Interveiw with a Bellydancer: Mareike Beiersdorf

We are excited to be getting back to Dayanisma's Interview with a Bellydancer Series!  For this installment, I was delighted to interview Mareike Beiersdorf, an ATS (R) dancer from Germany!

Name: Mareike Beiersdorf

Mareike discovered the joy of dance in a young age and spent several years as member of a jazz and showdance troupe. The strength, femininity and pride of ATS (R) has captivated her since 2009. Tribal Bellydance proved to be an ideal vessel for expressing her artistic ambitions. Now she runs a FatChanceBellyDance Sister Studio in Offenbach, GER. She regularly travels to San Francisco to learn directly at the source of FCBD teachers and bridge the US and European ATS (R) scene.

Troupe: Cibelle Dance Collective 

Location: Offenbach / Germany

Other interests:

"I think during my life I have always had one hobby that I was somehow obsessed with. As a teenager it was volunteering for the red cross and right now it`s dancing. I can`t call it a hobby anymore. Seriously I can not imagine life without dancing.

I have been dancing since I was a kid, but never as much as right now, and I love it. If I would have more time I definitely would learn Spanish, that's a dream I´m having since a view years. I would love to speak Spanish. Also play guitar and sing, and hopefully would get better."

If you had superpowers, what would they be?

"Diving or flying, because it changes your perspective which is a very good thing."

If I opened your refrigerator right now, what would I find?

Not much I have to do grocery shopping: Sheep yogurt, soy milk, apples, cucumber, homemade pesto (with dried tomatoes from a dance trip to Roma)

What is your proudest Bellydance moment?

"Can I change this into happiest? I´m very happy that the ATS dance scene in my area is growing. When I started dancing I had to drive 1,5 hours to take classes. We had no ATS dance classes in Offenbach/Frankfurt which is a fairly big city. I started teaching 4 years ago and I´m happy to see the scene growing slowly but steadily!"

What is your proudest non-Bellydance moment?

"I got a scholarship for a 6 month long Leadership-training in Education for Sustainable Development. When I saw the announcement I thought I will never make into the training, but I wanted it and so I applied. During this 6 month I met some very important friends."

Classic, modern, or movement dialect and why?

"For me it`s not one or the other. It´s a question I would never ask myself this way. Thinking of a performance it would be a music that needs to be interpreted, a feeling I want to transport, and an aesthetic I would like to create. Whatever movement I need to do this is right. For my soloist dances this might also be fusing with other dance styles."

What is your best advice to student dancers?

"Enjoy, stretch your boundaries and release."

Thanks Mareike!

If you would like to be interviewed, contact Lisa Allred at hhbellydance@gmail.com!