| ajankohtaista | ♦ | current now |
| lukujärjestys | ♦ | schedule |
| tapahtuu! | ♦ | what's up? |
| tutustutaan! | ♦ | meet me |
| ansioluettelo | ♦ | curriculum vitae |
| tätäkin löytyy | ♦ | also available |
| ota yhteyttä | ♦ | contact me |
This is me!
updated 14 August 2008
I first saw oriental dance in 1991 at a Christmas party organised by my Martial Arts club and the Oriental Dance studio that had recently opened in a neighbouring building. The beautiful movement and enchanting music together formed an attractive whole and, with the New Year, I decided to participate in a beginners' class becoming hooked immediately!
Since that day, Oriental Dance has taken over an ever-increasing part of my life and, despite an academic education (MSc, biology and MA, English translation), I am now a full time Oriental Dance teacher and performer. I have also graduated in the Oriental Dance Teacher Training Programme organised by Masrah Association.
Performing and teaching Oriental Dance have also taken me outside my hometown, and on the wings of dance, I've been fortunate to have the opportunity to travel both in Finland and abroad.
Even though studying dance, creating choreographies and teaching my students do take a lot of time, I still haven't had enough of this dance: my spare time is spent surrounded by heaps of material and sequins designing and sowing my own costumes. Recently, I've started making costumes for other dancers as well.
We Finns love belonging to various associations, and there are many formed also by Finnish oriental dancers. I, too, have decided that they are necessary and belong to four separate dance associations, namely Masrah Association, Mihrimah and Seitsemän Hunnun Tanssi (Dance of the Seven Veils) as well as Mizmar, of which I am a founding member.
I've danced in several Masrah Dance Company productions. I'm currently both a member of their Training Co-ordination Team and a trainer in the Association's Teacher Training Programme.
In Mizmar, I am the Association's secreatary and Artistic Director.
Teachers are highly significant in every artist's life and for me, the most significant are Tuija Rinne and Jaana Åhl in Finland, Beata and Horacio Cifuentes from Germany and the Egyptian masters Raqia Hassan, Mahmoud Reda and Yousry Sharif.
As a teacher, I emphasise strong dance technique which is an essential element of all good dance. With a firm base to build on, it is easy to let the music carry you and take you where you want to go!