7:00pm Show Time

>Welcome and Announcements

>Ran Kan Kan / EMPRESS DANCE 

>Solo Compas Flamenco – Farruca / SONIA

Afrofusion Set

>Duet / CONSTANCE, TAYLOR

>Group number / CONSTANCE & GROUP

>Solo / CONSTANCE 

Samba Set

>LUCIANA, MARIANA, JULES

Kalama Polynesian Dance Set

>OTEA TIRUVI

>LOVE SONG OF TAHITI

>TE VAHINE MA’OHI

15 minute Intermission 

 >Solo / SADIE 

 >Solo, Saidi / CARLYN

 >Solo, Khaleeji / OMOLADUN

 >Solo / LIZ AZI

 >Kalama Polynesian Dance Fusion

 >Solo, Drum / DAVID HINOJOSA 

 >Solo / KAE MONTGOMERY 

 >Theatrical & Drum / EMPRESS DANCE

 >Solo / SHERRY 

 >Duet, Drum Solo / SADIE & DAVID

Master of Ceremonies (MC)

Elizabeth Seymour is a California based musician, teacher, and writer, passionate about working with women and children. She believes a better future is possible, if we take the time now to come to our roots by honoring culture, ourselves, and our planet. She has shared many stages, but to share this stage with her cousin Sadie has been a lifetime goal.

May none of us mistakenly see ourselves as small and may we all find the freedom to dance.

Directed by world renowned bellydancer and choreographer Sadie Marquardt, Empress Dance Collective was founded in 2018 by a diverse group of performance artists with a vision to cultivate and inspire community through dance. Four years later, the collective is honored to bring this vision to life.

IG: @empressdanceco

Sonia started her first classes in raqs sharki (belly dance) while in high school, and quickly fell in love with the dance, the music, and the many histories and cultures involved. Her exploration of dance and history lead her to start studying flamenco, and since 2014 has travelled to Spain every summer (except 2020) primarily for flamenco classes in Seville and Granada. She is a passionate teacher of middle and high school History and Spanish, and is currently teaching online classes in order to travel and do more immersive flamenco experiences in Spain and Mexico City.

If you have appreciated her work tonight and can support her continued study, you can leave a tip on Venmo @SoniaBethany. For dance and travel on Instagram you can find her @sonia_ms_bdance

Raw Groove is a dynamic duo consisting of Constance Harris and Taylor Madgett. Raw Groove was created in 2021 after the two women met and formed a creative partnership during their time in graduate school. They both received their Master’s of Fine Arts in Dance from University of Colorado Boulder in 2020 (Taylor) and 2021(Constance). Constance specializes in Afropop, House, and Hip-Hop dance styles. Taylor similarly specializes in Hip-Hop, House, and Twerk dance styles. Raw Groove is a local group that performs, choreographs, and teaches in the Denver metro, Aurora and Boulder areas.

IG: @thisisrawgroove

Constance Harris is a dance artist who specializes in teaching, performing, and choreographing. She specializes in styles grounded in Africanist aesthetics focusing on traditional and contemporary African dance, Hip-Hop and House. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Cultural Anthropology from Dickinson College and a Master of Fine Arts in Dance from the University of Colorado Boulder. She is an accomplished nightlife performer who has appeared at some of the country’s liveliest nightclubs and festivals, including The Trestle Inn (Philadelphia), Premier Nightclub (Atlantic City), Mile High Soul Club (Denver), Tracks (Denver) and Global Dance Festival (Denver). She most recently was a lecturer for the department of Theater and Dance at the University of Colorado Boulder for the 2021-2022 school year.

www.danceconstancedance.com

IG: @connie_love_art

Venmo: @danceconstancedance

Luciana Da Silva is a native Brazilian and active artist, dancer, teacher and presenter of Viva Brazil Festival in Colorado. She has dedicated over a decade studying Brazilian dances in Brazil to be able to share her culture with the Colorado community. She has been training dancers all over the world as well as providing local dancers opportunities to study with her and some of the best Brazilian teachers she brings to CO. She created Luciana Da Silva Dance company, a professional ensemble of highly trained Samba dancers who accompanied Luciana for years and are trained in Brazil and USA. Among her dancers are Mariana Luttembarch, Kate Faulk and Julia Porras.
This dance company brings the elegance, authenticity and joy of Brazilian Samba to Colorado.

IG: @lucianadasilvadance

 Jules has been a student, teacher and enthusiast of Samba, Salsa & Belly Dance for the past 8 years. She brings to the stage her classical dance background and passion for connection, recognizing the power dance has to evoke emotion in others.

IG: @BesosJules

Mariana is Brazilian and performs Malandro style Samba. A prolific performer, Mariana has been a feature in many large productions, including the Viva Brazil Festival of  Colorado.

IG: @mari_gentlewoman

Kalama Polynesian Dance Group was founded by Glenda (Aiwa) Florez in 2007. Glenda is a Professional Polynesian Dancer and instructor who has trained with many Halau (or Hula Schools) across the Country. Most of her training comes from the Ilima style of Hula. She has also had training in dances from Samoa and New Zealand as well as Tahitian Dance. Her Tahitian Dance training was from many instructors who taught at the Mai-Kai Polynesian Restaurant in Fort Lauderdale FL where she performed for 12 years. Currently Glenda’s dance group and studio is based in Aurora CO and she has more than 100 students that she instructs along with other Professional Instructors whom she mentors. Her Team trains Polynesian Dance as well as Fire Knife Dancing from Samoa and Tahitian Drumming. Kalama Polynesian Dancers has performed throughout Colorado in various events. Glenda is an instructor at Raqs Online and she also is the founder of the nonprofit – Hālau Kalama 501(c)(3) Organization.

Today Glenda is joined with some dancers and instructors from her Professional Team as well as some Students that are excited to perform. They will focus on Tahitian Dance from the islands of Tahiti. This type of dance focuses on the hips while the upper body shows little or no movement.

OTEA TIRUVI- Women utilizing their strengths to overcome life’s obstacles. We take on the Mana of the land and nature to help us be fierce women and warriors.

LOVE SONG OF TAHITI- Within all of us there is the power of love. This song is a love song is about the love between two people and also the love of the islands of Tahiti. The end of this song features an Ori Tahiti or drum solo by Nai’a.

TE VAHINE MA’OHI- Since the other song focuses on the fierce strength of the female this focuses on the sensual, sexiness of all women. This number is a slower paced number performed with a long dress so it is called an Ahuroa.

IG: @kalama_polynesian_dancers

Venmo: @Glenda-Florez

Sadie Marquardt is the founder of Empress Dance Collective. After traveling the globe for over 15 years, teaching and performing in over 50 countries, Sadie dreamed of creating a group. Dancing solo was great, but there is only so much one body can do. Empress Dance features the high caliber, creativity and stage craft that Sadie trained for in her touring career, along with the collective group ideas and contributions, creating a truly unique experience!

You may have seen Sadie, in her duet with Kaya, on America’s Got Talent, where they made their way to the “Top 48” (Quarter-Finals) of Season 5. Or you may have seen one of Sadie’s many viral YouTube videos, with an impressive 40 million views on just one video alone.

Arguably the most prolific content creator in the educational space of Bellydance. Sadie is featured on dozens of best selling instructional videos and now has the largest online school in the world for Raqs Sharqi Belly Dance, World Dance and Fitness www.RaqsOnline.com

IG: @sadiebellydance

Carlyn has been studying the art of belly dance for 17 years and performing/ teaching for about 10 of them. When she is not dancing she is spending most of her time being a mom to her 2 kids and working as an Activities Director for an assisted living and rehab center.

www.coloradobellydance.com

A trained musician from a young age, Omoladun brings vibrant musical expression to her dance. Omoladun performs Egyptian raqs sharqi (bellydance), folkloric dances from the MENA region, and sometimes dabbles in fusion. Always striving to learn, Omoladun continues her studies with world-renowned dancers and musicians. Currently based in Denver, Colorado, Omoladun teaches online classes with Sahara Dance in Washington, DC and with Sadie’s Raqs Online.

IG: @omoladun.dances

Venmo: @Omoladun

Liz Azi is an award-winning professional dancer based in Denver, Colorado. Her movement specialties include several styles of Raqs Sharqi, known in the United States as “bellydance”, theatrical and folk dances stemming from diasporas of the MENAHT region, burlesque, and Transnational Fusion. She takes an anthropological approach to dance, with a focus on history, culture, and contextualization to inform her movement while also exploring modern archetypes, evocative presentations, and the liminal spaces between historical and contemporary dance aesthetics. Liz Azi has performed and taught at dance conventions and festivals all over the United States and abroad. She has toured both regionally and internationally with Blue Star Turkish Folk Dance Troupe performing a variety of traditional Turkish folk dances. She has also been a cast dancer in Zoe Jakes’ House of Tarot and a featured dancer in cabaret, vaudeville, and dance shows all over the country.

LizAziDance.com

IG: @MemphisMoonshine

Venmo: @Liz-123

David is a life long percussionist, holding a deep passion and love for the world percussion, particularly from the Middle East and all hand percussion.

David grew up in Ecuador, where there was no shortage of rich influences from the music and dance that shaped his life!

In his teens, David was part of an award winning marching band at his Arizona High school, playing sometimes for 12 hours a day in the blistering Arizona sun.

In his early twenties David discovered the world of Middle Eastern drum! He has been practicing, traveling and studying with aficionados such as Miserli Ahmet ever since.

IG: @davidhinojosamusic

Email: david@rabbitholestudios.co

http://rabbitholestudios.co/

Originally from Japan, I moved to the San Francisco Bay area to pursue my Belly Dance dreams. While in San Francisco I fulfilled my dream of becoming a principal dancer at FatChanceBellyDance, the originator of Tribal Style Belly Dance. Even more than performing on stage I love teaching, and I have had the great opportunity to teach Tribal Bellydance around the world, meeting so many amazing dancers in our little global dance community. I am also very fortunate to have been a principal dancer in Kami Liddle’s Contemporary Fusion Belly Dance troupe, Gold Star Dance Company for a decade. After 15 years in CA my husband and I decided to move to Denver CO this June, we have enjoyed discovering the Rockies and I hope to meet all of you!

IG: @kae_montgomery

Join the virtual dance community on my Patreon: Patreon.com/Kaemontgomery

Sherry is from Colorado Springs but grew up in Wisconsin. Sherry’s love for belly dance is unparalleled and can be seen in her performance and teachings. Her stage presence is a mixture of sultry emotion and pure joy. When dancing, Sherry becomes alive and takes her audience on a journey with her as she expresses herself through this ancient art form. She is not just a dancer but a performer as well blending and conveying the emotions of the songs. But, her favorite niche is the pulsing beat of the drum solo! Sherry cannot resist the call of the drums, or the call to dance!

Sherry is available for private parties, weddings, workshops, classes and more. Tonight, she will be performing a mesmerizing candle tray dance for you . In one word dance means Life.

www.sherrybellydance.com

• Elizabeth Seymour – MC

• Anna Volak – Stage Manager

• Asia – Photographer

• Carrie Vaughn & Team – Bar and Concessions

• Hunter Salien & Team – Crew Videographers

• Sasha Price – Stagehand

• Cleo Parker Robinson Dance Theater

A huge thank you to Besos, Jules for providing the graphic design and social media content for the show.

Ready to take your business to the next level? It starts with your digital presence. To inquire about your own content needs, visit her website below: