Meet the ladies of Blue Lotus Tribe!

Christina began studying folkloric Middle-Eastern dance in 1993, with Tahjah of Madison, Wisconsin and was a regular performer and choreographer with Tahjah's troupe. After moving to Chicago in 1996, Christina began studying Egyptian Oriental dance with Jasmin Jahal, later becoming an apprentice member of her dance company, Ward el Sahara. While still studying with Jasmin, Christina added tribal belly dance to her repertoire in 1999 under the tutelage of Stephanie Barto. Soon she was performing in Barto's student troupe, The Fringe Connection. In 2001 Christina, along with Audrey, Wendy, and Seana (now of Ashar) formed Blue Lotus Tribe and also began her professional solo dance career, performing at festivals, clubs and at private and corporate events all over the Chicago area. Christina began teaching weekly belly dance classes in 2003 and by 2004 was invited to teach workshops with the members of Blue Lotus Tribe throughout the Midwest. She was able to leave her regular career as a high school music teacher in 2005 to pursue dance full-time. She currently runs a small dance space, Eastern Groove, within Simple Balance Holistic Center in Elgin, IL. Christina's website.

Wendy fell in love with bellydancing in 1989 after taking a free introductory class, after which she chanced upon a weekend workshop with Jasmin Jahal. Fate then moved her to Chicago and the opportunity to study with Jasmin on a regular basis, eventually achieving a role in a full length production created by Jasmin called "Kismet - One Man's Destiny". She has also had the priviledge to be a member of Jasmin's professional performance troupe. After signing up for an American Tribal Style class with Stephanie Barto of Read My Hips, a new flavor was added to her studies. A few years later in 2001, she and her friends decided to take the two bellydance forms and fuse them together, creating their own take of Egypto Tribal Fusion and launching Blue Lotus Tribe. With the troupe, she teaches and performs around the country at dance festivals and showcases. Wendy continues her lifelong study of both bellydance and other dance styles including Swing, Salsa and even dabbling a bit into Ballroom, not to mention many folkloric dances. From the slow and sultry to the fast and breathtaking, she enjoys nothing more than sharing her art with the audience. Wendy has been a bellydance instructor since 2001.

Audrey began her bellydance career in Pittsburgh, PA in 1993 under the instruction of Christine Andrews of Zafira Dance Company. In 1995 Christine asked Audrey to be one of the founding members of a performance troupe named Ghawazee. She joined Christine and four other women in what began as a ten-minute choreography to taped music and evolved into six years of performance with a full musical ensemble. Audrey also had the opportunity to dance in a Russian Gypsy inspired performance taught under the infamous master teacher and former Principal Character Dancer of the Bolshoi Ballet, Mansur Kamaletdinov. In 1999, Audrey appeared as a guest dancer in Turku’s first video production “Alive 1999” from their Alley’s of Istanbul recording. Audrey moved to Chicago in the fall of 2000 where she decided to try American Tribal Style class under the direction of Stephanie Barto and Read My Hips and quickly took to this improvisational style. In 2001 Audrey came together with Christina, Seana, and Wendy to form Blue Lotus Tribe. Audrey began formal Classical Egyptian training in 2001 with Jasmin Jahal and began her solo dance career shortly thereafter. Audrey has been a bellydance instructor since 1996, teaching beginner and intermediate classes. She also enjoys traveling with Blue Lotus Tribe to teach their signature workshops. Audrey's website.

Andrea has been in the world of dance since the age of four when she began studying classical ballet, tap, and eventually jazz.  Her creativity was so apparent and impressive that Andrea was asked to choreograph a solo performance for a dance recital at only age five. Thereafter, she was participating in the gifted student classes. During college, Andrea studied hip-hop and modern dance to further her dance education. In 2002, Andrea began studying Egyptian style belly dance under the world-renowned Jasmin Jahal in Chicago, IL.  Subsequently, Andrea began studying with Raks Christina in 2003 where she was then introduced to Tribal style belly dance. Both styles mesmerize Andrea; Tribal for its strength and improvisational techniques and Egyptian for the elegant and intricate layers which make it so unique. In 2005, Andrea became a member of Blue Lotus Tribe and now performs all over Chicagoland and the Midwest areas.