Tinkerbell Boogaloo's School of Belly Dance and Cyber Cathouse
Welcome to my belly dance page.
I started belly dancing in the fall of 2000 when Inanna, troupe leader of Banat Casablanca, started teaching "oriental dance" classes at Spoon River College in Macomb. Inanna is a beautiful, talented, and inspirational dance instructor. She is also a very good friend. Since the first class, I've stayed with belly dancing as a hobby and form of exercise. Unlike aerobic exercise and weight training (which I think are boring and pointless), belly dancing has meaning behind it and a purpose. Belly dance provides an opportunity to learn about history, world cultures, and women's rights. It's an outlet for creativity in physical expression and costume design. Banat Casablanca Belly Dance Troupe is a source of life-long friendships. The group is a tribe of supportive, funny, creative, beautiful, and talented women and men.
Belly dancing has a big impact on my life. My physical and mental health have improved. I tend to be the cerebral type and get stuck in my head. Belly dancing forces me to focus on my body and gives me different ways of thinking, moving, and feeling. I consider myself an amateur dancer and doubt my talent in the artform. But I stick with it in spite of my self-doubts because my troupe sisters are supportive. If they say I move well and look good, I should trust their opinions. We have fun times together at performances and haflas. They are great friends.
Why do I have a silly stage name? I have a good sense of humor about dancing. Tinkerbell and Boogaloo were two nicknames my father called me when I was a little girl. When Inanna announced to the troupe that we were all required to use stage names for the first performance, I was stumped to pick an Arabic name. I'm a single, white American woman and I didn't feel comfortable taking an Arabic name. Honestly, I don't want to misrepresent myself or be disrepectful to Arabic women. I think it is alright if non-Arab dancers use Arabic stage names, that's their choice, but it didn't feel right for me to use. Also I felt very self-conscious and awkward about the first show, so I tried to be funny about it. Tinkerbell Boogaloo. That's funny. The name stuck. When I put on the dance costume, Tinkerbell is my alter ego.
Please take a look at the photo pages. On the surface it appears to be a "Look at me!" book of glamor shots, but that was never my intention. It was easier to design the costume pages using photos of myself, rather than obtain permission from friends and troupe members to use a large number of their photos for publication. Most of the photos of friends and the troupe have appeared on other websites for public viewing. In the Belly Dance Costumes section, it is subdivided by costume style. Each page features different costumes I designed and sewed. I have provided informative descriptions and tips to help other dancers with questions about their own costume designs.
Finally, I met Bono and The Edge in Chicago! Sept. 20, 2005 Concert
See the exquisite belly dancer doll created by my dear friend Micaela. Tribal Belly Dancer Doll "Samia"
Miss Sasha Kitty, Tinkerbell's cat.
Amy: Mild-mannered writer by day.
Tinkerbell Boogaloo: Belly dancer by night.
I have a master’s degree in English. I’m a writer, photographer, jewelry maker, costume seamstress, belly dancer, member of Banat Casablanca, cat owner, and rock ‘n roll lover. I am single. I am not a bimbo!
"Mysterious Ways" artwork by Even_Better_Than_MacPhisto, my friend from Zootopia.
