show in front of a few thousand people, she felt that she could die happy. Where could this dance possibly go next?
Enter Tribal Style, first introduced to Sitris by Quinn Donovan of Gypsy Fire. Possibly the greatest innovation to bellydance
since it entered the States, Tribal Style gave Sitris her fix for performing as much as possible without having to deal with the
boredom of choreography. Sitris proved to be too impatient with learning all the moves initially and didn’t stick with it, though
continued teaching and dancing until 2005 when she found the perfect teacher in Samara of the Bijou Project. The “fly by
the seat of our harem pants” style was a perfect fit for the restless and creative Sitris, and she has been a happy, if not
humbled member of the Bijou Project since Summer of 2005.
Currently, she teaches tribal fusion; a combination of the moves learned from Samara, Gypsy Fire, and her own made up
moves. While Tribal Style Bellydance quite possibly may be the most perfect invention of all time, she still jumps at the
chance to do a solo. And as one of her fellow dancers recently remarked, just because you’ve seen her solo before doesn’t
mean you know what she’ll do next!
Enter Tribal Style, first introduced to Sitris by Quinn Donovan of Gypsy Fire. Possibly the greatest innovation to bellydance
since it entered the States, Tribal Style gave Sitris her fix for performing as much as possible without having to deal with the
boredom of choreography. Sitris proved to be too impatient with learning all the moves initially and didn’t stick with it, though
continued teaching and dancing until 2005 when she found the perfect teacher in Samara of the Bijou Project. The “fly by
the seat of our harem pants” style was a perfect fit for the restless and creative Sitris, and she has been a happy, if not
humbled member of the Bijou Project since Summer of 2005.
Currently, she teaches tribal fusion; a combination of the moves learned from Samara, Gypsy Fire, and her own made up
moves. While Tribal Style Bellydance quite possibly may be the most perfect invention of all time, she still jumps at the
chance to do a solo. And as one of her fellow dancers recently remarked, just because you’ve seen her solo before doesn’t
mean you know what she’ll do next!
In 1977 near Bozeman, Montana, Sitris was born to the bellydancer, Layla. Being
conceived in the womb of a bellydancer, and being immersed in the dance as she grew
up, (and most likely being a dancer in a former life) there was never a time when she
was not a bellydancer. She learned the moves by watching, and received her first
formal “lesson” in kindergarten when her mom did a demonstration at her school. She
didn’t continue with the dance until her freshman year in high school when she dug out
her mom’s old cassette tapes and danced by herself in front of her bedroom mirror.
This was after many other dance lessons including ballet, african, and modern, which
never really took hold, though definitely left their marks. It was four years before her
first formal performance, which was during the first annual Diversity Week at Hood
River Valley High School. This was after many happy hours were spent in the drum pit
at the Oregon Country Fair.
After high school Sitris began teaching informally, and continued dancing in informal
settings, her favorite being the Farmer’s Market in Missoula Montana, where the wind
and the sun and her own shadow would join her for a strikingly silent veil dance on the
sidewalk corner. 1999 found her in Bend, Oregon, and the next few years were ones
of deep personal expression and creativity, marked by unique props and costumes.
Who says you can’t bellydance in an American Flag with a spider plant on your head,
to live polka music? A few summers at the Country Fair proved to be the most fun, if
not the funniest times of dance yet, and when she finally got to dance in the midnight
conceived in the womb of a bellydancer, and being immersed in the dance as she grew
up, (and most likely being a dancer in a former life) there was never a time when she
was not a bellydancer. She learned the moves by watching, and received her first
formal “lesson” in kindergarten when her mom did a demonstration at her school. She
didn’t continue with the dance until her freshman year in high school when she dug out
her mom’s old cassette tapes and danced by herself in front of her bedroom mirror.
This was after many other dance lessons including ballet, african, and modern, which
never really took hold, though definitely left their marks. It was four years before her
first formal performance, which was during the first annual Diversity Week at Hood
River Valley High School. This was after many happy hours were spent in the drum pit
at the Oregon Country Fair.
After high school Sitris began teaching informally, and continued dancing in informal
settings, her favorite being the Farmer’s Market in Missoula Montana, where the wind
and the sun and her own shadow would join her for a strikingly silent veil dance on the
sidewalk corner. 1999 found her in Bend, Oregon, and the next few years were ones
of deep personal expression and creativity, marked by unique props and costumes.
Who says you can’t bellydance in an American Flag with a spider plant on your head,
to live polka music? A few summers at the Country Fair proved to be the most fun, if
not the funniest times of dance yet, and when she finally got to dance in the midnight
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