Jeana has been belly dancing for 10 years. While at first it seemed an innocent hobby, belly dance has become one of Jeana's favorite creative endeavors, something that permeates her life. Trained in cabaret, American Tribal Style, and tribal fusion, Jeana also explores experimental, ritual, and gothic themes in her dancing. She enjoys dancing to everything from Natacha Atlas and Marilyn Manson to Imogen Heap and Funkadesi, running the spectrum from pseudo-traditional music to the truly bizarre.

Jeana started dancing in California, having trained and performed in both Los Angeles and the San Francisco Bay Area. She currently lives and works in Bloomington, Indiana, where she is a doctoral candidate in Folklore and Gender Studies at Indiana University. Her main area of study is narrative, particularly fairy tales, though she has also presented and published on belly dance costumes. For that research, she did fieldwork with past and present members of Different Drummer Belly Dancers in order to investigate how the dancers make aesthetic choices that reflect their individual and group identities. She is conducting ongoing research on the sacred and spiritual aspects of belly dance, and welcomes questions and comments from dancers and non-dancers alike.

In order to bring creativity into other aspects of her life, Jeana also crafts (she is particularly fond of knitting and doing things with a glue gun and feathers) and models for photoshoots. Notably, she has modeled for dancer and costumer Anaar, who runs Tombo Studios. Tombo Studios. She is modeling the Arm Lace and the Halter.

Whether busting out belly dance moves at clubs or perfecting her choreography at home, Jeana approaches dance passionately as well as intellectually. She loves to teach dancers at any level and connect with friends and colleagues at workshops, performances, and over the internet. Dancing with Different Drummer is yet another oppportunity to share her love for dance with her community.


Roller Derby - Summer 2008

 

Jeana for Tombo Studios

Jeana @ Bloomington Belly Dances 2007
Photo by Adam Zolkover

 

Jeana by Brian Chase
Photo by Brian Chase
Jeana - Durga Tour - Veil dance

Jeana - Photo for Tombo Studios


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Site updated February 15, 2009