ZOKU族 TRIBAL
ATS® Belly Dance
ZOKU族 TROUPE MEMBERS
SHEL (FCBD® Sister Studio)
Prior to discovering ATS®, Shel had been dancing a mixture of oriental and cabaret bellydance in an intermittent and somewhat unfocussed (on her part!) fashion under the tutelage of the late Ljiljana Grkinic. She loved the precision of muscle isolation in bellydance, but was ill suited to the traditional styles (her creative expression fares far better within clearly defined rules and she has an irrational fear of sequins). In october 2012, seeing her passion lay elsewhere, Ljiljana sent Shel to Maho Beaumont (a FCBD® sister studio that a fellow student had recently happened upon by virtue of groupon!). Shel was instantly seduced by the movement, philosophy and aesthetic of ATS®, added a 3/4 bounce to her shimmy and has been zilling with varying degrees of success ever since. Shel undertook General Skills and Teacher Training in Barcelona in 2016. She is a founding member of ZOKU族, and a co-founder and director of student troupe, KIZUNA絆, which was created in February 2017.
NENING (FCBD® Sister Studio)
Nening discovered ATS® quite by accident. When looking for something fun and active to do with a friend, it so happened that there was a promotional 6 week course of bellydance classes available. Not expecting “bellydance” to be her thing, it was with some surprise that she found herself not only staying the course, but totally falling for the earthy, powerful style of movement and aesthetic of ATS®. The group dynamic, inclusivity and supportiveness of the style and community, and the amazing luck of encountering such an inspiring and encouraging first teacher in Maho Beaumont, have kept her dancing since that accidental first class in April 2012.
Nening continues to work on consolidating and strengthening her understanding of the foundations of ATS® through attending classes and workshops with various registered teachers specialising in the FCBD ATS® format. She completed her General Skills training in Barcelona 2016, and has completed ATS® Teacher’s Training in Rochford, UK 2017. She is a founding member of ZOKU族 and a co-founder and director of student troupe KIZUNA絆, founded in 2017. She co-teaches the weekly classes in Chiswick.
CHARLOTTE
Charlotte Elizabeth first fell in love with belly dance in 2009, initially training in cabaret and tribal fusion styles. In 2014, she began studying ATS® with Maho Beaumont, and she has been a dedicated member of the ZOKU族 troupe since its formation in 2015. Charlotte has trained with some of the top names in tribal fusion, including Rachel Brice, Mardi Love, Samantha Emanuel, Ashley Lopez, Colleena Shakti and Amy Sigil. She uses her keen interest in muscle isolation, anatomy and clean, precise movement gained from tribal fusion style to inform her ATS® practice. Charlotte frequently performs fusion and ATS® in London and around the UK, and is known for her sharp lines and creative, flowing armwork. She is currently undertaking Ashley Lopez's Integrated Dance teacher training program, and teaches tribal fusion at Imperial College belly dance society. Charlotte also participates in Alexis Southall's fusion performance groups: The Juniper Project and The Juniper Collective.
LAURA
Full bio coming soon!