Cassandra School Teachers
Cassandra Shore (about Cassandra)
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 Butkova 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.
Shari Jeziorski
Shari has explored various dance forms since childhood. She joined Jawaahir
Dance Company in 2005 and teaches at the Cassandra School. Shari has a
BA in Education and is currently working towards her masters degree
in Traditional Chinese Medicine.
Sarah Jones-Larson
Sarah began teaching dance when she was 15 and has taught thousands of dance classes and workshops coast to coast. In addition to Middle Eastern dance, Sarah has taught Luigi jazz, Spanish, Broadway and other dance forms. She began teaching at The Cassandra School in 1995. In May 2007 she returned to Jawaahir after spending a year in Philadelphia dancing with Habiba's ensemble and hosting a Smooth Jazz radio program.
She performed internationally as a child with Philadelphia's Ballet Des Jeunes and New York's Ecos De Espana, and was performing Flamenco by age 16 at La Sangria in Greenwich Village. Locally, she has performed with Zorongo Flamenco and Theatre de la Jeune Lune and worked as a plus-size model. A radio host, voiceover artist, and student of Arabic, Sarah has sung in Arabic with the Georges Lammam Ensemble. Sarah gives private lessons, and also teaches stage makeup and commercial voiceover.
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 in 2000 after 5 years of training
from Margo Abdo O'Dell and Cassandra Shore. Her dance background includes
10 years of ballet and contemporary dance as a young girl and teenager,
and over 12 years of Middle Eastern dance training.
Contact
Jawaahir Dance Company & Cassandra School
1940 Hennepin Avenue
Minneapolis, MN 55403
612-872-6050
csbd@jawaahir.org
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