About the Teacher 

​Yamê is a professional belly dance instructor, performer, choreographer and owner of SharqiDance, a business that empowers people to find inner joy, confidence & self-love while building a supportive community through the practice and study of belly dance.
 
Born and raised in Brazil, Yamê moved to New Jersey as a teenager and began practicing belly dance when she was twenty years old after a lifetime of fascination with the beauty of sinuous body movements and the almost magical way that belly dancers could move their hips as if they had a life of their own.
 
Having started her belly dance studies learning an ATS-inspired fusion style with Ashtar of the Daughters of Sophia (with whom she also took a few years of adult ballet classes in her mid-twenties), she quickly found herself being more drawn to the Middle Eastern roots of belly dance, particularly the classic and modern Arabic styles of the dance. She then went on to study American Cabaret and Egyptian style belly dance with Zarouhi Otchy, Gia al Qamar, and later Tashira Wadiya, some of the best instructors to be found in New Jersey. She is especially grateful to Tashira who became her “belly dance mom,” a mentor in belly dance and in life now for over a decade. She is also proud to learn from internationally-acclaimed master instructors such as Ahmed Hussien, Karim Nagi, and Shahrzad whenever possible. 

Yamê kicked off her professional belly dance career around 2010-2011, when she got to be  part of the Belly Dance Shimmy Workout DVD by World Dance New York, and since then she has performed at restaurants, parties, weddings, festivals and belly dance shows all over the state and across the country. She currently owns and manages SharqiDance, through which she offers weekly belly dance classes and coordinates regular workshops and shows. Her annual Spring Into Dance event has brought world-renowned instructors such as Cassandra Fox, Karim Nagi, and Shahrzad to the NJ shore, and as choreographer and director of SharqiSquad (the SharqiDance performance troupe) she has coordinated group performances at events and festivals all over the state.

She credits her love and commitment to belly dance for saving her life. This dance is more than just moving beautifully. When used intentionally, it can also be a way to overcome obstacles and find joy in life even through difficult moments. This is why Yamê is so passionate about sharing her knowledge and practice with her students. 
 
For Yamê, movement is a lifelong journey and a never-ending study. In 2021, she completed her 200-hour Registered Yoga Teacher Training in order to grow in her understanding of the human body and movement, to connect deeper with yogic philosophies of alignment between mind, body and spirit, and to expand her class offerings to include yoga as well. 

Yamê currently holds the following certifications
  • YOGABODY® - Breathing Coach Certification
  • Inlet Yoga - 200-Hour Registered Yoga Teacher Certification
  • Bellyqueen - 40-hour Belly Dance Teacher Certification
  • Ju Marconato - Therapeutic Belly Dance Certification 
  • Transformational Yoga - Pranayama Certification 
  • Usui System of Natural Healing - Reiki II Certification 

Yamê is committed to always growing and improving as a person and as a teacher, approaching her movement practices and teaching from a sustainable and holistic perspective, always considering and adapting to the needs of each individual student in class. ​​