name a few.
Nadima feels that she has learned valuable information at all the workshops she
has attended.
What does Nadima like about
belly dancing……? The sisterhood.
She has made some amazing friends through her dance
studies. There is a wide variety of
women who are in the troupe. They meet
once (or twice) a week and have an amazing time.
They laugh, they joke, and they encourage each other and yes,
occasionally laugh at each other.
She always feels better when she leaves class than she did when she arrived.
Her current goal is to
choreograph and dance an awesome fan veil number……
Adell started classes with Belly Dance Topeka in January 2009 and joined Hathor’s Hips in January of 2010, but has enjoyed taking belly dance classes since 2002. She originally tried belly dance with a friend during college as a fun and different way to exercise. Before joining the Belly Dance Topeka group, she studied under Maya Zahira, who taught belly dance classes at K-State.
Adell has some jazz and tap classes under her belt, but appreciates the difference in costuming belly dancing provides her in comparison. She would much rather hear the jingling of a coin belt than the tapping of shoes!
Adell enjoys the music and props involved in belly dance, as well as the ability to invent your own dance style. She loves being able to choreograph solos to nontraditional belly dance music and has performed at several different venues in the Topeka and Manhattan area.
Hathor’s Hips has provided Adell with confidence to know that you can dance beautifully no matter what your body type is. She spent most of her first year in the troupe dancing and performing while pregnant, and believes the movements and focus on muscle control helped her stay positive and eased the pains of labor.
If Adell would have to choose a favorite prop, it would probably be a sword. She would like to use this very masculine object to highlight the graceful actions of a solo performance in the future.