The Gilded Serpent presents...

Mareeshka

Mareeshka grew up watching Jamila Salimpour create her style of modern American Belly dance tradition with her Bal Anat troupe at Renaissance Fairs with her parents who worked at the events. In 1998, she returned to her dance roots when she was recruited by Jill Parker to join the seminal Ultra Gypsy Dance Company. During nearly a decade with Ultra Gypsy, Mareeshka moved into a management role while dancing on stages across the country alongside the likes of Rachel Brice, Zoe Jakes, Heather Stants, Mira Betz, and Elizabeth Strong. Mareeshka danced at major events including the Crucible Fire Arts Festival, Kosmos Camp, Undulation, Spirit of the Tribes, and many more. She has performed the gamut of styles from traditional Tunisian fare taught and performed with the legendary Malia DeFelice to some of the original burlesque-inspired styles that dominate today's most popular tribal fusion acts on stages from Northern California's Tribal Fest to Washington D.C. as part of the Spark Tour with Urban Tribal.

After Ultra Gypsy, Mareeshka joined Cera Byer's breakthrough fusion company Damage Control Dance Theatre, where she performed on stages ranging from San Francisco's prestigious Yerba Buena Center to the Tribal Massive in Las Vegas, including performances at the massive Sea of Dreams New Year 's event.

Currently, Mareeshka is finding her place as a soloist, dancing regularly at restaurants in San Francisco, where she reconnects with the traditional styles. Many of these were learned during her intensive study with Bellydance Superstar’s Ansuya. In addition, Mareeshka has studied folkloric dance with Aywah!'s Katarina Burda and Unmata's unique high-energy fusion with Amy Sigil. She has taught Tribal at San Francisco's Rhythm and Motion (now known as ODC) and the Solimeno Studio on the California coast. She also performs regularly as part of the travelling Boiler Bar ensemble, where she dances everything from Belly dance to saloon-girl cabaret, including fire dancing.

The Gilded Serpent

• Cover Page
• Contents
• Community Kaleidoscope
• North Beach Memories
• Letters to the Editor
• Comics
• Archives
• Clubs & Calendar
• Resources

• About Us
• Submission Guidelines
• Ad Guidelines
• Volunteer Opportunities
• Contact Editor