Alia Thabit, Traditional and Avant-Garde Belly Dance
AliaThabit.com ● (802) 488-5234 ● [email protected]
Mission
Awaken people to their own beauty and power; Enable them to express their unique individuality through art; Bring honor and appreciation to Oriental dance; Enjoy a life of creativity, adventure, mystery, abundance, and ease; Cultivate a radiant oasis of warmth and delight.
Philosophy
Creativity, innovation, and self-expression grounded in tradition and technique
Education
- Somatic Experiencing Practitioner Certificate 2020
- Dancemeditation Instructor; Spiritual Belly Dance Instructor 2016
- BA, English/Writing. Northern Vermont University, Lyndonville, VT. 1993
- Ibrahim Farrah School of Near Eastern Dance. NY, NY. 1972-1977
- Arab-American. Vermont Juried Artist. Fifty years of technique, history, regional and folkloric styles, props, theatrical and fusion elements, costuming, music, choreography, improvisation, and performance.
Teaching Experience
- Weekly dance classes, day and weekend workshops, Pre-school to adult. 1982-Present
- Middle Eastern Dance and Culture: DAN-2210. Three-credit semester-long college class. Community College of Vermont. 2011-Present
- English Comp, Creative Writing, and Writing Process. Northern Vermont University and Community College of Vermont. 1994-Present
Event Production
Elena Lentini, Dunya McPherson, Joe Williams, Tamalyn Dallal, Leila Farid of Cairo, Nathalie Lebel, Susannah Del Vecchio, BellyQueen, The Mosaic Ensemble; co-sponsored Lotus Niraja and Tamalyn Dallal. 2000 – 201
Awards & Professional Highlights
- Panelist, Healing Trauma Through Dance, Universal Dancer Podcast, 2022
- Completed three-year Somatic Experiencing® (SE) Professional Training, 2019
- Panelist, Raqs Sharqi as Revolutionary. BellyDance Blossom Festival, Toronto CA, 2018
- Juried Choreographer: Collaborative Works; Panelist, Hot Topics. BellyDance Blossom Festival, Toronto CA, 2017
- Invited Instructor, Performer, Camp Negum, Cairo, Egypt 2015.
- Invited Lecturer, Performer, Safar Conference on ME Dance, Vancouver, CA. 2014
- Juried Instructor, Performer, Las Vegas Belly Dance Intensive, Las Vegas, NV. 2014
- Developed and ran Alia’s 90 Day Dance Challenge, 2012, 2013, 2015, 2018, 2020
- Juried Lecturer and Performer, International Belly Dance Conference of Canada, Toronto, CA. 2012
- Featured Performer, Camp Negum, Sinai, Egypt, 2010 & Luxor-Aswan, 2011
- Invited Performer, Mercado Persa, Sao Paulo, Brazil, 2010
- National Sofa-Surfing Tour of Fame, 2009
- Vermont Community Fund Arts Endowment Grant, 2007
- New England Foundation for the Arts (NEFA) Emerging Artist Grant (via Arts Alliance of Northern New Hampshire), 2005
- Developed and toured Jeweled Splendor show, 2005
- FlynnCenter New Artist Space Award Grant, 2004
- Solo five-week four-country dance study tour of Middle East, 2004
- Attended and performed at Ahlan wa Sahlan, Cairo, Egypt, 2004
- New England States Touring Roster Artist, 2005-Present
- Vermont Arts Council State Juried Artist, 2004-Present
- Vermont Arts Council Artist Development Grant, 2003