Helena has been dancing since she could walk as her mother, Evelyn Edwards, was also a dance teacher teaching Ballet and Scottish Highland Dancing. Helena did Ballet, Scottish Highland Dancing, Modern, Latin American and Ballroom Dancing until she finally discovered Belly Dancing, which she has been dedicated to for the last seven years, learning various different styles.

It had always been a dream of Helena’s to go to Egypt and to see how Belly Dance was preformed in the country of its origin. This dream came true when she first went to Egypt in 2002 and not only did she see real Egyptian Belly Dancers, but more importantly she said, she was lucky enough to witness a local wedding which proceeded through the streets of Cairo and into the hotel she was staying at.

“Everyone in the wedding procession was dancing,” she said. “It was the most beautiful event I have ever seen. The dance was completely natural for all the men, women and children in the group. They were all in harmony with their bodies and with the music that was playing. The sound of the drums playing echoed powerfully right to the depth of my soul. I have never been more certain of my love for Belly Dance since then, and never more proud to be a part of it.”

Casey has a Modern Dancing background, with a little Ballet. She decided that Modern Dancing was not for her due to the strict regime of how a Modern Dancer’s body should appear.

The first Belly Dancer she saw was at a restaurant. Casey was mesmerised by the way she could isolate the different parts of her body as she moved. After that evening, she decided that she wanted to start dancing again, but this time she wanted to do Belly Dance.

She started lessons at her local recreation centre and then moved to a different teacher. She then became a Professional dancer, dancing at various restaurants and corporate functions.

In 2005 she decided to become a teacher and completed a teacher’s course for Belly Dancing.

What Casey loves about Belly Dancing is that it is for every body type and for every age. To be a Belly Dancer, you do not have to have a particular shape, or fitness level. “To me, Belly Dancing has a special feeling surrounding it. It makes a woman feel sexy and sensual without feeling sleazy.”