
photo of Heather by Dusti Cunningham
The Gilded Serpent presents...
Heather Shoopman
Born and bred in Oklahoma, Heather Shoopman began her journey in cheerleading, dance team and country western dancing. Then came the 1980s, aerobics and her first introduction to hip hop on MTV. Add to the mix tai chi, yoga and various bellydance styles, along with an extensive background in acting and theatrics and you get the strong, fluid, zany style that is uniquely ShOOp.
Her bellydance path started over a decade ago with Mesmera, followed by the discovery of tribal and tribal fusion through Subee Djinn, The Indigo and Fat Chance Bellydance. She then saw Unmata, Suhaila, Frederique, Ariellah, Heather Stants (and many more) and began to appreciate the different personalities that come to fusion. She immediately got to work in the dance lab, came up with some cool stuff, won a few awards, and created a troupe called Se7eN who put themselves on the map with a body image piece in Unmata’s Blood Moon Regale. This piece helped set in motion Bellyqueen of NYC’s touring show PURE Reflections: Beauty Reimagined.
Past collaboration highlights include Calamity Sam, Sherri Wheatley, Aubre Hill, Khani Zulu and Jillina. She can be seen performing as a regular at Zulu Lounge LA or about town with Heavy Metal, her tribal improvisation collective.
She is a proud co-founder of BFLA-Belly Fusion Los Angeles, a collaborative of LA based dancers focused on public awareness of Fusion Bellydance as an art form.
While Heather teaches and performs regularly in LA, she also travels worldwide to spread the delight and healing power of dance. Always approaching class with a sense of heart and humor, her experience in the healing arts brings inspiration for personal growth to both teacher and student.
Web site:www.heathershoopman.com
Articles on Gilded Serpent by or about Heather Shoopman
- 4-21-14 Colorful Maghreb in Los Angeles, A Celebration of Music and Dance,
“Dancing In The Sunset ~ A Celebration of Maghreb Music and Dance” held February 1, 2014 at the Live Arts LA Theater in Los Angeles, California - 3-15-12 Raqs LA Photos Page 1: A-H [last photo, bottom of page]
Glendale Civic Auditorium, California, April 16 & 17, 2011, produced by Bellydance Superstars and Miles Copeland - 12-7-10 Photos from the 20th Annual BDUC 2010 Saturday Night's Judges Celebrity Show, [pic #9]
This is the 20th year and was held in the Long Beach Convention Center. Saturday night's show featured all the workshop teachers and the judges for the many competions. More of Carl's lovely photos from the competitions are yet to come! - 8-12-10 Abdominal Freakish Delights: Aboard The Queen Mary! Photo Report from MECDA’s Cairo Caravan 2010, June 4-6, 2010 PAGE 1 AND PAGE 2
Staying onboard the ship Queen Mary makes the event special and a unique and amazing experience As you walk the long curved and richly carpeted halls, you realize that you really are aboard a stately ship–named after a queen–a ship that once sailed the Atlantic Ocean.