Biographies

Liz Azi is a professional dancer based in Denver, Colorado. Her movement specialties include several different styles of bellydance and regional folk dances from the Mediterranean, Middle Eastern, and North African region. Her dance background was founded upon a decade of theater and musical education and has continued through continuous travel to countries such as Turkey and Egypt. She has been a featured dancer in cabaret, vaudeville, and dance shows all over the country.

Born and raised in Rochester NY, with a minor in dance from SUNY Brockport College, T-sha has 31+ years total of dance experience in many different styles including jazz, tap, ballet, modern, Afro-Caribbean, Irish and salsa with a longstanding focus in bellydance.  In 2001, seeing Shakira on TV at the Latin Grammy Awards inspired her to start learning bellydance from instructional VHS tapes at home.  In 2007 she moved to Fort Lauderdale FL where her interest in bellydance grew as she found classes with and joined Masala Middle Eastern Dance Fusion.  Despite dabbling in so many dance related things while in South Florida, her growing passion for bellydance remained constant throughout the years as she continued to perform in local shows/festivals with Masala and became a regular bellydancer at My Big Fat Greek Restaurant.  Even though she recently moved to Baltimore MD, she still performs with Masala at the Florida Renaissance Festival for a couple weekends annually, continues to take zoom bellydance classes from Bryanna of Masala and is honored to be welcomed as a guest bellydancer with Boom Boom Shake.  When she isn’t dancing, she works as a certified veterinary technician caring for animals.

Classically trained since the age of four, Claudia Harrison ran away to join the circus (OK, a Renaissance Faire) at 17, and has never looked back. Along with spending darned near half her life playing with the Philly-based band Gypsophilia, she’s also fiddled about with The Arcona Reel Band out of Harrisburg, PA; The Pyrates Royale, long of the Maryland Renaissance Festival; and most recently, The Ogham Stones of Lancaster, PA. You can find her on a few recordings by these bands as well as others she’s parachuted in to play with.

Claudia is happiest making music with some wiggle room, when the band has space to make stuff up and surprise themselves as well as the audience. For this reason as well as the excellent company and extraordinary creativity, she’s thrilled to be part of the “artist’s collective” that is Boom Boom Shake.

Olya Clarkson is a passionate dance artist with almost 2 decades of fusion belly dance experience, and a background in ballroom dance in Russia. She puts strong emphasis on technique foundations, clarity of lines, and channeling of energies through improvisational flow, in order to create a unique yet old-school "moving statue style" expression piece each time. Olya has been a performer, teacher and student in Utah, Texas, and Florida, currently based in Orlando FL. She is also a military wife and a dedicated mom to 3 young children.

Exposed to the Art of Belly Dance and Egyptian culture at a young age of 9 by a childhood friend, Yvonne  Pereira-Dudley has embodied the study of this art as a full time passion. She has focused her studies in Oriental dance, but has also developed her own unique style with a progressive twist.

Over the past 10 years her talent as an instructor and performing artist has captivated audiences with her authentic style and has earned her the respect of south Florida’s belly dance scene. She has also performed as a member of Virginia’s (of Miami) Wa Nour Al Ayun from 2008-2012, and is one of Virginia first students to become certified in her Level 1 Egyptian Style teaching format.

Yvonne is Level 4 certified in both Jamila and Suhaila Salimpour Formats and currently working towards her Level 5 teacher certifications. Suhaila Salimpour is a second generation master instructor and performer; she runs one of the most internationally recognized belly dance certification programs in the world.

Yvonne has traveled abroad to Egypt’s international Ahlan Wa Sahlan belly dance festival, Lebanon, Dubai, Greece and other locations to deepen her studies of belly dance and the cultures that have greatly influence this art form..

Yvonne is an award winning Middle Eastern performing artist who’s titles include the Winner of the 2010 Miami Belly Dance Convention and Belly Dancer of the Year 2011 first place runner-up. Yvonne was also 1 of 25 professional dancers/instructors selected to be apart of the popular competition web series called Project Belly Dance, produced by Michelle Joyce of Cheeky Girls Productions and Lotus Niraja, Yvonne is one of “The Final 6″ dancers/instructors featured in the DVD produced after the series was published.In 2013 Yvonne was cast in Jillina’s theatrical production “Belly Dance Evolution” (Miami).

Jordan Cavalier began his journey back to music in 2018 after discovering Scandinavian folk music and a strange 14th century contraption called a “nyckelharpa”, or Swedish key fiddle. Now, through a mixture of concerted practice and good fortune, Jordan gets to dedicate his life to sharing the joy of his musical journey with any and all who wish to hear it. From Scandinavia, to the Emerald Isle, to hardcore industrial basements, from the Silk Road and Sephardic Spain, to the 60s Folk Revival, Jordan plays in grateful tribute to the many histories and traditions that inspire his music.

Jordan is a regular player with the one and only belly dancing, 12 string and glockenspiel rocking Boom Boom Shake, and is the Nyckelharpist in Chief of those Irish bar room rascals: The Rowdy Bardlings.

He makes special guest appearances with the great and powerful German pipe and drum (and sackbut!) super group Wolgemut, as well as Texas Viking music pioneers Nor∂anfolk.

Joanna Abel discovered her passion for belly dance in 2005 and has been on fire ever since! With an unwavering devotion spanning nearly two decades, she channels her fiery enthusiasm into

performances and dance workshops across the country. As the founder and owner of 3rd Street Belly Dance Studio in her beloved hometown of Pittsburgh, PA, Joanna’s focus is to empower her

students to fearlessly explore movement and dance in a safe and nurturing space through her weekly classes, monthly workshops, and annual retreats. Adding to her repertoire, Joanna has found great delight in mesmerizing audiences and

enchanting the East Coast for six years with her self-produced fantastical event, Enchanted Creature Ball. This larger-than-life spectacle showcases her creative vision with its fantasy creature-themed dance performances, live music, and elegant atmosphere. Joanna also

produced the show Enchanted Tarot, which featured Enchanted Creature Ball alongside Zoe Jakes’ House of Tarot. Recently, she had the thrilling opportunity to perform on Beats Antique’s 2024 East Coast tour, sharing her passion for dance with a wider audience. In addition to performing as a dance soloist, Joanna has been deeply honored to be a part of the esteemed professional dance ensemble, Starry Moon Dance Company, since 2019, alongside the incomparable Maria Hamer and Christine Andrews (The Hamer Sisters); two dancers who have

always been a beacon of inspiration for her.Joanna is the director, choreographer, and founder of two student troupes, Dear Heart Dance and3rd Street Belly Dance. She guides her talented teams in imaginative fusion choreographies, ITS,creative movement, and theatrical belly dance performances locally and regionally. Her journey in dance began with her first teacher, Kari Arrington, in Pittsburgh, PA. She then

embarked on training with renowned dancer and instructor Amy Sigil, in her style of ITS (Improv Team Sync), before honing her skills to train and perform with Olivia Kissel’s Hybrid Dance Project, both nationally and internationally. She has also had the privilege of training in Zoe Jakes’ prestigious DanceCraft program as well as being certified in Jill Parker’s dance format, Alchemy.

Each of these legendary dancers has profoundly influenced and shaped Joanna’s artistic identity. Ever the tenacious student, Joanna has also delved into the thrilling world of circus and aerial arts, diligently training for the last three years. She intertwines belly dance with her circus arts practice, infusing her aerial performances with a unique charm! Joanna has been filled with joy and gratitude for this newfound artistic expression! From studying the intricacies of her crafts to performing dance on grand stages nationally and

internationally, Joanna strives to have her passion, creativity, and dedication shine through. She is absolutely elated to share her knowledge and artistry through vibrant and lively dance workshops and performances at national events like the New York Renaissance Faire with Boom Boom Shake.

Oriana is a professional international bellydancer and instructor based in Tampa, FL.  She is the creator of Fanoos Magazine, a published author and board member of both Jawaahir Dance Company and CARE Global Arts.  She is a member of the Council for International Dance of UNESCO as well as a member of Disco Iskandar.  Notable achievements in her 20 year career include performing in Las Vegas as well as performing and instructing in Cairo.

Innovative instructor and virtuoso performer Despina is obsessed with belly dance. The rich sounds of music from her Greek childhood and the tantalizing movements of belly dancers in Greek nightclubs awakened a passion within her to study the dance. Despina’s belly dance adventure started in 2005 with Fat Chance Belly Dance Style, now also described as Global Fusion Belly Dance. She later discovered the Salimpour Institute through her teacher Irina “Bellyrina” Wen. Her connection to the dance fueled her to continue her training and exploration by joining world-renowned choreographer Dalia Carella’s classes.

Despina’s unique dance style seamlessly blends modern and vintage belly dance, influenced by her Greek heritage, Dalia Carella, and the Salimpour format. She is a licensed Salimpour instructor and a proud member of the Dalia Carella Dance Collective.

You can find her performing and teaching in NYC and at various belly dance festivals within the U.S. Teaching in both Astoria, Queens and Manhattan, Despina creates a dynamic and enjoyable learning environment for her students, who attest to her ability to challenge them to dance safely with ease, grace, and power.

Despina is beyond honored to have the opportunity to join the creative forces behind Boom Boom Shake Elizabeth and Shane Chikeles at the New York Renaissance Faire!

Ghost Siren is an artist who hails from a small mountain in NY. She has been dancing since 2012 and it has been one of her favorite ways to express herself creatively and feel empowered in her own body. She enjoys sharing her progress in learning new things in dance on her YouTube channel. There she also enjoys fusing bellydance with gothic and fantasy elements into dance videos to some of her favorite metal and pagan folk bands. She began performing in 2016 and has shared the stage with Psyche Corp, Cu Dubh, Ally the Piper, and has been a long time dancer for the wonderful Boom Boom Shake. She has performed at conventions and renaissance fairs such as Rufflecon, Glimmerdark, Wicked Faire, The New York Faerie Festival, Kingdom Faire, and the New York Renaissance Faire. She looks forward to performing with Boom Boom Shake in 2024!

Gina Nolan is an award-winning Raqs Sharqi (Oriental Dance) artist, choreographer, and teacher, and the Director of Emerald Coast Belly Dance in Pensacola, Florida. A retired jazz dancer, her professional dance credits include major Las Vegas productions such as Siegfried & Roy, Tournament of Kings, and Desert Passage, appearances at Fiesta Texas, and numerous musical theatre shows—bringing a rich theatrical foundation to her work today. She teaches weekly classes and produces quarterly and annual events featuring master instructors. 

Melanya Zerpa is a Venezuelan-born, New York-bred dancer who studies and performs contemporary raqs sharqi/belly dance and dances of the MENAT region. She started her formal training with Andrea Beeman in 2013 and soon after branched out to Serena Studio, Anahid Sofian Studio, and Bellyqueen School in NYC, where she was invited by Kaeshi Chai to become part of the Bellyqueen group as an understudy in 2014. Through the instructors at Bellyqueen’s local and international guest teachers, and the tight-knit, encouraging, and knowledgeable community of dance artists in NYC, Mel's formative training was sewn and nurtured.
Organic, fluid movement and the prospect to incorporate themes, concepts, props, costuming, improvisation, and more into her performances, makes belly dance her preferred form of dance. She is deeply inspired by exploring non-verbal forms of communication, expression, and connection, and strives to keep creating using the many forms of Raqs Sharqi/belly dance as a medium.
Mel continues finessing her practice by frequently performing and teaching, dancing with troupes and as a soloist, and by traveling to take workshops with regional, national, and international instructors. As of 2018, she currently resides in the beautiful mountains of Asheville, NC and regularly performs in the NC, SC, TN, GA area.

Lydia Hull is a professional violinist with 16 years of classical training. She specializes in classical, jazz, musical theater, Celtic, country, and Klezmer style music. Lydia has performed in professional musical theaters in the new England States for the past 5 years, and toured nationally for Renaissance Festivals the last 2 years. She is excited to expand her musical knowledge and be given the opportunity to perform with Boom Boom Shake this year.

Spencer Corona is a multi-instrumentalist, singer, composer, actor, and comedian. Creativity is the common denominator in all of his pursuits. He's travelled the country performing in many configurations of these roles, and eventually found himself doing some of them at the same time. It is not uncommon to hear him play guitar and drums while either singing or telling groan-worthy "dad jokes." He is excited to play with Boom Boom Shake and Shake, Rattle, and Rogue and get to use these skills for good.

Shoshannah Estell is an award winning contemporary fusion dance Artist. She is the owner, artistic director and choreographer of ShoFusion Dance Arts Studio. A true visionary she is well versed in ballet, jazz, hip-hop, musical theatre, belly dance, modern, and tribal fusion. With over 25 years of experience performing in dance, theater and music ShoShannah combines her vast knowledge of dance with her unyielding love of the stage. She has toured with Bellydance Evolution under the direction of Jillina as well as a short tour with Belly Queen under the direction of Kaeshi Chai. She is honored to be a part of the Atlanta Renn Faire as a guest Artist with Boom Boom Shake.