DEVI MAMAK

Artistic Director/Founder/Ghawazi Caravan member/Principal Teacher

Devi Mamak is troupe member and artistic director of the award winning Ghawazi Caravan, based in the Blue Mountains in N.S.W and is one of Australia's premier ATS dancers, teachers and choreographers having studied a variety of various Middle Eastern dance styles for over a decade as well as Flamenco, Classical Indian and Ballet.

Devi is highly sought after Teacher and performer and is regularly asked to teach around Australia and N.Z. She has also taught and performed in Asia and the U.S.A.

Photo by Michael Mamak. Captured Memories

She has also travelled to San Francisco several times to study with the masters of ATS and has dedicated herself to ATS since 1999. U.S.A teachers include FCBD, Gypsy Caravan, Ultra Gypsy, as well as belly dance superstars Rachel Brice and Kaeshi Chai. Devi has also attended workshopsand or classes with Karen Gehrman, Jessie Gauld, Colette Hunter, Megha Gavin, Suhalia Salimpour, Kajira Doujamana, Tribal Feat, Rachel Lazurus Soto, Paulette Rees Denis. Classes/workshops with Australian / N.Z teachers include Jrisi Jusakos, Terezka Drinzik, Ruth Brent, Sarah Hamilton, Susan Brown, Diane Dupont, Mel Rogers, Gintarus, Belyssa and of course her first teacher, Kaiya Seaton. Devi has also completed two teacher development courses with renowned Australian dancers, Belyssa and Terezka. Devi is the first person in Australia to be accepted into Carolena Nericcio's intensive Teacher Training Course. Devi has now received her teaching accreditation in the highly regarded Fat Chance Belly Dance (FCBD) format, with several of Ghawazi Caravan movements being accepted into the FCBD format. In 2009 Devi was invited to perform and co-teach the General Skills test with Carolena in Taiwan.

Devi regularly performs at various functions ranging from community events, festivals, as well as private and corporate functions. Devi has also been invited to be a part of major funded productions such as Unmasked and most recently "The Firebird" where she had the opportunity to work collaboratively with dancers and musicians of various styles including Mory Trarore, Emily Cooper, Colin Berryman, Pandit Ramchandra Suman, John May, Miriam Leiberman, Elizabeth Cameron Dalman and Keith Kempis.

Other artistis Devi has worked with include Jrisi Jusakos, Karen gehrman, Tarek Sawires, Andy Bussutil, Skorba, Sekhyl and Hyde, Solace, Jeff Rees, Bobbi Singh, Al Maha, Karen Wray, Lester Iyves, Waiting for Guiness, Paulette Rees Denis, Belyssa Radzivanas, Amera Eid and Hilary Cinis.

Devi holds weekly classes in ATS for all levels and ages in the Blue Mountains and is regularly invited to teach workshops interstate, N.Z, Asia and the U.S.A. She is also the Artistic Director of student troupes, Ghaziya and Ghawazi Girls. Devi has earned a reputation as a patient and thorough teacher. As a performer she is renowned for her strong stage presence, as well as her innovative and colourful choreographies.

Devi regularly sponsors major proponents of ATS from the U.S.A. and in 2006 hosted the first Australian Tribal and Trance Festival which was a huge success with participants attending from all over Australia, N.Z and the U.S. Devi is also a classically trained, conservatorium accredited piano teacher with 25 years teaching experience and is a mother of two.

APRIL ERZETICH

Ghawazi Caravan member/Teacher

April has been dancing since she was three when she started Jazz ballet. She danced with the same school to the age of 16 in this time studying classical, modern, hip-hop and flamenco.

When finishing High school April started learning Egyptian Baladi in Newcastle where she progressed to be a troupe performer for several years and a substitute teacher. Her teaching experience also extended to workshops for the youth at community centres, one at Camp Quality, and most recently at Katoomba High School. April has been training in the American Tribal style since 2002 and performing with Ghawazi caravan since the beginning of 2006. April has travelled twice to the U.S.A, once in 2004 with G.C. training with Carolina, Suhaila, Domba, Jill Parker, Colleena and again in 2005 training for five weeks with Jill Parker and Ultra Gypsy. April also studied Flamenco in Canada for 6months in 2005. Her performance experience also includes some solo dancing with acts such as Babylon Bicycle, Gamalen Nova Kasatria and The Love Lorn Living Party.

CRISTIE FULLER

Ghawazi Caravan member/Teacher

Cristie Fuller has been a passionate American Tribal Style dancer since 2002 under the tuition of Devi Mamak and is a member the professional troupe, Ghawazi Caravan.
Along with intensive training and performing with Devi, Cristie has studied with Carolena Nerricio almost yearly since 2003 including traveling to the Fat Chance Belly Dance studio, San Fransisco in 2004 and completing the General Skills Certificate with Carolena in 2007. She has taken workshops with Jill Parker, Paulette Rees-Denis of Gypsy Caravan, Rachel Brice, and many other local and international dancers.

Cristie has performed extensively, loving to dance at both small parties and large events such as festivals and stage shows.

After taking part in Devi Mamak's teacher training program in 2008/09, she is a relief teacher of Devi's regular classes as well as conducting workshops at festivals such as the Playground Weekender music festival.
Her teaching focus is clear, concise break down of moves, prioritising technique and posture and how they relate to group improvisation and sharing the excitement and fun of dancing.