About Us
Teaching and Performing around the globe, these highly skilled performers are trained in various dance styles and tomfoolery and have been causing quite a stir in the belly dance community with their RAW (Random American World) dance.
TerriAnne Gutierrez, well known Belly Dancer in the San Francisco Bay Area, has had the honor of being a featured dancer at some of the top Middle Eastern clubs in the San Francisco, such as Marrakesh, Amira, Aziza, and Pasha, as well as performing for the local Arab community at their weddings, parties and special events.
TerriAnne is also the director of award winning, international dance company, Troupe Joweh R.A.W. who has been voted, “Best Performing Dance Company”, (Sonoma County) for the last three years in a row.
She is a popular teacher of dance, presenting workshops at:
- Middle Eastern Music and Dance Camp (California)
- Sirens Fest (California)
- Shimmy Quake (California)
- Coastal Belly Fest (California)
- Tribal Fest (California)
- Tribal Fusion Faire (California)
- Winter Moon (California)
- North Bay Belly Dance Bazaar (California)
- Rakkasah (California),
- Ya Halla Y’all (Texas)
- El Paso Fest, (Texas)
- Arte Central (Guatemala City, Guatemala)
- The Casa Santo Domingo ( Antigua, Guatemala)
- The Punta Cana Resort (Domingcan Republic)
- San Lo’ Studios, (Rome, Italy)
- … to name a few
Nicole was born into the world of Middle Eastern dance as the daughter of TerriAnne. She grew up in the midst of the vibrant Northern California belly dance community, imitating the sway of her mother’s hips, learning rhythm clapping to Guedra chants, and often falling asleep in multicolored piles of scarves while watching dancers twirl into the night. Nicole had her debut performance at age six and has been dancing alongside her mother ever since, in the troupes Gypsy Caravan, Spirit of Aisha, and finally, Joweh! Nicole has studied modern dance, jazz, ballet, flamenco, and khatak. She is also a member of the burlesque troupe Jellyfish Kiss.
Influences: Mother and first teacher TerriAnne. Classic siren Naima. Akef. Habbi Ru. Cirque du Soleil. Latcho Drom. Fairy tales, princesses, heroes and generally epic things. The sinewy, supple grace of snakes and cats.
Radha has been studying Middle Eastern dance for over 20 years. As a child, she witnessed the love and comraderie her mother experienced while studying and performing this dance under the direction of Magana Baptiste in San Francisco. When she moved back to the bay area in 1997, she studied Egyptian Oriental style with Magana, as well as American Tribal Style at the FatChanceBellydance studios founded by Carolena Nericcio. She has studied American Cabaret with Elana, Lyrical Ballet with Susan Lopez, and became a certified Zumba instructor in 2013. She has performed with various dance troupes throughout the north bay. She also teaches ongoing Kids Bellydance classes and directs the kids troupe Amira Banat.
Influences:Sufi poets, Oum Kalthoum, TerriAnne Gutierrez and Susu Pampanin, all of her troupe sisters, staying true to art.
Nor’s mother took her to her first dance class at age 9, and from there she hip-hop danced her way through her school years, also exploring jazz, ballet, and bellydance. She became a member of Kajira Djoumahna’s Arabian Spice troupe in 1996 until 2001, and in 2003 she started Malika – a dance troupe she was inspired to create for young girls after she graduated from high school. This troupe was successful and in effect until 2009. During that time she also entered Suhaila Salimpourdance company between 2005-2006, and then Velocity Circus from 2006-2010. She formed her own dance group Alimah, performing together between 2010-2011. Khadima has performed at a wide variety of venues, including Suhaila Salimpour’s Scheherezade in June-September 2005, San Francisco Pride Parade, NCIRE – Veterans Health Research Institute, and many others with Velocity Circus between 2007 & 2009. She has been performing with Joweh since 2011, at events such as Yaa Halla Ya’ll in August 2012 where they won third place in a group competition in Texas and Club Bellydance at Hopmonk in Sebastopol 2013.
She has studied with many teachers including Kajira, Suhaila, Ellen Cruz, Jillina, Kelsy Hiyahumoto, Tiffany Bisconer, Crystal Silmi, Kaeshi Chai, Sadie Marquardt, and Terrianne Guitterez.
Influences: The sounds & feelings of what surrounds her in nature…the rustle of leaves, wind in the trees, and gentle droplets of rain. She is inspired by almost everything she experiences as she allows these things to take over and move her anywhere the music wants to take her.
Known as “Hot Pants” to Joweh, Christina has been dancing with these ladies since 2014 and has loved every minute of it! Dance has always been a huge part of her life but it wasn’t until she stumbled upon belly dance at the age of 19, that she really felt like she found her niche. Dance forms such as Latin, Tribal Fusion and burlesque have been some of her other favorites and very influential in her dance style. She is also a current member of the burlesque troupe Whiskeyed Hips.
Influences: TerriAnne, Joweh sisters, Alla Kushnir, vintage belly dance, burlesque, spice, smiles and sunshine.
Jessica is a multi-faceted performing artist with a taste for the unorthodox. She is a soloist, founder and troupe leader of fusion belly dance troupe, Serenitarium, co-founding member of the Juke Joint Jezebelles, and the Beelzebelles. Jessica began her dance journey as a small child in her home state of Hawai`i. Her first love of movement was discovered in the Hawaiian art of hula, both kahiko and `Auana. After moving to California, Jessica was introduced to belly dance by local prodigy and Belly Dance Superstar, Nathalie Tedrick. Finding herself once again on the bejeweled path of dance, she soon became inspired by the rich plethora of performing arts and culture. She has since studied African dance, Orisha dance , Burlesque, and Dark Fusion Artistry in addition to paying homage to the traditional foundations of belly dance. Finding deep solace and direct connection to her spirituality through movement, Jessica also performs ritual ceremonies through the medium of dance. She says of her ritual performances, “I am so humbly honored to receive and respond to this call. It is my duty to pay reverence to our Higher Powers, our ancestors, our teachers, and those who set foot on the stage before us. I take very seriously, the intention I bring to the stage and my community each time I dance.” Jessica believes that dance is the language we give to feelings which have no words..
Influences: The black sheep, the underdogs, the survivors, and the skeptics. The obscure, the broken, the forgotten, and the hidden. Thunderstorms, earthworms, coal, and wind. Fairy tales, chocolate, fabric, and candles. “And those who were seen dancing were thought to be insane by those who could not hear the music.” ~Friedrich Nietzsche.
Treja has been dancing her whole life. As an adult, she started studying dance and taking as many classes as she could in all forms of dance and has spent time learning bellydance from several teachers, Argentine Tango, swing, salsa, and Latin Ballroom dance. She currently teaches a Beginner’s Bellydance Fusion and Fundamentals class Friday’s at 6:30 at Siren’s Studio.
Influences: Modern music of multiple genres, latin dance, and modern bellydancers pushing what Fusion bellydance is
Hailing from the fair lands of Sonoma County, Kendra has passionately studied Oriental, Tribal, and Fusion styles of bellydance for the past decade. She has had the immense pleasure of studying with professional dancers in both the LA and San Francisco areas. Fascinated by the cultures associated with Middle Eastern dance, she continues to be inspired to add to her dance repertoire. The depth of these dances are ever revealing themselves, leaving more to be discovered and more to be danced. Kendra has danced with MoonDancer (now Moheet Solhova), Kajira’s Student Troupe – The Wandering Hips, Mythic Tribal Fusion, and Arcana Music & Dance (which performs at the Northern California Renaissance Faire.)
Influences: Fairies, Costumes, Witchcraft, The SCA, Nature, Moody Pictures, The Internet, My local bellydance community, and Each one of my teachers.
Rabia’s love of dance started at the age of three when she began intensively training in a number of dance forms including tap, jazz, ballet, hip hop, and was a part of competitive company as well as a ballet ensemble in her hometown of Asheville, North Carolina. Rabia attended UNC Asheville where she minored in dance and was a member of the university’s cheer and dance team. During her time at UNC Asheville, Rabia’s focus and passion for dance shifted to studying dance forms from around the world including latin dance, African dance, Bollywood, Bhangra, and middle eastern dance forms. She studied bellydance under the training of Liza Zahiya until she moved to Monterey, California in 2015. While in Monterey, Rabia continued belly dancing, as well as taught weekly Bollywood and Bhangra classes. Rabia relocated to Sonoma County recently and is beyond excited to be dancing with Joweh Raw.
Influences: Her mother and grandmother are her biggest influences, along with the all the dancers and dance teachers she has had the honor of working with in her life. Rabia is also influence by the wonderful children she works with in her job as a speech therapist.