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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 &. 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 & Ballet.
Photo by Michael Mamak. Captured memories
She has also travelled to San Francisco
several times to study with the masters of ATS & 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
& Kaeshi Chai. Devi has also attended workshops & 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 & of course her first teacher
Kaiya Seaton. Devi has also completed two teacher development
courses with renowned Australian dancers, Belyssa & Terezka. Devi
is the only 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.
Devi holds weekly classes in ATS for all
levels and ages in the Blue Mountains & is regularly invited to
teach workshops interstate & N.Z. She is also the Artistic Director
of student troupes, Ghaziya & 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. & in 2006 hosted the first Australian Tribal &
Trance Festival which was a huge success with participants attending
from all over Australia, N.Z & the U.S.
Devi is also a classically trained, conservatorium accredited
piano teacher with 25 years teaching experience and is a mother of
2.
LARA
BUCKNALL
Ghawazi Caravan
member/Assistant Artistic Director/Teacher
Lara has been belly dancing since 1995. She
originally started in oriental styles, spending 6 years attending
regular classes with a number of different teachers. Apart from
regular classes, she also attended workshops regularly in a variety
of Middle Eastern dance styles, and performed on occasion.
In 2000 Lara was introduced
to American Tribal Style (ATS) by Devi Mamak and started taking
classes with her the following year. Towards the end of 2001 she
joined Devi's current performance troupe, and it was around this
time the troupe formally became Ghawazi Caravan. Since being a part
of Ghawazi Caravan Lara has had the opportunity to perform
interstate and overseas as well as assisting Devi to teach in
Queensland and South Australia. Lara has also co-taught with current
troupe member/teacher April, and is looking forward to adding to her
teaching skills by starting weekly tribal fusion classes.
Lara enjoys spending her
time choreographing tribal fusion dances with her sister and fellow
troupe member Kathy. She has also choreographed pure tribal pieces
as well as tribal fusion solos, and is currently working on tribal
fusion combos. Apart from performing and choreographing Lara likes
to brush up on her skills by attending regular dance workshops. Some
of the international, interstate and local teachers she has studied
with over the years include: Carolena Nericcio, Karen Gehrman,
Jessie Gauld, Colette Hunter, Megha Gavin, Susan Brown, Rachel
Lazurus Soto, Suhaila Salimpour, Rachel Brice, Jill Parker, Domba,
Tribal Feat, Leyla Jouvana, Melusina (Mel) Rogers, Melissa Cristina,
Shamira, Gintaras, Shiva, Amera, Ruth Brent, Sarah Hamilton, Jrisi
Jusakos, Dianna Dupont, and most importantly her very first
teachers, Aileen Keir and Kiaya Seaton.
Apart from belly dance Lara
has dabbled in other dance styles, some of these include: Flamenco,
Classical Indian, African, Hip Hop and Contemporary. She also
regularly practices Yoga.
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.
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