Gwen’s passion for Middle Eastern dance started after she took her first belly dance class in 2000 after moving to the Washington, DC area.  She has been dancing since the age of five.  She has studied various dance forms including Ballet, Modern, Jazz, Tap, and Irish Step Dance.  She attended the New Jersey School of the Arts Summer Program while in high school and received a minor in dance from James Madison University.  She has performed extensively as both a member of various dance companies or troupes as well as a soloist.  She has continued her study of dance as an adult and expanded into teaching, instructing young students in jazz and ballet.  Her vast dance experience and technique has provided a solid foundation for her study of Middle Eastern dance.  She has studied Egyptian, Turkish, and American Cabaret style belly dance with local instructors such as Bonita, Artemis Mourat, and Yasmin, as well as numerous workshops from dancers and instructors such as Eva Cernik, Karim Nagi, Ansuya, Kaeshi, Tamalyn Dallal, Suhaila Salimpour, Rhea, Tayyar Akdeniz, and Faten Salama.  Gwen uses the wealth of dance knowledge she has learned to provide an engaging and memorable dance experience for her audience.