Biography
Awards
2005 Fusion Star (Sirens in Sanity)
2006 Queen of Raks Sharqi (Little Egypt)
2007 Egyptian Champion (BDUC)
2007 Drum Solo Champion (BDUC)
2007 People's Choice Drum Solo (BDUC)
and the 2008 Belly Dancer of the Year (BDOY)
Ahava, meaning ‘Love’ in Hebrew, is a multi-award winning performer from the San Francisco Bay Area. She is well known for her graceful Egyptian style, commanding stage presence and crowd pleasing drum solos. She is the regular house dancer at the El Morocco restaurant in Pleasant hill, CA, and is steadily becoming an in demand instructor in the Bay Area and beyond.
Ahava, being the eternal student, is committed to studying not only Middle Eastern dance, but also the language and culture. She continues to take workshops, seminars and read and learn as much as she can so that she’s not only a knowledgeable dancer, but a knowledgeable teacher as well.
Her dance journey began at the age of nine. She began to study West African Senegalese dance and perform throughout the Oakland unified school district. As she got older she began to take western dances, including Ballet, Jazz, Modern and Hip Hop. But at fourteen her dance career was put on hiatus. In May of 2000, Ahava suffered terrible injuries from a hit-and-run accident. Between all of the surgeries and physical therapy, it took over two years for her to fully recover.
At sixteen Ahava accidentally discovered belly dance and quickly became infatuated with the rhythms, melodies and the language. After years of studying different dance styles she realized that belly dance was her true calling. At the time, she studied tribal fusion with the well- known Frederique. Later she moved on to learn American cabaret with Leea Aziz.
Ahava is heavily influenced by Egyptian dancers, such as Samia Gamal, Taheya Carioca and Naima Akef for their grace, Mona Said and Sahar Hamdi for their beautiful arms and hands, and the one and only Fifi Abdo for her wit and boldness. (Ahava has had the great honor of performing for Madame Fifi twice!)
In the summer of 2007, Ahava traveled to Cairo for the annual Ahlan wa Sahlan festival. As an invited performer,danced in the famous closing gala show for an audience of nearly 2,000 people.
A true rising star, Ahava has won many titles, including the 2006 Queen of Raks Sharki, 2007 Egyptian Champion and the 2008 Belly Dancer of the Year. She is also the featured dancer in several performance and instructional DVDs, such as: Jillina’s Shape up and Hip Out, Combination Nation (Cheeky Girls), Belly Dance 007 (IAMED), and the popular By Dancers for Dancers volumes2,3 and 5.
ahava@ahavadance.com 925.922.2832
2005 Fusion Star (Sirens in Sanity)
2006 Queen of Raks Sharqi (Little Egypt)
2007 Egyptian Champion (BDUC)
2007 Drum Solo Champion (BDUC)
2007 People's Choice Drum Solo (BDUC)
and the 2008 Belly Dancer of the Year (BDOY)
Ahava, meaning ‘Love’ in Hebrew, is a multi-award winning performer from the San Francisco Bay Area. She is well known for her graceful Egyptian style, commanding stage presence and crowd pleasing drum solos. She is the regular house dancer at the El Morocco restaurant in Pleasant hill, CA, and is steadily becoming an in demand instructor in the Bay Area and beyond.
Ahava, being the eternal student, is committed to studying not only Middle Eastern dance, but also the language and culture. She continues to take workshops, seminars and read and learn as much as she can so that she’s not only a knowledgeable dancer, but a knowledgeable teacher as well.
Her dance journey began at the age of nine. She began to study West African Senegalese dance and perform throughout the Oakland unified school district. As she got older she began to take western dances, including Ballet, Jazz, Modern and Hip Hop. But at fourteen her dance career was put on hiatus. In May of 2000, Ahava suffered terrible injuries from a hit-and-run accident. Between all of the surgeries and physical therapy, it took over two years for her to fully recover.
At sixteen Ahava accidentally discovered belly dance and quickly became infatuated with the rhythms, melodies and the language. After years of studying different dance styles she realized that belly dance was her true calling. At the time, she studied tribal fusion with the well- known Frederique. Later she moved on to learn American cabaret with Leea Aziz.
Ahava is heavily influenced by Egyptian dancers, such as Samia Gamal, Taheya Carioca and Naima Akef for their grace, Mona Said and Sahar Hamdi for their beautiful arms and hands, and the one and only Fifi Abdo for her wit and boldness. (Ahava has had the great honor of performing for Madame Fifi twice!)
In the summer of 2007, Ahava traveled to Cairo for the annual Ahlan wa Sahlan festival. As an invited performer,danced in the famous closing gala show for an audience of nearly 2,000 people.
A true rising star, Ahava has won many titles, including the 2006 Queen of Raks Sharki, 2007 Egyptian Champion and the 2008 Belly Dancer of the Year. She is also the featured dancer in several performance and instructional DVDs, such as: Jillina’s Shape up and Hip Out, Combination Nation (Cheeky Girls), Belly Dance 007 (IAMED), and the popular By Dancers for Dancers volumes2,3 and 5.
ahava@ahavadance.com 925.922.2832