Dance is Life...
"Let your dream devour your life, not your life devour your dream." (Antoine de St Exupéry)
Born in France, Yamina started her dance training with Classical Ballet at age 5, and rapidly extended her dance repertoire and vocabulary from her teens by discovering Kathak (Classical Indian) and being exposed to various cultures from all continents at the World Folklore Festival of Gannat (Allier- France).
Following a camel trip in the Sahara at 14, Yamina fell deeply in love with Oriental dance and started performing after a year of self-training during Medieval Fairs with 1515 Cie & Caravan of Samarkand.
And so the journey began… Ballet, Indian dance aesthetics and Bellydance were the foundations on which Yamina developed her style. 2005 saw her discover her second love: Samba, which she further developed during her 10 year-partnership with Australian musician Michael Boase, a specialist in Afrocentric percussions. Brazilian dance opened the door for African dance, to deepen her knowledge and understanding of its roots.
Two decades later, Yamina has learnt, performed and taught in France, UK, Spain, Czech Republic, Portugal, Australia (where she settled in 2006), Indonesia, India, Malaysia, Singapore, Lebanon, South Africa, USA, New-Zealand, Morocco and more recently Cape Verde, her current residence. Yamina roams the world in search of new cultural experiences to enrich her dance repertoire, learning from master teachers and/or street performers, and later on integrating what she learnt/observed into her own unique world fusion style.
- ARTISTIC EXPERIENCE HIGHLIGHTS:
– 2nd Place Bellydance Asia Competition (BALI – 2010)
– Rajasthani & Kalbeliya dance in the Pushkar Desert (INDIA – 2011)
– Rio Carnival parade with Inocentes de Belfort-Roxo (BRAZIL – 2012)
– Jury Member at Sadiyya’s “Shimmy Showdown” in Texas (USA – 2013)
– Wedding show at SunCity Resorts (SOUTH AFRICA – 2013)
– Abolition of Slavery Day, guest dancer with Salif Keita (Reunion Island – 2014)
– Bellyfusions Festival Opening Act in Paris (FRANCE – 2015)
– Bellyqueen’s “Silk Road Show”, Theatrical Bellydance (AUSTRALIA – 2016)
– WA Premier’s “Rio Olympics farewell dinner” (AUSTRALIA – 2016)
– Gates to Fusion Intensive in Paris (FRANCE – 2017)
– 1st Place Queen of Bateria at Praia Carnival (CAPE VERDE – 2018)
– Galas “Somos Cabo Verde” (CAPE VERDE – 2018-19)
– Novu Ano Chines (CAPE VERDE – 2020-24)
– “Cantos, enCantos e reCantos”, Sandra Horta Show (CAPE VERDE – 2023)