What is Tribal Belly Dance?

Tribal Belly dance is about community and feminine strength, beauty and power (the feminine aspect in all of us, including men). This style is a fusion of North African, Indian and Flamenco dances combined with Middle Eastern Belly dance movements. The focus is more on the group than on the individual, dancing as one with the music. The basic group formations may break off into smaller units, flow into a circle or provide a chorus line as background to support soloists, duets or triplets. Although there may be some choreographed dances, Tribal Dance is mostly based on improvisation with specific cues signaling different moves and formation changes. The group undulates and flows within it's own intuition and dynamics and is a profound expression of rhythm transformed into movement and connectedness.

Who is Gaiananda?

Gaiananda was formed in August of 2001 to bring together drum and dance styles from many cultures to share the richness of ethnic diversity with Gaiananda's performers and audience alike.

Gaiananda is dedicated to expanding the understanding of global cultures and to the acceptance and celebration of all ethnic customs, unique in their rhythms, movements, dress, ceremonies and rites of passage. Although we honor diversity, we combine styles of drum and dance and strive to express through our art that we are all descendants of one ancestor and move to her "one heart beat" ... Mother Earth

We hope we will inspire you to join us in opening our eyes and our hearts to all the people of the world.

What is the Center for World Rhythms and Movement?

Our studio is the womb where our creative ideas are nurtured and provides a non-competitive and supportive environment for our students to learn and to share our talents. Gaiananda’s dancers spent several years teaching classes in a multitude of studios to cover the expenses for Gaiananda’s rehearsal space. In 2004, we decided to obtain a space of our own where we could be creative without time constraints. Before the year was over, our growing Tribe, including our students, had already grown out of that space, so we moved to a larger studio downstairs in the same location. The larger capacity of the new studio lent itself to metamorphosis into an intimate performance venue featuring a 20 X 16 ft. stage, professional lighting and sound system. We teach many classes at the studio each week. We have monthly haflas (performance and open music and dance events) and bring culturally eclectic music and/or dance groups in for special workshops and performances from around the world. The studio is a place where all its members gather and are honored for who each of us are where we can feel free to express this through our art. With our mission and motto, our non-competitive perspective and support for all its members, The Center for World Rhythms & Movment has an atmosphere of loving encouragement that extends out into our thriving community.

The Center is also available to rent for special celebrations, events and performances. Visit our page dedicated to the Center for World Rhythms & Moement for more information. 

For Rental rates please contact Suzanne at sgerard@cinci.rr.com or call (513) 312-9628.

What is PURE? (Public Urban Ritual Experiment)

PURE is a collective of some of the Gaiananda members, World Rhythms students and many dancers from other groups and troupes in our surrounding area which including RaQs Gypsy, Chumana and a few individual dancers. We decided to come together and open a branch in Cincinnati so we could reach out and help to create a more cohesive and healthier community through prayer, music and dance. PURE has its founding branch in NYC and has done some amazing work there and in reaching out to open branches all over the world. We dance and pray at Breast Cancer benefits, to better our Over the Rhine area, to decrease racial tensions and for the proliferation of tolerance. Wherever we see a need for peace and healing, we will go. This endeavor is not about profit, but a project that we support to better our world. If you are interested in finding out more about this organization, please contact Suzanne at sgerard@cinci.rr.com