Belly Dancing

Shoshanna has performed and taught dance since the 1990’s.
As a performer, she has an enduring passion for the magic that happens when dance, music, and audience energy come together onstage.
As a dance educator, Shoshanna seeks to inspire  dancers of all levels to pursue technical brilliance and a lifelong journey of discovery and exploration.

Shoshanna began her journey in Raqs Sharqi, or “Belly Dance” in 1991 when she joined a friend at a summer dance program where she was studying Ballet.

She found she loved the music, the costumes, the lack of pointe shoes, and the way the dance form made her feel. Her first solo was created as a Ballet / Middle Eastern Dance fusion piece at the county fair, a choreography with local Humboldt County group Shaken Not Stirred at Arcata’s North Country Fair, and her first live music performance was in 1992, sparking a lifelong love and quest for live music dance experiences. 

Shoshanna began traveling for dance, participating in the Rakkasah international festival of dance as well as the Mendocino Middle Eastern Music and Dance Camp for many years studying with a vast number of incredible teachers and working with spectacular Middle Eastern musicians. 

While not a dedicated competition dancer, Shoshanna is proud to have won several titles: 

1st Place Soloist, 
North Bay Belly Dance Competition, 
Chico, CA ,1996

Entertainer of the Year,
Wiggles of the West,
Reno, NV, 1995

Belly Dancer of the Year,
Alameda, CA, 2004

Shoshanna began teaching children’s Creative Dance classes as a teen, and began teaching Middle Eastern Dance about 3 years into her studies began.

She taught first at local studio Dance Expressions, then as part of the Middle Eastern Dance Club she co-founded at Humboldt State University, where she majored in Art History and Graphic Design. Through the club she began producing events and inviting excellent workshop teachers and performers to the area. 
The club turned grew a performance group, Lailaa Chandani Dance Ensemble, sprouting many talented dancers. Many are still dancing and teaching today!

Following her graduation from HSU in 2003 the dance group was reformed as Ya Habibi Dance Company, a group featuring an eclectic blend of styles and techniques until 2019. Shoshanna has taught as part time faculty in the (now) Cal Poly Humboldt dance program since 1998 and is honored to be teaching DANC 245 in Spring 2025.

Shoshanna founded Redwood Raks World Dance Studio in 2008 and ran it through 2019 when it became a non-profit organization, Redwood Raks Collective. 

SHORT BIO FOR EVENTS:

Shoshanna has been studying, performing, and teaching dance her whole life. Her favorite style is Raqs Sharqi, or Belly Dance, and her favorite things are wielding giant silk veils through space and the magic of improvised movement with live music. Her dancing has taken her across the country and across the globe, though she always returns to her favorite place on the North Coast. Shoshanna currently teaches classes on Monday evenings in Arcata.