About Heather Louise
About
Heather is a raqs sharqi (belly dance) performer, teacher, and life long student of Middle Eastern music and dance based in Portland, Oregon. She has established herself as an elegant and polished performer for weddings, events, festival stages, and everything in between. She is known for her intuitive musicality, soulful movement quality, natural playfulness, and inviting charm.
A dedicated enthusiast of the art of belly dance, Heather studies regularly with the top dancers in the world and has traveled to Egypt to deepen her understanding of the music and culture. She embraces every opportunity to grow as an artist, regularly working with live music and collaborating with other professional dancers in the Pacific Northwest. She has been described as “enthralling”, “stunningly exquisite” and “empowering to watch”.
Performance Experience
After studying belly dance in Portland, Oregon for five years, life took Heather to Asia where she began her performing career. Knowing that the only way to become a great performer is to perform, she threw herself into the restaurant gig scene in Tokyo, Japan. She was the house dancer for Instanbul restaurant in Shinjuku, Tokyo and danced multiple times a week at other Turkish and Persian restaurants while living there. She continued to study and hone her skills in the dance studio between gigs and created 2 belly dance troupes in Japan. Along with her dance partners, she worked with the live band Alladeen and co-founded the Tokyo International Bellydance Competition.
Since returning the Portland in 2008, Heather’s has taught and performed at Jamballah NW Festival, The Hawaii Bellydance Convention, competed and placed in Bellydance of the Year Competition, and won the Ms. La Danse Orientale title. She has been a featured instructor the the Middle Eastern Dance Guild of Eugene (MEDGE), as well as at Emerald Sanctuary Belly Dance Retreat, and has been a panel judge for The Belly Dance Off.
In addition to performing for private celebrations and the belly dance community in Portland, Heather is passionate about giving back to the communities that raqs sharqi is from. She has performed for the Africa House annual fundraiser, The Olympia Arab Festival, for the Arab Student Unions at Portland State University, the University of Oregon, the University of Portland, as well as the African Student Association at PSU.
Heather loves collaborating with like minded dancers and formed the professional troupe Raqs Ayana in Portland, Oregon. She continues to create dances for stage with Emilie Lauren, Shaunti Fera, and Kate Soleil when given the opportunity.
Teaching
Heather has been teaching for as long as she’s been performing. She has honed a keen eye for movement and has become a sought after teacher and workshop instructor. While she no longer teaches weekly in-person classes, there are hundreds of hours of instruction on Datura Online, where she has been a featured instructor for over ten years. She is currently coaching advanced and professional dancers one-on-one.
With a background in literature, poetry, and education, Heather brings a unique lens to dance. Additionally, she grew up in a musical household which nurtured an ear for music early on. She believes in cultivating precision and authenticity in the dancers she works with, using somatic movement exercises and life coaching skills. Personal and artistic development through dance is Heather’s current passion (when she isn’t dancing at your party).
Education
Heather has had the amazing good fortune of studying with knowledgeable, encouraging teachers from the very beginning. Her very first class was with Elinor “Sharita” Friedburg at Portland State University while attending college. A fabulous, fire cracker of a dancer. Her next teacher and influence for many years was Aziza, now a world famous belly dancer. Magidah instilled a love for Egyptian music and dance that would set the trajectory for Heather’s career.
Upon moving to Tokyo, Heather studied under Mishaal, focusing on Turkish Orientale, and the spiritual side of bellydance. Mishaal mentored Heather while she became a professional dancer. During this time of exploration Heather also studied and performed fusion belly dance ala Rachel Brice with her troupe Harissa, and Egyptian style in a duet with Tanishq. While living in Japan Heather took countless workshops from visiting artists Randa Kamal, Tito Seif, Lulu Sabongi, Asmahan, Rachel Brice, and many more.
Heather continues to seek out the expert instruction from renown dancers around the world. She counts her time in the studio with Egyptian legend Aida Nour as one of the most important experiences in her career.
In order to continue her studies, Heather has hosted international stars of raqs sharqi in her hometown of Portland, Oregon. She continues to be inspired by the work of Sahra Saeeda (Journey Through Egypt), Sonia Ochoa, Donna Mejia, and more.