About Us
Adira
Adira discovered belly dancing over 10 years ago, and has been fortunate to study under numerous teachers, local and distant. Dance finds her wherever she goes; Belly dance, Latin, Argentine Tango and more.
The name Adira is Arabic for "strong, and moves with grace", and her style is direct, playful, fearless, honest , mischievous, and confident. These qualities are reflected in her interpretation of the dance.
A 2007 Maine Arts Commission grantee, Adira teaches beginner and intermediate belly dance classes and has created her own style of fitness class: "Bellyrobics" in Portland, Maine.
Adira has a Masters degree in Microbiology and Immunology (1993), and is by profession a Fitness Trainer (1996), and Massage Therapist (2001).
She teaches many weekly fitness classes and is also a radio DJ and hosts a weekly music show "Shaken and Stirred" on Portland Community Radio WMPG (90.9/104.1 FM, WMPG.org) which features Gypsy, Middle Eastern, Latin, Cuban, French, African and any other music that grooves.
Ayperi
Ayperi is a performer, teacher and events producer based in southern Maine. Attracted to the combination of joy inherent to belly dance, a challenging technique, and a whole world of music, Ayperi fell headlong into belly dance.
In 2008 she has performed at the national Rakkasah East Festival, sponsored a workshop & show with Mira Betz of San Francisco, and created Raqs Borealis--a quarterly belly dance venue featuring live music, open dancing, and professional performers from near and far.
Ayperi's dance education began with a solid ballet base from childhood at the Maine Dance Center in Ellsworth, ME & later at Walnut Hill School for the Arts in Natick, MA, where she also focused on visual arts.
She began studying belly dance in 2003 with local masters and continues her study in local classes and workshops farther afield.
Ayperi holds a BA from Sarah Lawrence College in Bronxville, NY, where she studied liberal arts with an emphasis on French language. She is also a graphic and web designer.
Visit Ayperi's classes page for info & registration.
Based in Portland, Maine, Jon Reece specializes in architectural photography, as well as landscapes, portraits & dance. Most of the images on this website are his work.