Firstly, I am a proud Mother and Wife. I have been blessed with 3 beautiful children, and the most outstanding husband. Without their great love and support, I would not be Rhaehana!
I have been studying bellydance since 2002. I always had a passion for the dance form, but did not get hooked until the second time I attempted a class. The first time (late 1980’s), I had a hard time with the technique, as I studied classical ballet in the past (I have a dance minor/York University), so it was hard to wrap my head around even the core posture (there was no turning out of feet!), and muscle memory of another dance discipline was challenging for me at first…so I tossed the BD towel in at the end of that class. Still, Middle Eastern dance, and music haunted me, and with my Mediterranean background, I was captivated to continue to learn. You can say it’s in my blood, and eventually I started my journey in successfully studying bellydance.
I began my studies at Arabesque Academy in Toronto. I continued my studies in Cambridge (Khizmet and Alana Miller), Guelph (Hiba Al-Kinani) and Kitchener (Dharlene Valeda) when my family transferred to the TriCity area. However, I still traveled to Toronto (and else where) to study with many wonderful dancer/instructors.
I have attended various inspiring workshops with internationally renowned instructors/performers which include Hadia, Aziza, Cassandra, Suhaila Salimpour, Yasmina Ramsy, Yousry Sharif, Nourhan Sharif, and Jillina.
I love how this dance form has embraced my life, and what I have seen has done for so many women.
Bellydance brings so much joy, love and passion, creates friendships, builds self esteem, and self image, and is a wonderful way to exercise the mind, body and soul. It can’t be compared. It is truly a dance form from the Gods!
"Rhaehana is a dancer dedicated to the art of Middle Eastern dance and to providing the best possible instruction for her students. She is very professional but also maintains an openess with her students, allowing them to explore the dance in a supportive environment. As a performer, Rhaehana is engaging and is always a crowd pleaser! She is simply a gem in our community, combining strong technique with passion for dance!"
-Alana Miller
"When I started Bellydancing with Rhaehana, she gave me this feeling of warmth, love and overwhelming accomplishment when I danced. She made me extremely proud to be a woman and how to feel good about myself, no matter what I look like. She is such an inspiration to me, a true friend, amazingly graceful dancer, and I love her!”
-Jennifer Axbey