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Janelle Rodriguez

Artistic director

The physiology and math of belly dance

Art & Science

I will demonstrate some concepts from Middle Eastern music and dance, and I will ask the students to clap the rhythms and try the movements. I will explain which muscles to move to achieve which movements.

Meet the Speaker:

Janelle Rodriguez is a belly dance performer, choreographer and instructor who has trained in many styles of dance since the age of 5. Based in Santa Cruz, California, Janelle teaches classes and serves as artistic director/choreographer of Desert Dream Dance Company and leads the local Salimpour Dance Collective. She also directs the Desert Dream Music Ensemble (has been on hiatus since 2020). With Desert Dream Dance Company and as a solo artist, Janelle gives workshops and performs across the US, inspiring audiences with her musical interpretation and creative expression of belly dance. Janelle’s early background includes ballet, jazz, tap, modern dance, gymnastics, hip-hop and Mexican Folklore.

A prominent and respected instructor throughout the San Francisco Bay Area and Central Coast of California, Janelle enjoys sharing her knowledge and love of Middle Eastern and Arabic dance through teaching, which further encourages her to improve and grow in her own dance training and artistry.

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