About Maria Hamer
Maria Hamer has studied, taught, and performed as a belly dancer since the spring of 1992. Her main focus is on Turkish and Egyptian belly dance disciplines, but she fuses and blends stylization and gestures of other eastern dance forms and modern western culture to create a very complex and vibrant performance.She began her study of dance at a very young age with a variety of dance disciplines including ballet, tap, jazz, modern, gymnastics, character, with some experience in contact improv, Odissi Indian Dance, Northern Indian Gypsy Dance and West African. She was also lucky enough to study a Russian Gypsy inspired performance taught under the infamous master teacher of some of the most notable dancers in America, Mansur Kamaletdinov.
Her study of Bellydance began with classes from her sister Christine Andrews, later having taken workshops and classes with some of the most famed bellydancers in America being mostly inspired by the works of Jill Parker and Ultra Gypsy as well a the teachings of Suhaila Salimpour.
Not just a dynamic soloist, Maria is able to combine her unique style with dancers of similar backgrounds to form energetic and colorful troupes. She began her professional career as a bellydancer in 1995 with the Ghawazee Middle Eastern Music and Dance Ensemble. In 2000, she and her dance peers, Christine Andrews and Olivia Kissel, started Zafira Dance Company. Later adding, West Coast’s, Tamara Nelson and her sister Jennifer Imashev to collaborate. Their performances are recognized for highly disciplined movement and impeccable synchronicity. This results in leaving their audiences spellbound and wanting more.
Maria teaches and performs throughout the United States. She has performed in a wide variety of events, from private parties to theater productions.
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