Troupe Roja was formed in 2009 by three like-minded women from Dayton, OH, who share a vision and desire to create exciting new fusion performances within the genre of belly dance. Each brings to the show her own unique set of skills and compelling love of dance that shines through her performance. Although their primary style is American cabaret belly dance, the Roja dancers also specialize in styles such as Khaleegy, Bollywood, and Dunyavi (Gypsy fusion). Their performances often showcase props like veils, fans, sword, and finger cymbals. The Roja dancers are constantly expanding their repertoire by attending classes and workshops with nationally and internationally recognized masters to bring even more fire and pizzazz to their performances.

  Meet the Roja Dancers...

Zattana 

Born from a line of skilled musicians, Zattana has always felt the undeniable allure of music. To her, dance is a natural extension of that art.

Thanks to her musical background, Zattana took to belly dance with ease when she began studying in 2001 and she hasn’t slowed down since! In 2009, she co-founded belly dance fusion troupe Roja, receiving awards for performances she co-choreographed with her fellow Roja dancers. She regularly performs at events all over the Miami Valley area with Egyptian Breeze and Roja, and also dances solo at private parties.

A self-proclaimed “prop-aholic”, she enjoys dancing with (a real!) sword, hoop, poi, veil, fans, Isis wings, and finger cymbals. Zattana also studies Middle Eastern percussion and often plays tabla at Egyptian Breeze performances.

A strong advocate of continuing education, she strives to deepen her knowledge of dance by attending workshops and seminars with such well-known performers as Dahlia Carella, Artemis Mourat, Faten Munger, Deniz Miller, Amira Moor, and others. In addition to belly dance, Zattana pursues other ethnic dance styles, such as Kahleegy, Bollywood, and Dunyavi Gypsy.

When she is not performing, she enriches the dance scene by lending over ten years of experience and extensive henna body art talents to Middle Eastern events as well as non-dance events like the Ohio Renaissance Festival.

For more information on Zattana's upcoming events, to view her henna and belly dance galleries, or to contact Zattana, visit her page at www.zattana.net.

Nafretiri 

As an artist of many different mediums, Nafretiri channeled her love for art and music into the form of belly dance. Her love for both stems from her parents, who blessed her with their talents in both areas. From a young age, she has played musical instruments and has been dancing from the heart to music of all types. She has a few years of ballet training as well from The Dayton Ballet Company.

Nafretiri found her love for belly dance while walking through Yellow Springs Street Fair. The sound of the music and seeing the fun the dancers were having inspired her to take classes. She took the classes with ease and flourished in this style of dance while learning a few others including Kahleegy and Dunyavi Gypsy. She has also learned a few props along the way, such as zills, fan veils, and voi (veil poi).

Nafretiri’s love for belly dance is never-ending and drives her to learn as much as possible. As a way to continue, she goes to workshops and learns from many different performers. She strives to be the best she can and to entertain the audience, which fuels her fire within.

 Asiya

Asiya took her first bellydance class with RayAnne, the founder of Egyptian Breeze, in 2003 as an alternative aerobic exercise.  She was asked to perform at that first class and quickly fell in love with the dance and the supportive environment of the bellydance community. Asiya has continued her studies with workshops conducted by several nationally and internationally known dancers.  Prior to bellydance, she choreographed and taught high-intensity water aerobic and aerobic classes.  Asiya has relied on this experience to develop and teach introduction to bellydance classes. 

Her diverse musical talents are put to use as well.  Earlier studies in sound reinforcement and production enable complex edits of performance tracks.  In the 1990’s she sang and played the guitar at a local musicians’ co-op and with other local artists. This love of music now extends to playing finger cymbals and the tabla. 

Asiya is excited about expanding her knowledge of Middle Eastern dance technique and percussion as well as fusing elements of other dance forms to create dynamic and captivating choreographies.