All About Chicago Belly Dancer Shahina

Shahina's love affair with belly dance began at the age of 15 years (photo, left) when she made her stage debut at Dulles Athenian Fireside in Elmhurst Illinois. Since then, her appreciation and respect for this art form have evolved into a deep passion to pursue dance as a vocation. Shahina trains intensively in ballet, jazz, dance theatre and yoga as well as Middle Eastern dance.

When performing Shahina's focus is on her life long love, Egyptian style dance. She does also perform other styles of belly dance and Hawaiian style hula dance. On occasion she may also be seen performing jazz and dance theatre.

Shahina dances for public and private events and parties across the United States and teaches in her Glen Ellyn studio. Shahina's classes are a balance of stretching, strengthening, dance technique, meditative dance and visualization practice for lessons that nourish body, mind and spirit.

Although she has studied under many teachers, she credits every dancer she has ever watched with teaching her the dance of life.

"It isn't what you know, but what you feel that brings the dance to life. Whenever I dance it is my hope that something in my dance will light a spark in someone who has been searching for healing or compassion or a kindred soul."

—Shahina

Shahina finds means of artistic expression through a multitude of avenues. In addition to writing poetry, she enjoys painting and dying silk scarves and veils and teaches belly dance and silk dying to dancers and artists. She has performed and taught across the United States and has studied with many internationally acclaimed dancers and musicians.

Shahina is the Artistic Director of dance troupes Zephyra and Asfoura, presenting the art of belly dance in its true spirit— artistic, joyful, sensual and with respect toward the Middle Eastern cultures from which it originates.