Teacher Biographies

Cassandra Shore (more about Cassandra)
Cassandra began performing Middle Eastern dance in 1975 and has since made over 15 research trips to the Middle East. Her studies began in San Francisco with the legendary performer, Jamila Salimpour. She has studied with some of the finest teachers and choreographers of Middle Eastern dance, notably including Mahmoud Reda, Mohammed Khalil, Raqia Hassan, and the late Ibrahim Farrah. In 1989, she formed Jawaahir Dance Company, which has since been recognized for its ground-breaking repertory of traditional, modern, and fusion works of Middle Eastern and contemporary dance. Today, Cassandra is known as a master teacher, star performer, and creative artist in the field of Middle Eastern dance.

Monique Benson
Monique has been studying Middle Eastern dance since the late 1980s. The first and major influence on her studies lies with Cassandra. While living in Bonn, Germany for six months, she studied with the excellent Turkish teacher and performer, Seina, and since has supplemented her education with workshops with Egyptian dancers such as Raqia Hassan, Nadia Hamdi, Mahmoud Reda, and Ibrahim Farrah and travel to the Middle East to study music and dance. Monique's performance career began in 1996 when she joined Jawaahir Dance Company. She has been performing with the company and independently since then. Monique has been teaching Middle Eastern dance through community education and through The Cassandra School since 2000.

Tatyana Butkova
Tatyana has been studying the art of belly dancing since 2002. While working on refining her movements, she shared the joy of the dance with her friends by teaching them and practicing together. In January 2004 she started studying at The Cassandra School, and in 2006 joined Jawaahir Dance Company. In Spring 2007 Tatyana began teaching classes at The Cassandra School, sharing with her students the joy, gracefulness, and energy of the beautiful art of belly dancing.

Peg Deppe (Leyla al-Qamar)
Peg first danced with Jawaahir from 1996-2000, then left the company to obtain a MS in textile history (with a focus on Medieval Egyptian embroidery). She is currently pursuing a PhD in dress ethnography University of Minnesota. A student of Cassandra's since 1988 and finding her passion for dance rejuvenated in Morocco, she returned to Jawaahir in 2007.

Shari Jeziorski
Shari has explored various dance forms since childhood including ballet, modern, Latin, and hip-hop. She began to study Middle Easten Dance in 1999 and continues to study extensively with her main influence Cassandra Shore. Shari has attended workshops with internationally recognized teachers focusing on dance styles of Egypt, Lebanon, Morocco, Saudi Arabia, and Tunisia. She joined Jawaahir in 2005. Shari teaches regularly at The Cassandra School and at fitness and wellness centers in the Twin Cities. She is dedicated to strengthening the connections of dance in the areas of education and wellness. Along with her BA in Education, she has collaborated with several artists and educators bringing enriching visual to performance art to her students of all ages. Shari, with Jawaahir Dance Company, is a rostered artist with COMPAS and Young Audiences of Minnesota.Currently, she is working toward a master's degree in Traditional Chinese Medicine and firmly believes dance is a major way to preserve overall health. Her teaching style reflects the beauty and self empowerment of this ancient art form through graceful, dynamic movements of the mind, body, and soul.

Theresa Kane
Theresa began studying Middle Eastern dance in 1998. She began to teach the art through community education programs in 2002, and began teaching at the Cassandra School in 2004. She continues to study extensively with Cassandra, and takes every opportunity to learn from other U.S. and international dancers. Her goal is to pass on as much knowledge as possible in a humor-filled way.

Kathy McCurdy
Kathy studied ballet, jazz, tap, and modern before discovering Middle Eastern dance in the late 1970's. She studied with Tara Auringer, was a founding member of Noor el Sahara, a dance troupe that performed in ethnic restaurants and folk dance festivals in Wisconsin, and began teaching in Madison, WI. She also studied with Dahlena in Chicago, IL, before moving to Minneapolis to study with Cassandra. She is a founding member of Jawaahir, has been teaching at the Cassandra School since 1990, and is the general manager of the Company.

Melanie Meyer
Melanie has been studying and performing Middle Eastern dance since the late 70’s. She has studied with leading dance instructors and performers within the Americas and of international acclaim. Her background includes training in ballet, jazz, modern, and Spanish Flamenco. She professionally performs in ethnic restaurants and nightclubs; for weddings, festivals, and galas; and in theatrical venues She has also been seen in commercial advertisements, media, and television venues.

Melanie started teaching in YMCAs and community colleges. She has been a teacher at The Cassandra School for over 10 years. She teaches Levels 1 and 2, and substitute teaches Levels 3 and 4. She is an intuitive dancer, unique in style, and has a contagious energy. She shares her love and passion for the dance in her instruction.

Jenny Piper
Jenny began teaching Middle Eastern dance by substituting for a Level 1 class in April of 2000. She immediately fell in love with teaching dance and in 2001 she was able to take on her own Level 1 class at the St. Paul location for The Cassandra School. Currently, she teaches Levels 1 and 2 and a Mixed Level 1–2 class at the three Cassandra School locations and has substituted for Levels 3 and 4 when needed. Jenny integrates her ballet and contemporary dance background into her Middle Eastern dance performances and teaching style. She has been complimented by students on how well she breaks down and explains movements in a fun and upbeat way.

Helen Voelker
Helen has been a member of Jawaahir Dance Company since 1990. She is a medical researcher at the University of Minnesota which allows her to spend the rest of her time dancing.

Heidi Waldron
Heidi began dancing with Nadia Sahar in Milwaukee Wisconsin. She began taking classes for fun but fell in love in the first class. The music and movement captured her and never let go. Since relocating to Minneapolis in 1998, she continues to study at The Cassandra School. Performance highlights include dancing at the Milwaukee Symphony Ball, annual Arabian Fests, and Jawaahir’s many Southern Theater shows. Since becoming a part of Jawaahir, she has enjoyed the opportunity to educate and entertain through the many performances offered by Jawaahir. She continues to give back to the community by showing and teaching others the beauty in Middle Eastern and Oriental dance.

| Home | Classes | Cassandra | Jawaahir | Calendar | Event Details | About The Dance | Space Rental | The Souk | Contact Us |