Instructors

Lise-Anne Talhami

I have been dancing since I was a child. My mother enrolled me in ballet classes at Studio One when I was three and then at the Joliffe Academy of Dance, in Lethbridge, when I was four. I was quickly captured by the fluid movements of ballet. Soon after I began to study National and Modern dance with Carol Godlington. I instantly fell in love with both the musical and cultural aspects of National dance. This love of multiculturalism came naturally to me as I had grown up in a music loving family. From ABBA to Julio Iglesias, from Om Kolthom to Fairuz, music was always playing in our home. I was introduced to Middle Eastern and Latin music by my father who is Lebanese, to Indian music by my Aunt, who is East Indian, and to Western music by my Canadian mother. With all of these influences in my life I could not ignore the strong pull that International dance had on me.

In 1994 I began to search for other dance forms. This led me to Ballroom, Street Style Latin and Hip Hop, and eventually to their root, African dance. In 1997 I went to study with the National Baroque Dance Company and learned the foundations of Ballet and Notation. In 1998, I went to Montreal to study Ballroom with world champion Patrick Boivard. The diversity of Montreal allowed me to realize my dream and to take classes in every dance form I could imagine. Upon my return to Lethbridge I have continued to travel and attend seminars and workshops with some of the world's famous instructors: Yousouff Koumbassa, Hadia, Fifi Abdo, Dina of Egypt, Saida, Tito Seif, Mohammed El Hosseny, Aida Noor, Rivera, and Pineapple Studio's of London. I began teaching at the University of Lethbridge in 2003 and have continued there as well as outsourcing to many other locations in Lethbridge during the three years. In 2004 I opened the studio in downtown Lethbridge, offering classes for all ages and levels of fitness. Classes range from the sensual BELLYDANCE to exciting scenes from BOLLYWOOD movies, the large movements of WEST AFRICAN to the hot LATIN AMERICAN dances, as well as a great stretch and strengthening workout from STRECH FUSION.