Presenting the 2008 SF MECCA Immersion Facilitators:
(in alphabetical order)


Director and founder of FatChanceBellyDance, has been dancing for over 30 years. In 1987 she created the concept of American Tribal Style Bellydance (ATS), a performance art form using a foundation of Middle Eastern "bellydance" yet stylized and adapted for a contemporary American audience. It is a blend of cultural dance influences from India, Spain, North Africa and beyond.

Her troupe, FatChanceBellyDance, is a Bay Area phenomenon that has become known around the world. Audiences delight at the exuberance, vitality, beauty and power expressed by the strong and agile dancers. The majestic costuming, including full headdresses and layers of ethnic jewelry, celebrate the folkart of the old world. The music, a carefully chosen collection of both traditional sounds and modern fusion adds to the effect...Tribal Style looks "old" but it is actually "new."

Carolena has developed a method of improvisational choreography, using a vocabulary of natural movements and cues allowing the dancers to communicate via gesture when dancing together. The effect is a vibrant thread drawing the audience into the tapestry.

An American Council on Exercise certified personal trainer, Carolena incorporates the science of anatomy and fitness into her classes and workshops. Eleven DVDs (performance, instruction and documentary) were produced with the help of a series of grants from the California Arts Council. Author of "Belly Dance, a fun and fabulous way to get fit" for Barnes and Noble publishers. Most recently the Folkwear pattern company worked together with Carolena to produce a pattern and make-up booklet based on the Tribal Style costume made popular by Carolena and FatChanceBellyDance.

Carolena and FCBD perform at major events such as the San Francisco Ethnic Dance Festival as well as many clubs and festivals and have produced four theatrical stage shows in San Francisco.* (*The Gypsy Trail, 1995 at Theatre Artaud, Diamonds, Shells & Amber, 1998 at Cowell Theatre, San Francisco Beledi, 2002 at the Victoria Theater and Musette Arabe, 2003 at the Magic Theater.)

At the FatChanceBellyDance Studio in the Mission District of San Francisco one can find weekly classes in ATS, a store providing instructional DVDs, music, books, costumes, jewelry, cosmetics and accessories and a Resource Center complete with archival videos, books and photographs from the FCBD "experience." For more information please visit www.fcbd.com.




Cera (with a "C") has been studying dance, music, and theater since the age of 4. Her dance experience includes Ballet, Tap, Jazz, Modern, Afro-Haitian, Afro-Cuban, Afro-Brazilian, Kathak of India, Dunham Technique, Salsa, Samba, Tribal Bellydance, classical and contemporary Persian dance, Flamenco, and most recently, Capoeira.

In addition to being the founder and Artistic Director of Damage Control Dance Theater, Cera has performed professionally with Shahrzad Dance Company (Classical and Contemporary Persian dance), PULSE Modern Dance Ensemble (Modern), Ultra Gypsy Dance Theater Company (Innovative Tribal Fusion Bellydance), Rara Tou Limen (San Francisco's only Carnaval contingent representing Haiti), as well as presenting her solo choreography in festivals, concert stages, lecture demonstrations, and private events across the United States.

Cera holds a BA in Dance (Performance and Choreography), with an emphasis in World Music and Dance from San Francisco State University, and certifications in Group Fitness Instruction (YMCA) and Pilates Mat (Sanchez St. Studios). Cera owns and operates ShoeBox Studio in San Francisco, where she teaches daily classes in Pilates, Yoga, and Dance. www.shoeboxsf.com




(MA, CMT, RYT) has been a life-long dancer and performer, trained and proficient in many styles, including salsa, West African, modern, jazz, ballet, hip hop, kathak, 5-rhythms, contact improv, and of course tribal fusion bellydance. She has been a 5+year member, performer, and co-choreographer with the ground-breaking, trend-setting Ultragypsy Bellydance Theater, until Fall, 2007, and was a regular sub for Jill Parker’s classes. She has also studied from, performed with, and been creatively influenced by: Zoe Jakes, Rose Harden, Mira Betz, and Liz Strong, as well as guidance and teachings by Mardi Love and Rachel Brice. Currently, Deb teaches and performs around the Bay area and beyond.

A holistic health counselor, yoga teacher, and integrative bodyworker, Deb is also the founder of SattyaBody Healing Arts and Dance Collective. She teaches classes, workshops, and retreats fusing women’s health and empowerment with yoga, tribal bellydance, nature, and creative expression. Deb has taught at Kosmos world music and dance camp, at the Omega Institute in NY, at the Quest for Global Healing Conference, in Ubud, Bali, as well as other festivals and healing/sustainability conferences around the globe. Most recently, she assisted Rachel Brice in her 5-day Tribal Massive intensive, performed with Heather Stants and Urban Tribal at Tribal Fest 2008, and is producing SF MECCA Immersion.

A practitioner in the field of Holistic Health for the past 10+ years, she has been trained in, and a teacher of many Western, Eastern, and Earth-based healing modalities. She has been most deeply influenced by her time spent studying Traditional Thai-Yoga Massage in the hill tribes of Northern Thailand under the lineage of Asokananda, her vision quest experiences in the Northern California desert, her Yoga teacher trainings and her study with Integrative Yoga Therapy, Acroyoga, Darshana Weil, Shiva Rae, and Gary Kraftsow.

Deb has a B.A. in Pre-med and Psychology from Princeton University, and an M.A. in Holistic Health Education from JFK. You can find her writings published in Yoga Journal Magazine, and her dancing leaking out in every step. For more info, please visit: tribes.tribe.net/sattyabody, or tribes.tribe.net/sfmecca_immersion.




Mardi Love is a principal dancer, choreographer, and costume designer for San Francisco - based dance company The Indigo. Mardi began dancing in San Diego with Heather Stants, and was a founding member of Urban Tribal Dance Company. She relocated to the Bay Area where she connected with the likes of Rachel Brice, Michelle Campbell, Sharon Kihara and Zoe. These days she dances with Rachel Brice and Zoe of The Indigo and the Le Serpent Rouge revue and, at times, turns out with the Bellydance Superstars. Mardi's work reflects her eye for detail and her affection for the strange and old fashioned.











has performed and taught extensively with Jill Parker and Ultra Gypsy throughout the United States and Europe and is a founding member of the Barbary Coast Shakedown. Both projects have pushed the boundaries of belly dance and sought to honor belly dance with exquisite artistry and phenomenal technique.

During her 3 years as co-director of Ultra Gypsy she has been a contributing force in the company's dynamic choreography, and innovative costuming. As a performing member of Ultra Gypsy for over 7 years, her style is influenced by Jill Parker and inspired by the diversity of the San Francisco Bay Area performance community. Rose also performs with the Cyclecide Bike Rodeo and The Lifesize Mousetrap. When she is not performing, Rose manages Rosehips Designs, her costuming and clothing company. For more info on Rose, please visit: www.rosehipsdancer.com




is a proud member of The Indigo. A long-time resident of the SF Bay area, she has been touring with Bellydance Superstars since the fall of 2005 and can be seen performing on their new Tribal Fusions DVD.

Combining talents with David Satori and Tommy Cappel to create Tribal Derivations last spring, Zoe discovered she enjoyed creating music, and plans to make more. When not with the Indigo, she tours with The Yard Dogs Road Show, a cartoon circus sideshow of wacky dimension, and has been seen tearing it up with the Extra Action Marching Band.

An innovative dancer, Zoe has been said to have her own unique take on Tribal Bellydance. She takes her influence from Art Nouveau, Tango, Breakdance, and Indian classical dance. Zoe was recently nominated for Zaghareet! Magazine's Best Interpretive Artist 2007. She loves unicorns and has never once doubted their existence.