Luna Zahra

Luna Zahra

Luna (French: The Moon) Zahra (Arabic: Bright, Fair)

I began to learn bellydance at the age of 16 while my younger cousin was learning at Shadia Dahlal's studio in Tulsa. I learned some moves from her and fell in love with the dance! I then devoured every book and dvd I could get my hands on. I began to take workshops and classes as often as I found them offered. I really believe anyone can teach themselves just about anything with enough drive and a passion for learning. Bellydance is a rich and interesting dance form, and a good student of dance is always learning more. I dance American Tribal Style and a Fusion of Gypsy styles, with particular interest in Russian Gypsy. Gypsy dance is it's own dance form seperate from bellydance, but shares a similar passion and vibrancy of movement that I absolutely love.

Aside from dance, my other passion is Art Therapy. As a visual artist as well as a performing artist I recognize the stress relieving power of self expression. I believe art can be a wonderful way to express oneself, especially when vocal expression is impossible or too difficult. I am now working on my masters  degree in Art Therapy, which is why I have stopped teaching private lessons, but I will continue to be available for performance and workshops and will be teaching a class at Flinthills Tech in the Spring Semester.

Katya Zvezda

Katya (the Russian diminutive of Katherine) Zvezda (Russian) Star

I first became interested in belly dance when I saw The Purple Roses of Cairo performing at the Oklahoma Renaissance Faire. I was thirteen at the time and was completely enraptured in the dance. My parents signed me up for classes with Shadia Dahlal in Tulsa. I attended her conservatory for 6 years during high school and my early years of collage. I greatly enjoyed my time with the Purple Roses before committing myself more fully to my undergraduate studies. I learned classical Egyptian Cabaret from the conservatory as well as a wide exposure to the props used in Middle Eastern Dance, including zills, cane, sword, and veil. One skill in particular learned at the conservatory which has proved invaluable to me, was learning to play traditional  Middle Eastern rhythms on both doumbek and djimbe drums.

Before I left the conservatory I was a member of the Nawar Tribe (the beginning performance troupe) and then later I was christened a Purple Rose (the professional performance troupe), dancing under that title for nearly 4 years. While a Purple Rose I performed at many venues in Tulsa and the surrounding areas including, The Boo-Ha-Ha Parade, Oktoberfest, Summerstage, numerous retirement homes, Middle Eastern wedding parties, school talent shows, The Stroud Medieval Faire, The Oklahoma Renaissance Faire, The Gypsy Cafe, the Ansuya workshop in Tulsa, and Shimmyfest.

Last year my cousin Luna  who taught dance in Tahlequah; and her student Ona decided to band together to form Pale Moon Dance Troupe. Each of us specializes in different styles of belly dance and always makes for varied and interesting performances.

Ona Mira

Ona (Slavic: Grace) Mira (Latin: admirable)

 My name is Ona Mira, which stands for Grace Admirable. I believe that belly dance comes from a woman's soul. It is something that allows a woman to connect with her body and spirit to create beautiful movements and relaxation. For me belly dance is about the beauty of a woman's body! I have been belly dancing since 2006. My first dance class was a birthday present from my husband (upon my request:). Belly dance had always intrigued me and I jumped on the opportunity to learn! I have been preforming since July 2009 and have been teaching beginning belly dance classes and offering workshops since January 2010. I specialize in American Tribal, World Gypsy and Fusion dancing. My forte is veil dancing but I am well trained with double veil, zills, sword and fire.