Bio
Maria began her journey into Middle Eastern style of dance 1989. Her enquiring mind and a sense of being guided from a place deep within has taken her above and beyond what she first envisaged when she stepped into her first Bellydance Class. Maria is now a highly respected and sought after teacher. She teaches weekly classes at her studio in Ivanhoe, Melbourne, and Victoria Australia and frequently travels regionally and nationally sharing her knowledge and particular teaching style and philosophy that she called Embodied Bellydance.
‘There are three points I would like to make about Maria.
- I trust her and I know that she won’t push me further than I need to be.
- She teaches from a functional, pure and practical point of view. Because I she from this place it has the greatest impact on your dance with the least stress on the body so you are not putting the body in stress at all
- The classes are fun.’
Wendy Mc Queen 2004
Maria is also a Certified Dance Movement Therapist and apart from teaching Embodied bellydance she also facilitates dance movement Journey that she calls Dance Journey for the Awakening Heart.
Maria is also a part of Melbourne’s will known and loved Middle Eastern Music and Dance group. In the past 12 years they have performed at most major festivals around Australia and Victoria. Maria and some of the members of Yalla also form The Sanctuary Ensemble.