Bio
Sabahaat is a Chicago-based duet formed in 2013 that showcases a variety of belly dance styles including Tribal Fusion, Improv Tribal Style (ITS) and Oriental. Sabahaat members, Julia and Christiana first met in 2008 at Arabesque Dance & Fitness while taking ITS class, and the rest is history.
Christiana is a Chicago-native and has been belly dancing since 2007. Currently teaching at Arabesque Dance & Fitness, Christiana started her belly dance journey in 2007 at Arabesque Dance & Fitness, where she continues to study under the direction of her mentors, Sonya Blacker, owner of Arabesque Dance & Fitness, and Eliza Perry, director of BellyRing and a founding member of Jezebelly. In addition to performing with Sabahaat, Christiana is also actively performing as a soloist and with several Arabesque Dance & Fitness troupes, including BellyRing, Spellbound and Troupe RoHe. In addition, Christiana loves expanding her dance background by taking workshops with both local, national and international artists. She has completed multiple Tribal Massive Intensives (2011, 2012, 2014, 2015 and 2016), Journey Through Egypt Levels 1 & 2, and has started her journey toward Rachel Brice's 8 Elements Certification (Completion of Phase I - Initiation and Phase II - Cultivation) and Zoe Jakes' DanceCraft (Completion of Key of Diamonds). Her life-long passion for dance includes 11 years studying Ballet, Tap and Jazz, and she has also dabbled in Burlesque and Hip/Hop – she is willing to try just about any form of dance at least once!
Julia has been belly dancing since 2003. She was initially drawn to Oriental dance’s graceful movement, creative beauty, and celebration of femininity. After several years of study under Sonya Blacker, Julia branched out into the world of Tribal Belly Dance. She immediately fell in love with ITS, and has been studying under Eliza Perry ever since. Julia also actively performs with both BellyRing and Troupe RoHe and continues her study in both Oriental and ITS at Arabesque Dance & Fitness. She continues her dance education by taking weekly classes, and workshops whenever she can, and completed a Tribal Massive Intensive in 2012.
Christiana is a Chicago-native and has been belly dancing since 2007. Currently teaching at Arabesque Dance & Fitness, Christiana started her belly dance journey in 2007 at Arabesque Dance & Fitness, where she continues to study under the direction of her mentors, Sonya Blacker, owner of Arabesque Dance & Fitness, and Eliza Perry, director of BellyRing and a founding member of Jezebelly. In addition to performing with Sabahaat, Christiana is also actively performing as a soloist and with several Arabesque Dance & Fitness troupes, including BellyRing, Spellbound and Troupe RoHe. In addition, Christiana loves expanding her dance background by taking workshops with both local, national and international artists. She has completed multiple Tribal Massive Intensives (2011, 2012, 2014, 2015 and 2016), Journey Through Egypt Levels 1 & 2, and has started her journey toward Rachel Brice's 8 Elements Certification (Completion of Phase I - Initiation and Phase II - Cultivation) and Zoe Jakes' DanceCraft (Completion of Key of Diamonds). Her life-long passion for dance includes 11 years studying Ballet, Tap and Jazz, and she has also dabbled in Burlesque and Hip/Hop – she is willing to try just about any form of dance at least once!
Julia has been belly dancing since 2003. She was initially drawn to Oriental dance’s graceful movement, creative beauty, and celebration of femininity. After several years of study under Sonya Blacker, Julia branched out into the world of Tribal Belly Dance. She immediately fell in love with ITS, and has been studying under Eliza Perry ever since. Julia also actively performs with both BellyRing and Troupe RoHe and continues her study in both Oriental and ITS at Arabesque Dance & Fitness. She continues her dance education by taking weekly classes, and workshops whenever she can, and completed a Tribal Massive Intensive in 2012.