Rajep-a-Kalyni  is a South Devon based bellydance group originally formed in 2006 by five enthusiastic belly dancing friends who wanted to perform to a wider audience. Our group now numbers six accomplished dancers all of whom have been dancing as students/performers for at least seven years, and we also have our own drummers!  We are interested in exploring diverse forms of traditional belly dance and also fusing with other styles such as Indian Classical and Latin/Flamenco.  Our repertoire includes a number of works based on choreography by world-famous international dancers such as Morocco of New York and Dondi of San-Diego (formerly with Bellydance Superstars), as well as several numbers choreographed by our own group members.  We like to work with a variety of props - sticks, piano shawls, veils, zills, fans and others (bubbles may be a future prop we use!), and continually strive to create extraordinary and exciting performances.  Rajep-a-Kalyni has entertained at corporate functions, theatre productions, haflahs, weddings, birthday parties, fetes and other suchlike events and regularly performs as part of the annual Babbacombe Fayre, organised by the Torquay Rotary Club.  We are available to dance at most corporate functions, events, weddings and birthday parties.  Please contact us here for further details.

Pam has been devoted to belly dancing since 2001 when she joined one of Carol Webster's classes in south Devon. But her love of the dance dates back to a river Nile cruise from Cairo to Aswan in 1993. Two of the crew members were accomplished folkloric dancers who recognised her natural ability for the dance during evening entertainment on board and taught her some of the basic concepts of Egyptian dance. Carol also recognised her talent and encouraged her to go to haflahs and workshops with other teachers in the area. Pam later enrolled with Siouxsie Cooper's class in Exeter and became a member of Siouxsie's dancing group 'Desert Roses' who entertained at many local events. She also joined one of Rosie Mockler's south Devon classes and was invited to join Rosie's group 'Shashara', well known in Devon for their highly acclaimed performances in Plymouth and Exeter theatre productions as well as their many invitations to dance at corporate and other events throughout Devon and Cornwall. Since her first Nile cruise in 1993, Pam has made return visits to Cairo

to gain further experience and knowledge of belly dancing and has taken instruction from top teachers such as Aida Nour, Raqia Hassan, and Mahmoud Reda.  She has also attended many and varied workshops in the UK given by famous teachers including, among others, Lubna Emam, Ousama Emam, Maria D'Silva, Tracy Gibbs and Khaled Mahmoud. Pam is a founder member of Rajep-a-Kalyni and co-owner of Southwest-Belly-Dancers.co.uk.

Jenny has been dancing since 1996, developing from a diverting way to get some exercise through to a deep interest in the various styles and traditions of dance from the Mediterranean, Middle East and North Africa . Influences from India  and the Tribal style from North America  inform some of her most recent work. As her interest in the styles and variations has increased, she has attended UK based classes and workshops with dancers from all over the world and travelled to Cairo to attend workshops with some of the premier performance and cabaret artists in Egypt. While Jenny has no ambition to teach on a professional basis, she has assisted teachers in the Devon  area and taken classes when circumstances required. As with many bellydancers her performance career started with class dances of choreographies learned in class and performed ensemble in front of other dancers at informal haflahs.  This has  gradually  changed and  developed   from  adapted  choreographies  performed  with  small  groups   into  original  dance  compositions

enacted solo, as part of  'Rajep-a-Kalini'  and at venues ranging from theatres to Egyptian dive boats and Devon village squares.  Jenny's interest goes beyond the dance to the costumes, fabrics and jewellery (especially the jewellery!).  She has designed and made many of the costumes she wears, in addition to the ones she has gleaned from happy hours exploring Souks throughout Egypt and the Far East.  Jenny runs the 'Bellydance News' e-mail newsletter,  informing local dancers of upcoming events and available classes.

Lyn has been dancing since 1999 during which time she has been taught by several local teachers within the Torbay and South Devon area. She has attended numerous workshops and dancing events across the southwest adding  to her experience and knowledge of belly dancing techniques. She has also attended Majma in Glastonbury on several occasions since it's inception and has been an avid fan of Afra Al-Kahira's Celebrating Dance Festival since it first started in north Devon. Lyn considers herself very fortunate to have this weekend event now in her home town of Torquay. She has considerable experience of various native dance styles including Egyptian, Turkish, North African and Persian  having studied with well known artists and teachers in their specialised field of dance. Her enjoyment of all aspects of dancing and eagerness to learn newer styles and methods that she hasn't yet encountered knows no bounds. She particularly enjoys the modern fusion style of  dancing  and  has attended workshops  in Flamenco,  Latino,  Brazilian,  and  Bollywood

techniques etc. She has also done American Tribal with certain members of Fat Chance Bellydance which she found 'inspiring'. Lyn is currently attending weekly adult ballet classes.  As she says "There is always something to learn within this style of dance. I just enjoy dancing and learning new techniques whenever I can and will continue to do so for many years to come."

Kay started dancing when she moved to Devon from London in 2001.  It was something that had intrigued her for a long time and she eventually started after seeing a poster on a phone box in Ashburton advertising bellydance classes. From her first lesson she found herself well and truly hooked, falling in love with the movements, the music and of course the chance to REALLY dress up. She danced in Dawlish with Carol Webster's classes for about two years before moving on to improvers classes with Rosie Mockler, Kathy Luxton,  Siouxsie Cooper and now Anara Ashwood. Kay has also been taught by a variety of UK based teachers including Maria D'Silva, Tracey Gibbs, Jo Wise, and Khaled Mahmoud.  International teachers such as Morocco, Dondi & Aziza have also been sources of her learning and inspiration at weekend events such as Majma and Celebrating Dance. She has also realised her ambition to travel to Egypt for further learning with Raquia  Hassan,  Mahmoud  Reda,  and  Aida  Nour.  She  has  been  a  member  of  Rajep-a-Kalyni  since  it  was

founded in 2006, and has danced with other groups at charity events, local fetes, carnivals, and so on. Kay also occasionally performs solo in local restaurants and at parties, weddings  and corporate events. "I love the dance!  I find that since I have been dancing I have been happier, healthier and above all much more confident."

Nikki  attended her very first  belly dancing class in 1999 with Aliya Birch in Somerset and considers that those early days with Aliya were probably the most important in her dancing career. Poise, elegance and fluidity of movement were some of Aliya's hallmarks which Nikki has consciously strived to maintain in her dancing to this day.  Since then she has attended many classes with a number of teachers such as Belinda in Wester-super-Mare, Jackie in Glastonbury, Carol in Dawlish and Katerina in Torquay. She has danced with several different groups at fetes, carnivals and charity functions in fields, town centres and theatres in Somerset and Devon. She has attended all but about two of the Majma weekends in Glastonbury and has only missed a couple of Afra Al-Kahira's Celebrating Dance Festivals in Bideford and Torquay. Nikki always attends these festivals with her long term dance best friend Sue who she met at her first class. Evidently, whenever they are together they are known as  'TUT-TUT'.  (Hm....!)  Through these  festivals Nikki, like many others, has

Rachel  has been dancing since 2001 and from the outset was determined to learn and master the art and intricacies of Middle Eastern, Turkish, Egyptian and other styles of belly dancing. She mastered the art of dancing with zagats and veils very early in her learning curve to the extent that she has developed her own unique style of  dancing with these and other accessories which many consider to be a joy to watch. Local Devon teachers such as Carol Webster, Siouxsie Cooper and Rosie Mockler have all contributed to her knowledge and mastery of the dance and she has also benefited from a considerable number of other well known UK teachers as well as Egyptian and American teachers both here in the UK and abroad. Rachel has been in great demand as the resident or guest belly dancer at a number of restaurants and hotels in the Exeter and Torbay areas of Devon and also runs her own popular belly dancing classes in Totnes. Her Souk, 'Eastern Emporium'   is  often to  be  seen  at  haflahs  and  other events displaying  an  interesting  range  of  belly dance

reaped the benefit of attending workshops of many different styles with teachers from around the world. She very much enjoys  dancing with props such as veils, stick, sword etc  which she considers to be not only fun to do but also gives the audience another element of interest and adds another layer to the dance. Nikki moved from Somerset to Devon in 1994 and has been a member of Rajep-a-Kalyni since 2007.   " What I also love is the dressing up, make-up and huge earrings I can wear for shows."

costumes, jewelery and accessories which can also be viewed through her website at www.easternemporium.com.