Started in 2008, the Annual Inter-Collegiate Middle Eastern Dance Conference is the first and only annual Middle Eastern Dance event run by and for college students.  Schools from across the East Coast come to Columbia University to participate in the two main events of the Conference: a dance workshop taught by a NYC professional dancer, and the Performance Showcase.

The Showcase is open to the public, and aims to increase awareness about the growing community of Middle Eastern dance in the United States, and, particularly, among college-age students.

The Showcase is preceded by a dance workshop in which the students gather to discuss their art form and to participate in a dance class taught by a professional NYC bellydancer.  Students leave not only with the new skills they learned in the workshop, but also with the valuable and inspiring experience of having interacted with other student dancers- a rare and unique experience for these dancers who are developing in an artistic community that is only beginning to gain a presence on college campuses.  

CU Bellydance hopes that the Inter-Collegiate Dance Conference will continue to grow and create strong ties between the participating universities, as well as between the college bellydance community and the flourishing professional NYC bellydance community.

Highlights from the 2009 Conference

Our featured performer and instructor, Darshan.

The Conference kicks off as the tribal-fusion style workshop begins.

The Conference began with a tribal-fusion style workshop taught by NYC dancer Darshan.  The studio was filled with over 60 students from six universities.  The young women represented a variety of dance levels, ranging from beginners, who had only started bellydancing a few months before, to experienced performers who had been dancing since they were children.  The tribal-fusion style taught was a nice complement to last year’s workshop on musicality and breath, led by Egyptian style dancer Ranya Renee.

Featured dancer, Hannah Nour.

CUBD with Darshan and Hannah Nour.

Just a few hours after the workshop, the bellydance troupes presented the Performance Showcase.  As usual, a range of styles were represented, from traditional Egyptian Ghawazee, to American Cabaret, to Tribal Fusion.