Ramona Grewe

Middle Eastern/Oriental Belly Dance Artist & Instructor

Dance Styles: Egyptian Raks Sharki, Lebanese cabaret, Turkish cabaret, Saiidi, Beladi, Lebanese  Debkeh, Egyptian Wedding Zeffa, Khaleegy, Persian Folkloric, Arabian Folkloric. Special Abilities Zills/Sagat (finger cymbals), veil, cane Signature Belly Moves Rolls, isolations, and flutters; Signature “Belly Button” moves: slides- horizontally, vertically, circles-clockwise, counterclockwise, and spherically.

Teaching Experience:

Over the past twenty years I have been a Belly Dance Instructor and Fitness Instructor. I have given lessons from beginner's to advance levels. I have had students from various age groups and walks of life. I was a part-time Belly Dance Instructor for Naturally Women Fitness Club. I have been invited numerous times as guest speaker and performer at local middle and high schools as well as senior citizen communities. 

I have been teaching as an adjunct faculty member for Pima College East and West Campus for Beginning I and Beginning II Belly Dance since 2008. I teach Belly Dance Aerobics’ Workout for Skin & Body Fitness Studio and have a home studio for private clients at my residence. I have also given Salsa Dance and Aerobic lessons in local workshops.

Professional Commitments as a soloist, I have been performing through out the state of Arizona for the last 20 years. For the last 15 years I have been performing regularly in local Middle-eastern restaurants including La Mediterranean, Casbah Cafe, Phoenician, Shish Kabab house, Aladdin Restaurant, Luxor Café, Athens Restaurant and currently It’s Greek to me” and Petra Restaurant. I have entertained weddings, private parties, county fairs, corporate events, fundraisers, cultural events and Chamber of Commerce events. 

As a producer I have sponsored and organized several dance and music work shops, belly dance festivals and evenings of entertainment to support the new generation of dancers and make various teaching styles available to the local talent. I organized and promoted an Arabic/Latin Festival for the Tucson community and was able to contribute to the cultural awareness of the Arab/American/Hispanic society through music, dance and food.

Background:

Born and raised in Frankfurt Germany I was exposed to the diverse culture of a modern Metropolitan City and intrigued by food and dance diversity. Traveling throughout Europe as Tour guide accompanying guests on bus travel and entertaining customers on gala evenings on stage prepared me for my upcoming performance adventures.

Small advertisements for belly dance classes at a local community college in Frankfurt, Germany started my belly dance career of 25 years. My first teacher Bedauia, a dancer, choreographer, writer and a promoter has inspired the art and love of this dance form in me. Throughout my dancing career I have studied with the most famous Middle-eastern Belly Dancers. I have traveled and performed in Middle East, North Africa, Europe and North America.

My experience in dancing abroad gave me the opportunity to learn and dance with some of the famous artists including Nadia Hamdi, Raqia Hassan, Dina, Sara Kent, Fathiem, Amani, Mesmera, Soraya, Leila Haddad, Lucy, Momo Kadus, Dahlena, Bert Baladi, Beata and Horacio.

Working with the Arabesque dance troupe in Germany gave me plenty of exposure in staged performance. After I relocated to United States I joined the Xanadu dance troupe under the direction of Kathryn Ferguson. Continuing studies with Gina Gonzalez and my growing experiences lead to my own ventures of teaching and promoting Middle Eastern Belly Dance.

I also have an interest for Latin dance styles and ballroom dancing and am very capable to teach aerobic dance classes with any music style.

My professional career as a Correctional Captain (Chief of Security) for the Arizona State Prison has been rewarding and I am very exited  to expand my teaching opportunity.

I am fluent in German and English and I can manage some Spanish Iam looking forward to teach and in arabic we say "Yalla Yalla"