Fantasia Teachers 2026
Read more about our amazing teachers:
Kamelia Mourad
Star of the Cairo stage, Kamelia has performed at all the top Cairo venues. We are delighted to bring Kamelia to the UK for the first time. Her performances are electric. Kamelia has her own unique style. A wonderful mix of playfulness, great technique and charisma. Her shows often incorporate elements of folklore such as saidi, shaman or melaya dance. Kamelia performs regularly on the Nile Maxim and is in great demand. She teaches at the Nile group festival in Cairo and at festivals around the world. Kamelia is a generous and informative teacher who loves to share her love of bellydance with her students.
Students love her bubbly nature and ability to break down moves. If you love the Egyptian style you will love Kamelia. Click here for the Superstar package with Kamelia
Anna Chepets
We are also delighted to bring Anna to the UK for the first time. Anna is a world famous teacher and performer. Originally from Ukraine she has travelled to teach and perform in over 20 countries. She has won competitions at many festivals – and gone on to be a judge at many more. Anna is a great performer and we look forward to seeing her on the Fantasia stage.
Anna is loved for her clear and inclusive teaching style – if you can you should take a class with her.
You will be able to book individual workshops with Anna – or book our Fantasia 2026 package – check here for details.
Cairos best kept secret:
Passant Gemeay
Passant is a full time teacher of Egyptian dance to Egyptian women in Cairo. She fell in love with dance at a young age, she is self taught and loves all styles of Egyptian dance from folklore to the golden era style. Passant teaches regular weekly classes, she teaches at festival in Egypt and runs her own retreats for dancers in Egypt. We are delighted that Passant is joining us at Fantasia. This will also be her first time teaching and performing in the UK.
You will be able to book individual workshops with Passant – or choose our Egyptian Essentials package. Pay a deposit now.
Zara Dance
Zara is one of the UK’s best loved Cairo performers. Zara lives and works as a professional dancer in Cairo. She spends time with her mum in the UK whenever she can. Zara always welcomes dancers to her shows in Cairo and is a very generous hostess. Zara teaches and performs around the world and hosts her own events in the UK. This will be Zaras first time teaching at the Fantasia festival and we are so pleased she is joining us.
We currently have 3 amazing packages available. One of Zaras workshops is included in two of the packages. See them all here. Pay a deposit to reserve your place. Only 10 packages available at this price.
Yasmina of Cairo
Yasmina of Cairo is a performer and teacher with a lifetime of experience that includes over 25 years based in Cairo, where she performed for nearly a decade with her orchestra, as well as dancing her way around many Middle Eastern countries. For the past 15 years she has run the Belly Dancers’ B&B in Cairo hosting dancers from around the world, and facilitating live music parties, workshops and connecting guests with Egyptian culture. She is also in demand teaching and performing worldwide at festivals and dance events.
Now dividing her time between Cairo and the UK, Yasmina brings her depth of experience and international connections to Bellydance Now, and has helped develop the online course content. Along with Carmen Tormo, Yasmina has also been the driving force behind our annual competition, the Bellydance Now International Challenge. This has proved to be hugely beneficial to dancers, and is now in its third year.
Josephine Wise
Jo is a master teacher with forty-five years’ experience. She has run classes and workshops and performed in London, around the UK and all over the world, including Egypt, Europe and the USA. She created the JWAAD Teaching Diploma course for Bellydancers, and the JWAAD Summer School (now the International Bellydance Summer School) in 1990. She created the original Fantasia Festival in 2000. She is renowned for her supportive and enjoyable teaching style, her imaginative choreography and her ability to make everyone feel welcome in all her workshops and events.
Kay Taylor
As part of the BellyDance Now team, Kay organises both Fantasia and the International Bellydance Summer School. As Farida Adventures Kay takes groups of bellydancers to Cairo to soak up the culture and to see as many dancers as possible in all the different settings.
Last year Kay was out of action with a torn tendon but this year she is back teaching. Kay brings a great energy to her classes and though you work hard, Kay ensures everyone has fun too. Kay not only organises these iconic events but also teaches regular classes in the North east both in person and on zoom. Kay loves to help students achieve their full potential and inspire them to be the best they can be.
Katie Alyce
Katie Alyce is an international performer, choreographer and teacher from London. She teaches regular belly dance courses in London, retreats around the world, and teaches workshops nationally and internationally.
Some of her performance highlights include being featured dancing in the BBC drama ‘SAS: Rogue Heros’, channel 4’s ‘complaints welcome’, Sky 1’s ‘A league of their own’ and performed for clients in Italy, Ibiza, Lebanon, Malaysia, Singapore, Australia, Bali and in the Maldives. Katie’s past clients include Sienna Miller, Salma Hayek and for the royal families of Bahrain and Qatar.
Katie recently taught at the International Bellydance Summer School to rave reviews. If you haven’t had the chance to study with Katie we can highly recommend her classes.
Dorte Evelyn / Ishtar
Dorte Evelyn, also known as Ishtar, is an International bellydance teacher and performer known for her captivating performances and strong stage presence. Her background as an actress and theatre choreographer teamed with her extensive training in Ballroom, Latin, Jazz and Middle Eastern dance, gives her an incredibly varied wealth of dance knowledge as well as elegant dance intensity. Having taught and performed all over Europe and in the Middle East, she is now based in Surrey, England where she teaches locally as well as internationally online.
Carmen Tormo
Carmen is part of the BDN team and responsible for adding our Drum Solo competition to the Fantasia programme. She also co-hosts the Bellydance Now International Challenge with Yasmina.
Carmen teaches regular classes in Valencia, Spain where she also has a small dance company.
Carmen teaches and performs at festival in Europe and we always love her to join us in the UK.
Carmen represents the European dance community within Bellydance Now.
Tevec Ibrahim
Award winning Turkish bellydancer based in London. Tevec teaches regular class as well as workshops both around the UK and internationally. Tevec is an inspiring and generous teacher. Feedback from her workshops is always excellent. From technique to Turkish romany, from culture to cabaret. We are delighted that Tevec is joining us this year.
Moyra Banks
Back by popular demand. Moyra is a JWAAD trained teacher based in Edinburgh where she teaches regular classes as well as performing at many of the city’s top venues. Moyra loves the Egyptian style and travels to Cairo regularly to keep up to date with trends. Moyra also teaches at festivals around the UK and is a firm favourite at ‘Shimmy up North’. Her classes at this years International Bellydance Summer School also got rave reviews.
Moyra breaks down technique, explains everything and empowers you to achieve more than you thought possible.
Joelle Barker
World percussionist and Drummer Joëlle Barker specialises in Arabic percussion- finding her feet as a youth with renowned Egyptian Musicians including Ibrahim El Minyawi and Sheik Taha. Since then she has moved through many disciplines in drums and percussion, from Frame drums, Latin percussion, cajon to drum kit and much more. She has recorded with many artists, including Ruby Turner, Celloman, Ric Sanders (Fairport convention), Dave Randell of Faithless and Above and Beyond, as well as working with the Royal Shakespeare Company, The Royal Ballet and West End theatre productions.
She is currently freelancing in a variety of acts, touring the UK and beyond, including full music shows, rhythm and blues bands, folk bands and her solo and duo acts- Bakhita and Beelive. You may also find Joëlle working alongside DJs, as a workshop leader and teacher.
Joelle is teaching a drumming workshop and drumming for Carmen in her workshop on tabla solos. Joelle is also accompanying the dancers who enter the drum solo competition.
Candi Bell
Candi is a keen traveler and has visited Cairo many times. Best known as a belly dancer, performer and teacher, Candi has also worked in various tourist attractions for 30 years in customer service roles of guide, costumed interpreter and since 2010 event manager. She loves exploring and finding places off the beaten track.