Inactive Dancers

Meet some of our inactive and former members: Life takes us on many journeys. These members have moved on to new towns, new pursuits, or just a new style of dance, but they leave us with many warm memories. And, sometimes, come visit us now and again!

Ayita

Ayita (eye-ee-ta) first experience with dance was watching her older sister practicing for a school project. She went on to explore many different styles of dancing, including various ballroom and folk dances, and found herself wanting to learn more after watching the fluid movements of the Olympic skaters and gymnasts.

Ayita received her first formal bellydance instruction in 2007 and completed the courses offered by Daughters of the New Moon in 2010 to become a troupe member. She hopes delve deeper into facets of Middle Eastern and to also branch out into tribal and tribal-fusion bellydance, Bollywood, and the pasodoble.

Ayita thanks her sister who showed her that dance is an expression of one's self, be it dancing with the Daughters, or practicing for school drama production.

Aleezah

Aleezah (ah-leeze-ah) was first enchanted as a little girl by belly dancers who danced at a local Renaissance Fair in her hometown. Fast forwarding 15 years she took her first belly dance classes with Isis in Colleyville, Texas. After a break traveling the world, she settled in Juneau where she happily found out that Juneau had belly dancing! Upon refreshing her dance moves with instruction from Kalirah, Aleezah joined the Daughters of the New Moon as a full member in 2011.

Be'ahuvi

Be'ahuvi began Middle Eastern dancing with the Washington-based touring troupe Ye Merrie Greenwoode Gypsie Dancers (aka The Bare Naked Bellies) in 1997. She has studied a variety of international and fusion dance forms including Cabaret, Rom, Turkish, Bungara, African, and Tribal.

In 2005, Be'ahuvi was awarded a grant from Alaska State Council on the Arts to study Middle Eastern Music and Dance in Turkey. The tour leaders then honored her with a full scholarship to study at the intensive Middle Eastern Music and Dance Camp in Mendocino, California.

Be'ahuvi chose her name, Hebrew for "to my beloved", to celebrate her heritage and her marriage in August 2006. She is further blessed to have become stepmother to two beautiful girls. And then new mother to a wonderful baby boy.

She moved to Washington, and continued to expand her dancing skills learning new folklore styles and taking them with a troupes on world tour! Now back in Alaska and involved with the Anchorage bellydance community.

Latifa

Latifa began with square dancing in Juneau, Alaska in 1985 and later took up round dancing, then western dancing and line dancing. One style led to another and before you know it, here comes Middle Eastern dancing.

With encouragement from her step-daughter Kalirah, Latifa began taking lessons in Middle Eastern dance with Katiyja and Diana in May 2002, later continuing with her first workshop with Amaya that was sponsored by Daughters of the New Moon. When first taking lessons, performing with the troupe was not even a consideration for Latifa. But the dance is addictive and by June 2003 she was performing with the troupe at every available opportunity.

She is working on the next generation of bellydancers with two of her granddaughters that want to practice with her every time they come to visit. Of course, they love to "make outfits" from grandma's scraps and use her zills.

Maha Ati

Maha Ati (ma-ha ah-tee) began studying Middle Eastern dance when she was 13 years old in Southern Oregon with Lou Estes. She danced with women and girls of all ages and loved watching women in different phases of life dancing together. Since then Maha Ati has also enjoyed studying African, modern, and Latin dance forms. 10 years later Maha Ati found her way back to Middle Eastern dance through the Daughters of the New Moon.

Marjahn

Marjahn (mar-john) came to the troupe with an extensive background in ballet. A former ballet teacher in Juneau, Marjahn would wonder on the multiple occassions that she found stray beads and sequins in the dance space. Once she joined the troupe in 2010, Marjahn solved that small riddle: bellydancers had been performing there again!

Rahil

Rahil (rah-heel) was introduced to Middle Eastern dance in her hometown community schools program in Chugiak, Alaska. She started lessons in earnest in 1988 while attending Michigan State University and has danced with various troupes since then.

Rahil has been a member of the Habibi Dancers in Michigan, the Beledi Dancers in Brisbane, Australia, Haffi Hareem in Anchorage, and is now fortunate to be a part of Daughters of the New Moon. Primary influences are Artemis (Turkish style), Rahya Hassan (Egyptian), Morroccan Shikat, and Cassandra Shore (Egyptian Saidi).

Shadiyah

Shadiyah was born and raised in Anchorage, Alaska, and started taking Middle Eastern Dance lessons with Josetta in 1987. She apparently had a knack for it, as within a few months she was performing professionally both as a musician and company dancer with Josetta & Company. Her first public solo performance with the troupe was at the opening of the Anchorage Center for the Performing Arts in 1989.

After moving to Juneau, Shadiyah joined the Daughters of the New Moon in 1996, and has performed with the troupe ever since. Over the years, she has expanded her repertoire through workshops and independent study, and has choreographed several group and solo dances. More recently, she has branched into designing and creating unique dance costumes for herself and others, which she enjoys showcasing in performances.

Shadiyah first had the opportunity to teach dance in Anchorage in 1993, and discovered that she loved it. She has since been teaching beginning classes and provides some private instruction.

Founding member of Juneau Middle Eastern drumming group Noodle of Doum. She has returned to Anchorage and is pursuing studies there.

Tara

Tara (ta-rah) took her first belly dance class as a way to firm up after the birth of her eldest child (he’s now in his 30s) but didn’t get serious until her best friend convinced her to join her in dance lessons, taught by Katiyja & Diana of the Daughters of the New Moon, in 1993. She continues to dance because, once the drums beat and the zills ring, some part of her always feels the need to move. And what better, socially acceptable outlet could there be for this compulsion than to share it with her sisters-in-dance?

Tara credits dancing with giving her lifelong comrades, self esteem, and a reason to collect far more fabric and costumes than any decent person should own.

Xenaqui

Xenaqui (zen-ah-qui) has been a wandering Daughter since 1996 and returned to the troupe in the spring of 2010. She has had no formal training in any other style of dance although she enjoys all forms of dancing. Xenaqui looks forward to eventually choreographing group dances but at the moment is simply enjoying the freedom dance gives her and spending time with her dance sisters.

Zahra

Zahra (za-h-ra) first starting dancing in, of all places, the fishing village of Pelican. This was many moons ago, self-teaching herself, along with two other women. As life does, there was a large gap of time where she wasn’t able to dance. Zahra returned to dance in 2002 by taking the Amaya workshop sponsored by the Daughters of the New Moon. There were too many gaps in her dance knowledge to do anything else but start over at the beginning by taking lessons offered through the Daughters of the New Moon. Zahra was invited to join the troupe in January of 2006.

Zofia

Zofia is an original member of the Daughters of the New Moon, seen here in costume from a troupe photo shoot in 1984. The original Daughters of the New Moon logo features a profile of Zofia, created by local Juneau artist Rudy Ripley.