Hello,

25 orbits of the sun I have travelled on this planet. Art has always been my focus, painting drawing and sculpting, I even went to university and received an honours degree in Fine art, philosophy and religion and now I find my focus has shifted into the realm of movement.

I have always engaged in some form of movement. I began with ballet, then moved on to modern dancing and free style when I got a bit older. I trained in gymnastics for about a year and then discovered horse riding when I was nine. Since I've been living in Cape Town (South Africa) I don't ride much but I discovered belly dancing when I first came here from Zimbabwe in 2001.

I started classes with Natasha Wells who has had training in Turkey. I then went on to join Tenille Lindique when she opened her own studios in Tokai, Cape Town... The Feminine Divine Oriental dance studios.

I travelled to Egypt in 2005 and lived and trained there for one year in Cairo with Raqia Hassan, Mahmoud Reda, Farida Fhamy, Mervat Mongi, Dua Salaam, Momo Kadous and Dr. Mo Gedawi. What an inspirational country!

On returning to Cape Town I began teaching for the Feminine Divine studios. I started performing professionally in 2004, my first public performance was on top of a double decker sight seeing bus - (the ones that have had their roofs cut off). So with poor sound quality and a little over half a meter's width dance space on either side, a long strip of roof top and curves and stops and lurches... I completed my first gig, wind blown and ecstatic.

Justine