About Carrie
Carrie is an avid fitness enthusiast having participated in organized sports through the collegiate level. Upon completion of her final sports season, Carrie turned to other forms of fitness including Pilates and cardio kickboxing and found them to be very rewarding. The benefits she received from regular participation in structured exercise, such as increased strength, cardiovascular health and flexibility, lead her to pursue a career in fitness. After graduating from Kalamazoo College with a degree in Biology, Carrie earned her personal trainer and group fitness instructor certifications through the American Council on Exercise and her massage therapy certification from the Kalamazoo Center for the Healing Arts. Carrie believes that participating in a fitness program should increase one’s body awareness, health and self-image as well as enhance one’s quality of life.
About Belly Dance Classes
Safira has a background in vocal performance and musical theatre. She has been studying and performing middle eastern dance for over 6 years, and has traveled the US to study with many international middle eastern dancers, percussionists, and choreographers. A belief in understanding body mechanics, movement, and body alignment underscores Safira's generous teaching style, and individualized attention is a hallmark of her classes. Safira's warm personality lends itself to sharing the joy of this celebratory dance, while promotion of body awareness and acceptance in her students is a driving force behind her desire to teach. Ever the student herself, Safira continues to seek knowledge of the dance through historical and cultural studies, as well as regularly studying with masters of the dance, which keeps her technique fresh and allows her to share up-to-date and accurate knowledge with her students.
Some of the people Safira has studied with include Farida Fahmy, Mona Said, Momo Kadous, Morocco, Amel Tafsout, Tarik Sultan, Tamalyn Dallal, Karim Nagi, A'isha Azar, Aziza, Dahlia Carella, Jasmine Jahal, Sonya, Ruby Jazayre, Bozenka, Chellcy, Elena Lentini, Jajouka, Yasmina Amal, and others.
Belly Dance classes are held Tuesday and Thursday evenings.