While I dance, I cannot judge, I cannot hate,
I cannot separate myself from life; I can only be joyful and whole,
that’s why I dance.
- Hans Bos
Welcome to the website of a dance legend.
–Kirsten King-Frodsham
“Rossah was my teacher on so many levels……even after all these years later.
Her reverence for the preservation of ethnic tribal dance has been life long.”
- Jennifer Andrews
“After seeing Rossah dance at a Ren Faire, I was inspired to dance again after many years. I started taking lessons from her and quickly realized her talent and vision. She had a great hope for her craft, that within the melting pot of other dance styles being blended into bellydance, the foundation of the original art would not be lost and the history behind the dance would be preserved for our future.
She is not only a beautiful dancer, great teacher and awesome choreographer; she is also a caring person that is an asset to her community.”
~Rhonda Hunter
Rossah was one of Jamila Salimpour’s multi-talented dancers. She has created an eclectic and innovative style based on the dances of Morocco, Tunisia, Algeria and classical Egyptian style. As an ethnomusicologist, she continues to research folkloric North African dance and music. She has toured as a solo artist from Canada to Mexico doing numerous dance workshops all over the United States. Armando of Sirocco, aka Uncle Mafufo, has been her greatest teacher in breaking down the rhythms and how they apply in Middle Eastern dance; the legendary Marliza Pons remains her friend and mentor.
In Santa Cruz, California she owned and operated the successful Hand of Fatima Dance Studio, teaching 11 classes of various levels a week, offered a monthly full moon hafla to the bellydance community, conducted the popular “Bellydance & the Goddess” series on the beach, and sponsored a powerhouse of talent with some of the best names in the business at her dance studio. She is well known for her choreography presented for the large stage with her two dance companies “The Hand of Fatima Dance Tribe” and “Bint al Rasa” made up of 6-12 year old dancers. Her companies have performed at Rakkasah Dance Festival and the prestigious Cabrillo Music Festival. She has also produced concerts featuring many outstanding dance artists and musicians. The Pacific Andaluse Conservatory of North African Music founded by Maestro Omar Ait-Vimoun, was also hosted at her studio before moving to the Cannery in San Francisco.
She has donated her time as a camp counselor to abused and neglected children at Camp Opportunity, returning several summers with her dance company as entertainment. Reaching out to girls at risk has been a passion. She went weekly to juvenile hall on a mission to mentor young women in order to promote self-discovery and provide mentorship. Just a glimpse of her numerous and wide-ranging achievements shows Rossah to be a veritable renaissance woman, yet she acknowledges the accomplishments of her multi-faceted character with an endearing humility.
Her teaching vision is to deliver strong foundations, isolations, drill technique, zils, and enhance spiritual development through rituals and other body-centering healing techniques. Aid the student in the exploration of transformational effects of music, and percussive rhythms on the body and the brain, and to study the Middle Eastern history of regional dances, danse Orientale, and the relationship to the dancer’s mental, physical and emotional connection through movement awareness techniques.
She has been a constant inspiration to students and upcoming dancers in her thirty five years of teaching and performing Danse Orientale and the Chabbe style of the Maghreb. Going back and forth to Morocco, to continues her studies and add to a repertoire that includes sief (sword), sennaya (tray), assaya (cane), shamadan (candelabra), Guedra (trance), dancing on glasses, as well as with snakes, the folkloric dances of Morocco, Tunisia, Algeria, and the village dances of Egypt and Turkey. She relocated to Las Vegas in 2000, dancing solo performances, the Age of Chivalry Renaissance Faire, Henderson Festival of Cultures, Cairo Carnivale, LV World Folk Festival, and teaching at the annual Las Vegas Bellydance Intensive. She had the honor of being the special guest artist with Dance Makers at Colorado State University’s Lory Theatre in Ft. Collins, in a production called Middle East Crossroads with a dance company made up of challenged dancers. She was featured master teacher for Bellydancers of Color 2008 SoulYoga Fest in Washington D.C. She taught Middle Eastern Dance at the University of Nevada’s dance department, from 2004 until spring semester of 2008, and now offers community classes for UNLV’s Educational Outreach, and instructs workshops nationwide.
Nominated 2002 - Zaghareet’s Golden Belly Award for Lifetime Achievement
Awarded 2006 - Zaghareet’s Golden Belly Award for Favorite Ethnic Dancer
2007 – Hand of Fatima Dance Tribe received Certificate of Recognition from Las Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman
2007 – Certificate of Commendation from Nevada Senator Harry Reid
to Honor and Commend 4 years of dance contribution to the LV World Folk Festival
2007 - Las Vegas International Belly Dance Convention Award:
“Rossah has studied tirelessly in an effort to preserve the folkloric dances of the Middle East and North Africa. She has remained diligent in refraining from modern forms of dance, so that the product she teaches remains pure and intact, as it was intended by the ethnic tribes from these cultures.”
Lifelong friend and dancer, Yasmela, has described her as a “marvelous dancer, a superlative teacher, inspirational choreographer, and one of those rare spirits that inhabit our world with quiet grace and mastery.” It is her passion and dedication to Middle Eastern dance that illustrates this delightful truth.
As a Master Teacher of many years standing, Rossah is dedicated to preserving and passing on this wonderful art form to students who have a desire to become exponents themselves or to just enjoy the fulfillment and self expression that this dance provides. She is available to travel to your part of the world, whatever the event is, with or without musicians. If you are interested in sponsoring her in your area, use the contact page to email her with your request.