Kaitlyn Belly Dance

Kaitlyn's Bio

Bringing the Art of the Middle East to the Down East

After seeing a commercial of the Bellytwins selling instructional belly dance DVDs on T.V., Kaitlyn was dazzled by what she saw and knew that belly dance was for her! Her life-long obsession with Middle Eastern and Indian cultures lead her on a path to discover the beauty and grace of belly dance. She continued learning the art through any other DVD she could get her hands on. Her dance experience also includes over 5 years of formal training in ballet, tap and jazz, all of which she studied at Dance Theater of Jacksonville. Being a professional belly dancer today, she still draws heavily on this training that she received as a child.

In 2003, while living in Mississippi, she took a short introductory class in belly dance and then committed to studying at Butterfly Yoga Studio with Kristina Kelly in 2005. Kaitlyn is a former member of Jackson, Mississippi's premier belly dance troupe "MissiHippy" for over a year and a half, joining in early 2006. As a member she performed at various festivals and venues all over the state an enjoyed a monthly performance night at Aladdin's restaurant in Jackson.

In 2007, Kaitlyn relocated back to her native North Carolina. Being back home in Eastern North Carolina, she strives to bring belly dance to the community, bringing the art of the Middle East to the Down East. Kaitlyn has a B.S. in Art Education and has dedicated her life and career to performing, and educating others about the ancient dance.

Kaitlyn has taken private instruction from Mesmera, Aubre of Bellydance Superstars, Veena of the Bellytwins, and Gina of Atlanta. She has attended workshops with Jillina, Artemis Mourat, Suhaila Salimpour, Kami Liddle, Tamalyn Dallal, Mahmoud Reda, Jill Parker, Sharon Kihara, Gypsy Caravan and the Indigo. She regularly attends belly dance intensives with the likes of Aziza of Montreal and Sahra Saeeda. She has completed Levels I & II in the "Journey Through Egypt" cultural certification course program. She performs and continues to study Egyptian and American Cabaret belly dance, American Tribal Style, Tribal Fusion, and World Fusion belly dance. She also incorporates a variety of props in her performances such as zills, veil, sword, and Isis wings. She is presently studying and performing her other passion, Indian dancing, taking classes that range from Bharatanatyam to Bollywood. Kaitlyn is also the creative director of her student troupe "Apsara" and is now a sought after performer, choreographer and instructor in eastern North Carolina.

Find out more about booking Kaitlyn or taking classes.

In The Press

  • Upcoming Appearances

    To Be Announced

  • Past Appearances

    • AUGUST 8, 2009
      Kaitlyn performed once again at the annual Cystic Fibrosis WCTI Channel 12 Telethon in New Bern, NC. With the generous donations from the local community and the talented performers and volunteers that made the production possible, the event was a huge success and it was one step in coming closer to finding a cure for CF.

    • JANURAY 15, 2008
      Appeared on WCTI Channel 12 Noon Newscast

    • April 16, 2008
      Appeared on New Bern's ESPN AM Radio 1490 on the 5:00pm show to discuss the history of bellydance and the misconceptions surrounding the art form

    • APRIL 24, 2008
      Appeared on WCTI Channel 12 Noon Newscast with Elise, a salsa mambo instructor, to promote their combination Salsa and Bellydance workshop

    • AUGUST 9, 2008
      Kaitlyn performed at the annual Cystic Fibrosis WCTI Channel 12 Telethon in New Bern, NC. She was very happy to help out and support this worthy cause

  • Articles, etc.