Cassandra founded The Cassandra School in 1978 when it became clear that there was a need for more belly dance instruction in the Twin Cities. “I taught in the basement of Georges restaurant where I was a performer, but it wasn’t ideal.” Ever the visionary, Cassandra didn’t just want to do classes, she wanted to establish an eponymous dance school built to achieve a singular goal. “I wanted to make a place where people could do an intensive study of the topic. I wanted to take students to a professional level.”

One could say she’s achieved her goal and then some. Many of her earliest students achieved professional dance status and have even retired. Cassandra’s still going. What keeps it fresh for her? “It’s my life’s path: to be a dancer, teacher, and coach. It’s an evolution and a lifelong commitment.” Cassandra is deeply committed to her students, Jawaahir Dance Company, performing, and choreography. That she is a masterful teacher in addition to all that she does, makes her a legend among other teachers and performers.

Cassandra believes that a long career in dance is possible with care and good instruction. “We train your body with a focus on conditioning and body awareness. The way to become a good dancer is to focus on the basics.” Part of her teaching philosophy is to introduce Western audiences and students to a non‐Western art form. “It’s important to explain and show the stylistic differences in the way Arab dance is done in different Middle Eastern cultures. I talk about the cultural context.”

Education from Cassandra is relevant to dancers at all levels, and especially for beginning students. “It takes time to learn these nuances, to feel the music and relate to it. In the beginning we train people to hear Arab music, and to protect their bodies by having good posture moving to the music.” Cassandra also believes “belly dance has many gifts” like empowerment, relaxation, strength. “In order to get those gifts, good dance technique has to be the focus.”  

Text by Patricia Cumbie 

Alana began studying at The Cassandra School in 2008, after dabbling in some DVD and Community Ed belly dance classes. She has a background in ballet, modern, and jazz, but fell totally in love with belly dance and Arab music. In the time since she began belly dance, she has learned from various teachers locally and traveled throughout the US to learn and practice raqs sharqi and Menaht-inspired fusion dance styles.

Alana holds a BA in Global Cultural Analysis from the
U of M with a focus on Arabic language and regional studies. Pre-Covid, Alana danced professionally at the two spots in town that have regular raqs sharqi dancers: Mediterranean Cruise Café and Ansari’s Mediterranean Grill and Lounge. She has also entertained at local parties, weddings, and festivals. Alana is a former director/choreographer and founding member of Black Isles Bellydance, a fusion dance company and music ensemble.

In her free time, Alana enjoys a multitude of creative hobbies, playing music, singing, cooking, and practicing Arabic.

Alana teaches with a focus on joy, rhythm, technique, and mindful movement. She believes belly dance is excellent for cultivating grace, strength, body awareness, and a peaceful, calm state of mind.

Kathy sees herself as living proof that even if you don’t feel like you are a born dancer, you can achieve new levels of grace and fluidity by studying it. As a young woman, Kathy always worried that she “looked odd” and clumsy on the dance floor. As a college student in Madison, WI she secretly started taking jazz and ballet classes to address her awkwardness.

Then the day she slipped in to see the Middle Eastern dance class do a noon‐time performance released something obstinate within her. “I thought, oh my god, I am so wrong about this dance form. It was so intriguing. The women were graceful and had wonderful control. I loved their feminine costumes, so right then I decided to add Middle Eastern dance to my class schedule.” After a couple years, she moved to Chicago and kept studying with the renowned dancer Dahlena. But the chance to see Cassandra perform at a Turquoise International event changed her life’s path once again. 

“It was the first time I saw a dancer who was the music. I could see what I was hearing. I didn’t want to take my eyes off Cassandra. A big lightbulb went on.” A year later she moved to the Twin Cities to study with Cassandra. She’s been teaching at The Cassandra School since 1990, and primarily teaches levels 1 through 3. Kathy is the ultimate teacher and the school’s most steadfast instructor besides Cassandra. “I want to share everything I know. I want people to understand Middle Eastern dance is a beautiful and complex art form that can be done by anyone.”

Kathy tends to be very hands on because she was once confounded by dance moves and she likes to explain them well. In her classes she also discusses and demonstrates different rhythms, and points out different instrument sounds in the music to encourage people to keep their ears open to what they are hearing and how it works with the movements. “I like to show where the movement is coming from, or where it’s easier to do in the body. I offer the info that I struggled to learn. It helps people progress more quickly from being beginners because when you advance that’s when it gets really fun.”

Text by Patricia Cumbie.

Lauren Olson Fraga used to play soccer for exercise before a friend introduced her to belly dancing. “I fell in love with the dance and just kept taking classes.” Her first teacher at The Cassandra School was Shari, a then Jawaahir Dance Company member. “She’s such a beautiful dancer and she was inspiring to me. So, I went from the beginning levels and beyond to experience so many other great teachers.”

Lauren now teaches levels 2 herself, and as a Jawaahir Dance Company member and teacher, it feels like she has come full‐circle. She nows what it’s like to come to dance late in life and wants people to feel comfortable in her classroom. “My teaching philosophy is to provide a supportive environment for students at different levels.”

Lauren’s first teaching gig, though, was not in the U.S. In 2015, she was living in Brazil with her husband (she was once an exchange student there and speaks Portuguese), and taking classes with Monah Souad. She also danced with Cristina Mendes and taught at her dance school. “Wherever I’ve been I’ve found community in dance.”

Yet she thinks The Cassandra School is special and it was something she missed while she was abroad. “Cassandra’s always had a mission. It’s really rare to find an instructor who is interested in preserving the history and culture of dance and passing on that knowledge in classes, especially to beginners.” As a teacher, Lauren wants to pass on that enrichment, too. “I think belly dance is great for people who like to learn over the course of their lives. It is an art form you can study forever.”

Text by Patricia Cumbie.

Renee has been teaching belly dance for about ten years, and it has always been her goal to be a teacher. “I just love teaching. It’s such a positive experience for students to dance with other dancers who are also studying together. The most important thing for me is that people enjoy themselves and connect with the movements and music.” In her classes people are encouraged to dance and feel moved by the music. It is also how Renee performs, expressing joy and connection to the art form.

Renee had been a gymnast in her youth. At a UN conference for women, she saw Middle Eastern dance for the first time and was intrigued. Her interest led to taking a class with Cassandra at the University of Minnesota. “Seeing Cassandra move in the classroom context was very inspirational. Her movements are so clear and clean. It hooked me right away. I fell in love with it.”

Now that Renee’s an instructor herself, currently teaching levels 1, 3 and a mixed level 3‐4, she said Cassandra’s influence has been so important to her teaching style. “It’s important to me to teach people things I’ve specifically learned from Cassandra, and that is to connect to the roots of the dance and respect the culture it comes from.” From Renee’s perspective, it’s one of the things that distinguishes The Cassandra School from many others—the attention to dance technique and Arab culture.

Like a lot of people who are passionate about the art form, Renee wants to share all the positive things belly dance can do for people. “Most of all I want to contribute to the elevation of the art form.” 

Text by Patricia Cumbie. Photo by Terra Sura.