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Rosanna started bellydancing on a whim in 2002 with Amelia Moore of Seattle. She really wanted to take flamenco, but bellydance was the only thing that fit her schedule! Prior to bellydancing, Rosanna had little dance experience, though she was very musical since a young age and always loved dancing. Her most significant prior dance experience was 2 years of Irish Dancing around the age of 6! After moving back to Toronto 2003, she continued her studies with Yasmina Ramzy at Arabesque Academy. After taking classes for a year at the studio, she was a guest artist with the Arabesque Dance Company for one performance at the Ffida Grand Scale Event in 2004, and became a substitute teacher. In 2006 she became an apprentice with Arabesque Dance Company and started teaching regular Egyptian style classes at Arabesque Academy. She performed in their 2006 production of Asala at Toronto's Premiere Dance Theatre and can be seen on the DVD as well as heard playing finger cymbals on the CD.
In 2005 Rosanna started exploring Tribal
Fusion as well as studying Suhaila Salimpour format. Although she
still enjoys Egyptian Folkoric dance and music, and even occasionally
performs Cabaret, she wanted to incorporate other dance, music, and
costuming elements into her repertoire. Since there was little in
the way of Tribal Fusion in Toronto at this time, she took whatever
workshops possible and taught herself from videos. She started hosting
her own Tribal Fusion workshops in Toronto as well as starting the
Dark Side Tribal Fusion and Alternative Bellydance Performance Nights
with Audra Simmons of Cleopatra’s Bazaar.
In 2007 she left Toronto for San Francisco
to pursue bellydancing more seriously. Currently, Rosanna primarily
studies with Suhaila Salimpour, as well as privately with Zoe Jakes. She has also studied with Rachel Brice, Mardi Love, Zoe Jakes, Sharon Kihara, Jill Parker of Ultra Gypsy, Frederique, FCBD, Amy Sigil of Unmata, Cera Byer (DamageControl and Shoebox Studio), Kitiera Morehead, and Mira Betz.
She is immensely inspired by these lovely women and studies with them
whenever possible.
After becoming involved with bellydancing, Rosanna has expanded her dance vocabulary with lindy hop and vintage jazz dances (Alana Hock and Caitlin Wellman, Swing and Tap Academy of Toronto, formerly Dance with Alana). Her interest in vintage dances led her to join the Flappettes,
who specialize in Charleston as well as other jazz styles. Rosanna combined her experience in both vintage jazz and bellydance to originate flapper fusion bellydance. While the fusion is movement based, it also extends to music and costuming, combining elements from both styles. his
Rosanna is also known for her incorporation of hip hop and funk styles into her bellydancing. Funk styles, such as popping, locking, tutting, botting, ticking, wacking, and strobing, are commonly but inappropriately lumped together as "poplocking." They are however distinct styles which may be performed indiv idually, but share a common origin as they were developed and performed to funk and soul music in the 60's and 70's. For a description of the term funk styles, please visit the Electric Boogaloos website. As a relatively young dance style, there is a lack of established pedagogy. As with most other students of popping, Rosanna primarily taught
herself through watching friends and videos. In San Francisco Rosanna studied locking with John "Shy Guy" Magat. While in San Francisco, Rosanna also had the opportunity to briefly dance with the incomparably creative dance company Loose Change, directed by Eric Fenn. They combine all styles of hip hop (including popping, locking, tutting, and breakdancing) with modern, house, lindy hop, and martial arts.
Probably her most unusual bellydance experience
was choreographing group numbers for the Miss World Canada 2006 Pageant.
Rosanna loves sewing, has a Master’s
in Environmental Studies, and collects insects.
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