About Rachel
- Principal teacher of Inspire! Bellydance
NEWSFLASH! Rachel won the People's Choice Award in the recent 2010 Belly Dance Star Awards! |
Rachel Bond began her Bellydance journey in 1995. Captivated by the music and movement, she went on to study with many local teachers and international masters. Today, Rachel continues to train at an advanced level, including travelling to Egypt to learn from the world's top dancers; as well as performing at restaurants and function centres throughout Sydney. She loves sharing her joy of dance with both students and audiences.
Watch Rachel's award-winning performance here!
Rachel is also an accredited Zumba® teacher and member of the Zumba Instructor Network, with qualifications in Zumba® Basics 1, Aqua Zumba® and Zumba Gold®. Check out Rachel's official profile at http://67021.zumba.com/.
Teaching
Rachel taught Bellydance courses at the University of NSW for several years and with Egyptian dance troupe Farrah at Amera's Palace, as well as at Strathfield and Ravenswood Girls' High Schools. She has been invited to present specialised workshops, including at the prestigious Sydney Middle Eastern Dance Festival, and is a frequent guest teacher at numerous Sydney belly dance schools. Her classes are a fun experience at hens' parties and children's birthdays. She also has several years' experience co-ordinating dance troupes and leading rehearsals. In May 2010 she trained as a Zumba® Fitness instructor; check out Rachel's official profile at http://67021.zumba.com/.
As a teacher, Rachel is encouraging, approachable and articulate. Her friendly nature creates a warm and welcoming atmosphere where students are inspired to learn and grow. She uses her wealth of experience in a variety of techniques to make dancing accessible and develop understanding, confidence and creativity. Rachel's training in psychology and Theatresports contribute to her interactive approach to teaching, combining clear structure with the flexibility to adapt to individual students' needs.
What students say...
"My family think I am off my tree, but I have done Rachel's taster class and signed up for the course. Love it! The class is well-structured and Rachel is a good teacher! So thanks Rachel - and to anyone who is thinking about joining, do it now while the classes are small. Once word gets out they will grow!" - Carol
"I just wanted to you to know that I really enjoyed the class & really loved the way you broke everything down. I actually felt like I retained something! Thanks for the class!" - Michelle
"It was wonderful - music, fun, giggles, and a great way to kick off my hens night! Rachel was fantastic, and I'd do it again in a flash." - Suzie
"Fantastic class...nice and intimate and because we are learning such a variety of moves in one session, the time flies and you've done a workout without realising! Also like the fact that even as beginners, we are being challenged - I've been to dance classes where beginners are taught one single move over and over again for weeks before moving on - which seems pretty pointless! Highly recommend this class." - Marika
Performing
With six years of professional performance experience, Rachel is well known and respected in Australia's Bellydance community. She is recognised as a polished, dynamic dancer with a diverse repertoire and a passion for engaging her audience. Performances are available for parties and events; view Rachel's performance website here or check out her YouTube videos.
The 2006 Amera's Palace Award was given to Rachel in appreciation of the consistently positive feedback given by customers, who commented on her performance skill, professional manner, polished appearance and quality Egyptian costumes, happy and bubbly personality, and ability to make every party a success. The award also acknowledged Rachel's commitment to the dance and respect for the culture, and her efforts in continually developing her dance technique by attending regular classes as well as master workshops with visiting teachers. In addition, Rachel is extending her performance skills by training in acting and improvisation.
Rachel began her performance career by entering the 2003 Australian Bellydance Competition, where she was the winner of third prize in the solo category, as well as a member of a prize-winning trio. Since then, she has performed at numerous Lebanese, Turkish, Persian and other venues throughout Sydney, as well as at concerts, functions and festivals. She has appeared on Mornings on Channel Nine, as well as on local Turkish and Lebanese television. For several years she was an integral member of two respected dance troupes, Hathor Dance Theatre and Farrah: The Egyptian Dance Artists. She continues to perform regularly both solo and with other dancers, and recently won the People's Choice Award at the Bellydance Star Awards.
Her main teachers in recent years have been Jrisi from Hathor Dance Studio, incorporating contemporary and world dance styles into fusion with Middle Eastern Dance; and Paivi Mielikainen, teaching Egyptian folkloric styles and modern Egyptian technique. This training is supplemented by attending workshops and private classes presented by notable Australian bellydancers as well as international master teachers and choreographers. She has traveled in both Egypt and Turkey, and taken lessons with master teachers including Raqia Hassan, Mahmoud Reda, Aida Nour and Nagwa Sultan. She encourages her students to follow suit, and take every opportunity to attend workshops and classes with other teachers.
Aside from Middle Eastern Dance, Rachel is an avid student and occasional performer of Argentine Tango, and President of Sydney's community tango association, Tango Synergy. She has a PhD in Psychology from the University of New South Wales along with Bachelor degrees in both Science and Arts, and loves travelling and learning languages.
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