Teachers

Joyce Young is the owner of Space for Movement Studio, founder of Tribal Wallah and principal instructor for Tribal Style Belly Dance classes in Fairbanks. She offers weekly classes, private lessons and workshops. Regular weekly classes and larger groups are hosted in her new studio, or for more individual attention, smaller groups of up to three can have private lessons in her home studio.

Joyce teaches Improvisational Tribal Style, a fusion of belly dance styles, with a specific language and set of cues so that it can be performed as a group dance in a highly structured improvisation. When she first started teaching, her vision was, and still is, to give students an opportunity to dance with each other in a structured yet spontaneous fashion, and provide them with opportunities to educate and entertain the public. Joyce is a patient and giving instructor, with academic background in teaching that has helped to facilitate the ability to teach any student, regardless of what their style of learning is.

Joyce initially found belly dance in the early spring of 2000, and has been teaching since 2004. In August of 2008, Joyce made a dream come true and moved to Alaska. She has already has begun the process of rebuilding her troupe with her current students and has performed at the Midnight Sun Festival Downtown with these students.

Email: info@tribalwallah.net
Website: www.tribalwallah.net
Phone: (907) 888-8578

Melodee Morris is a 39 year old mother of two and wife of 14 blessed years. She is a UAF graduate student, earning her masters degree in Community Mental Health this December 2010.

Melodee began her instructor journey as a dance teacher when she was 18 years-old, in Colorado.

In 2003, after giving birth to her 7 year-old, Melodee began selling memberships at The Alaska Athletic Club. Soon thereafter, Melodee was approached by the club's fitness director, asking her to consider participating in their upcoming certification in group cycling. Melodee began to teach cycling in 2004 and a few months later she was approached about teaching Core Strength classes as well. Core Strength quickly became Melodee's passion. Her Core classes grew rapidly, adding more Core onto the group fitness schedule. Melodee continues to teach Core classes at The Alaska Club today.

In October 2009 Melodee was certified in Group Centergy. This class is a mixture of yoga and pilates, owned by the Nation-wide, Body Training Systems fitness team.

In February 2010, Melodee expanded her Core Classes, branching outside of the athletic club. She continues to find great success while offering "Simply Core" classes Thursdays and Saturdays at The Artisan's Courtyard.

In May 2010, Melodee earned her Zumba certification, which is a beautiful combination of core and Latin inspired movement to a variety of music.

Melodee is very excited about expanding even more, as she is bringing "Simply Core" and Zumba classes to The Space for Movement Studio as well this September 2010!

Email: simplycoreak@gmail.com
Phone: (907) 388-7255

Rachel Heilman is currently a member of Cold Fusion Tribal Dance, and has had wide breadth of experience in the ethnic dance world over the past 13 years. She has studied ATS with Theresa Tomb of Rakadu Gypsy Dance (Lexington, KY) and Fairbanks' Joyce Young. She studied cabaret style with Carol Mussotter of Blue Moon Bellydance and later gained extensive performance experience in folkloric, cabaret, and modern fusion styles with Shadows of the Fire of Fayetteville, NC.

Across the miles she continues to collaborate with her New Mexican sister-in-dance as part of the dynamic teaching and performance team Mizan. Perhaps most influential have been her geographically diverse studies of various Indian forms of dance -- including Rajasthani, Kathak, Gujurati and Bhangra -- making Bollywood her area of specialty.

Email: rmivy@hotmail.com

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