Belly dance isn't as easy as it looks. It’s a powerful, feminine expression of beauty, strength and sensuality that takes patience, determination and a love of the dance to master it. For award-winning belly dancer Asata, it took 2 years of private study and she felt ready to perform.

Sadly, it wasn’t long before she learned she probably would not be hired by Middle Eastern restaurants or clubs because to quote one of the owners, “...she’s your strongest dancer but, she’s too fat.” It didn’t help being a woman of color in her mid 40’s.

Discouraged, she almost left the dance. Instead she took the first of several trips to Egypt were she expanded her knowledge of the history, art, music, dance and culture of the Egyptian people which rekindled her desire to continue.

After 2 years in Cairo, she returned home to launch her business, Divvadance Productions, in order to teach, support, encourage and promote the inclusion of women of color, full-figured, older and physically challenged women into the belly dance community.

Today as a recent graduate and continuing student of the Sausan Academy of Egyptian Dance she has learned why Egyptian belly dancers look different from Western belly dancers and incorporate it into her own dancing and teaching.

Asata continues to teach and with her troupe(s)perform around the Bay Area.