Ishtar Belly dance Artist/Teacher 
- Dance Biography
Ishtar is an experienced artiste and teacher working for diverse communities. Ishtar is also a researcher and writer of dance ethnography and spiritual dance.
Ishtar teaches and performs traditional Middle Eastern forms of dance, and Bollywood dance. Ishtar also teaches and performs 'creative belly dance' and a variety of fusion styles.
Ishtar has produced theatre pieces and has worked as a choreographer for various events and organisations.
Middle Eastern dance training-
Ishtar has been taught by a variety of international Middle Eastern and Indian dance teachers. These include, Raquia Hassan, Morocco, Zaza Hassan and Ozgan. Traveling to the Middle East and India and experiences at home with these communities, have deepened cultural understanding of Eastern dance. Through this Ishtar has gained a realexperience of dance at a grass roots level.
Past clients-
Ishtar has performed at countless events, in many prestigious venues for a variety of clients. Ishtar has performed at many Weddings ,corporate and cultural events, children's party’s, hen events and more. Ishtar's clients have included-Sky TV, BBC3 and ITV, Colleen Rooney, Wirral Change, Halton council, Liverpool Council, St Helens women’s aid, Green Gathering . RSPCA, Sure start, Ministry of Defense, Liverpool Museum, various hospitals, Wilmington University USA, Glastonbury Goddess conference, Liverpool Masons, Army officers ,Cosmopolitan magazine, Homotopia, Liverpool Arabic Arts festival, Wirral change, Wirral Multi Cultural organization. Newsham park festival, Culture days/weeks in schools.-Including Holly Lodge, Wallasey School and Capenhurst Grange. Liverpool gay pride,. Wirral Hindu association and Female Arabic communities in the North West.
Teaching Dance-
Ishtar has performed and taught nationally and internationally. She has had her own dance school for twelve years,working out of various venues. Instructional DVD and YouTube video hits .(over million views on YouTube channel) means Ishtar can reach out to lots of people and pass on what she has learnt.
Retreats
Ishtar has combined her knowledge of sacred and healing dance with her degree in Psychology and professional qualifications in Holistic therapies and counseling, to provide a retreats and workshops.and similar events that are based on cooperation and creativity.Ishtar has hosted retreats in the UK, South of France and Spain.
Media-
Ishtar has had many TV and media appearances. She has also been featured in national magazines including Cosmopolitan,Spirit and Destiny ,Kindred Spirit and Women’s own.
Different forms -
Ishtar first attended a dance class at age five. She has took classes in a variety of dance forms;-Ballet, Flamenco,Ball room Modern, Tap , Contemporary and Indian dance. She discovered Arabic Dance in the early nineties and Indian dance more recently. She has been a yoga practitioner for fifteen years.
Qualifications/Certificates-
Currently engaged in study for an MSc in Spirituality, Consciousness and Transpersonal Psychology.
Ishtar holds a 2-1 BA Hon's degree in Applied Psychology/Women's Studies and has professional qualifications in Holistic therapies and stress management and counceling. She also holds a teaching certificate.
Insurance /CRB-
She is insured to teach and perform dance and holds a CRB cert.
Other Jobs-
Ishtar was a Psychology teacher for Liverpool Adult learning and other organisations for twelve years, teaching Psychology (introduction-'A' Level).
Family-
Ishtar's grandparents were professional international dancers and had their own school. Ishtar was taught her first dance steps by her grandmother.(Little Supple.) Click to read about her. Ishtar's Dad was an artist. He loved to paint scenes of Arabia and Africa from what he recalled from his journeys at sea.(where he was a chef and also taught dance to cruise passengers.) He inculcated Ishtar with an early love of oriental art and culture, with his traveling tales and frequent museum and art gallery visits. Ishtar's Dad bought her her first guitar at age eight. Ishtar's mother is the daughter of Irish parents. Ishtar's grandfather was a communist party activist. Her maternal grandmother a fortune teller/clothes maker.
The support from Ishtar's Mum was important for her dance career,as she helped with her young daughters care when Ishtar was at University and when she performed at gigs. She was also the one to pay and organise Ishtar's early dance lessons. Many other members of her family on both sides are professional entertainers /artists. She has one daughter 'Tara' and is in a long term relationship with artist, filmmaker and Permaculturist Peter Rix .
Types of dance performance-
Ishtar performs cabaret, (Egyptian and Turkish.) and various creative and artistic styles and fusions. She can also perform Bollywood style dance. She performs with swords, candelabra, Isis wings, veils and finger cymbals. She recently has adopted a Royal Python and can give performances with 'Bashar'.
Other performing skills -
Writing-
Ishtar has been published on the subject of dance in various journals including 'Mosaic' and 'Gilded Serpent'. Ishtar also has courses published on BSY-, Shamanism and Psychology of Self. She has articles published in various journals including Prediction ,Archeology Review, Kindred Spirit and other hard copy and online magazines. Early days -music reviews and regular columnist in Kerrang!! Magazine (Fire) . Also editor/writer for various Liverpool arts culture mags. See articles.
Interests and hobbies-
Animals,costume design and construction ,film, social science,reading ,metaphysics,mythology, natural sciences, gardening, reading, art, weird things.
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