My interest in dance goes back a long way. Shy around friends as a teen, I would practice my moves at home. Once I arrived in New York City after college, interest in dance led me to become a huge dance fan and subscribe to several dance theatres, for years exposing me to all kinds of professional, folkloric, and ethnic dance- except Oriental. Every now and then, though, I would catch a glimpse of Oriental & found it intriguing, especially the relaxed isolations of various shimmies and hip articulations. "I'd like do that." I remember thinking, fatefully. In the meantime, I took 3 years of jazz classes with Morelli Ballet. Then one day a friend invited me to accompany her to an Oriental class she was taking.

Oriental dance felt so natural to me from the first, and Tonya Gomez, my first teacher, was surprised how quickly I picked up the moves. I found the music addicting and the dance very expressive. When I outgrew what she could teach, she suggested I study with Morocco, who is still my main teacher and mentor. In 1997, I began to perform solo, and in 1998, I co-founded Synergy, which today is a well known Oriental dance duo in the NY area. Since 2000, I have been a member of Morocco's award winning troupe, Morocco and the Casbah Dance Experience. Since early 2004, I have been teaching Basic Oriental Technique in Morocco's NY Studio.

While I earn my living in real estate sales and management, I find myself devoting more and more time to dance. I am especially interested in learning, teaching, and showcasing this dance in a manner honorable to and respectful of its roots in Middle Eastern Culture. In order to better understand the culture, I have made trips to Turkey and Morocco, and 5 trips to Egypt, attending Ahlan Wa Sahlan 3 times, and assisted Morocco with research projects and interviews. While participation in Synergy and Casbah, as well as solo performances, keep me quite busy, I also occasionally find time to write articles for Oriental dance publications.
email contact- karimanadira@yahoo.com

Articles on Gilded Serpent by Karin
9-24-05 American Bellydancer, the Film Review by Karin Haerter,
Film reviewed on April 10, 2005, postscript added about DVD edition with bonus features

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