Instruction

Khalima is the owner and artistic director of Illumination Dance Studio, Richmond's only studio dedicated to bellydance in all it's incarnations. Visit http://illuminationdancestudio.com/ for a full schedule of classes and events!

Khalima began her journey in dance in Philadelphia with Najia Samiya, studying Orientale and Egyptian style bellydance. She worked quickly into assisting Najia, and was invited into and joined both of her professional troupes, the classic 1001 Dreams and boundary-breaking theatrical fusion group Mysterium, receiving rigorous training and experiencing rapid growth in her dance and life.

Always hungry for knowledge and ways to grow, Khalima began prenatal yoga teacher training in November 2010 with Leslie Lyttle of OmMama, and earned her Suhaila Salimpour Level 1 Certification in March of 2011, and is currently working towards here Level 2 certification. Her foundation in Egyptian and Orientale style bellydance continued in Philadelphia with world-renowned Sahra Saeeda. Khalima completed Journey Through Egypt 1 in November 2010, Cairo Style 1 in November 2009, several of Sahra's workshops, and continues to attend these programs to deepen her knowledge of anthropology, history, and movement. Khalima continues her studies along many healing and artistic paths, finding the connection between the myriad of creative movement and energetic arts and disciplines that exist.

In class, Khalima combines her love of physical expression and ritual to create a safe and nurturing environment for her students. She provides a solid physical foundation for learning bellydance form, and encourages her students to grow into their own bodies and experiences to heal and unlock creative potential, while fostering a community of empowerment for women and dancers. Khalima’s years of experience as a professional body piercer have given her a strong foundation in guiding people through fear and into a new sense of ownership over their bodies and future. She is known for her gentle yet lively demeanor and “bedside manner”, which she applies to her dance instruction to augment the learning process. email at khalima.bellydance@gmail.com, or call at 804.549.3982.