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Rachael Gollub, has been studying American Tribal Style Belly Dance for 9 years. She first discovered ATS belly dance at the age of seventeen when she attended a local show at "Cleopatra's Café" while living in Santa Fe, New Mexico. Rachael was immediately entranced by the powerful and amazingly synchronous movement of the Mosaic Dance Company. She had never witnessed an expression of such power, beauty and solidarity. The following week she signed up for classes with Myra Krien and studied consistently with her during the nascent stages of her SEEEDs (Self Expression Empowerment and Education through Dance) program until moving to Prescott, AZ to attend College. There she attended classes with Terri Hardin and Troupe Salamat. It wasn’t long before she was invited to be a part of the performing troupe. Throughout her tenure with Troupe Salamat she gained experience in a wide array of performance opportunities and traveled both nationally and internationally to assist in teaching workshops. In addition to her dedicated studies in Arizona, with Terri Hardin, she has participated in countless workshops to supplement her dance vocabulary with the wisdom of some of the greatest performers/teachers in the field. Some of these include: Kami Liddle, Paulette Rees-Denis, Ava Fleming, Carolena Nericcio, Amy Sigil, Sharon Kihara, Rachel Lazarus-Soto, Heather Stants, and Donna Mejia. She also completed her General Skills certification with Carolena Nericcio in January of 2007 and Teacher Training in August of 2008. Her love and appreciation for this dance inspired her to author a self published book about Troupe Salamat, which explores the unrivaled benefits of this dance. To her, this dance has become akin to religion. She believes that it has the power to inspire, motivate, and unite women from all walks of life, cultivating a truly unique understanding of community. Currently, she lives in the small mountain community of Idyllwild, CA where she teaches and performs. She aspires to bring the same joy and body consciousness she has enjoyed through the study of this dance to others living in the area. |
