Instructors

Wendy Allen is a FatChanceBellyDance® Emeritus who was with the company from 2000-2016. 

She started studying with FCBD® in 1996, joined the professional troupe in 2000, and started teaching in 2003.  She left the troupe in 2016, but continued to teach both on her own and with Sandi Ball, another FCBD® Emeritus. She have been fortunate to have traveled nationally and internationally to teach workshops up until 2022, when she retired.  Because of the era she witnessed as a troupe member, she offers a unique perspective on where the format came from and how it got to its current iteration. 

Krisztina is the founder and artistic director of Czigany World Fusion Dance. Her formal dance training began over 30 years ago with classical ballet and she has been building on that foundation ever since. She has studied many dance styles over the years and combined them all in the formation of Czigany World Fusion Dance.

As a teacher she strives to not only teach a series of steps, but to also show her students the magic that is dance and the freedom it gives them to feel and to express what lies deep within their soul. "Everyone has a beauty inside that is so indescribably brilliant; one that consists of all of their passions, their hopes, their fears, and their dreams. I help my students to get in touch with that part of themselves through dance."

As a performer, Krisztina not only shows you the dance visually, but you can actually feel her become one with the music. You will experience the combination of dance and music in waves of energy and emotion as she paints a picture and creates a breathtaking work of art before your eyes.

Krisztina is Michigan's first Sister Studio to FatChanceBellyDance®, is Advanced Teacher Training Certified, and is an ATS® Sister Studio Continuing Education Instructor. She is also certified in group fitness and holistic fitness, has been teaching since 2001, and is the creator of the ATS® Drill Companion DVD series and the Work that Skirt ATS® Style DVD.

Cynthia D'Alessio is a FatChanceBellyDance(R) instructor and performer, movement educator, and founder and director of Lucky 13 Dance and Wellness. She is a FCBD Certified Studio, Certified SharQui Instructor, and an ACE Certified Group Fitness Instructor with specializations in Functional Training, Postural Correction, Orthopedic Exercise, and Behavior Change Coaching.

Cynthia discovered FCBD in 2012, and since then this elegant style has been her primary dance focus. Her understanding of FCBD style has been greatly enriched by the addition of ongoing studies with Oreet, the Salimpour School, Jill Parker, Sahira, and Karim Nagi, as well as continuing education in movement science.

Cynthia's unique method of teaching marries her knowledge of kinesiology, neuro-science research, somatics, and best coaching practices with traditional FCBD curriculum to create memorable movement experiences for both new and seasoned dancers. Her "designed for success" classes and workshops have become popular in the Philadelphia area, as participants discover that the power of dance to unearth their very best selves is accessible to them no matter their age, experience level, body type, or degree of physical fitness.

A believer that sisterhood, empowerment, and positivity should not stop at the dance studio door, Cynthia--with the help of her Lucky 13 community--produces WOMENKIND: Dances of Female Empowerment (a curated, multicultural dance show benefiting A Woman's Place); is a site coordinator for Global Water Dances (an international event that uses dance and film to promote behavioral shift toward solutions for water preservation); and has established Lucky 13 Dance and Wellness as a Certified Community Safe Spot for survivors of domestic and relationship violence.

Richard Harper has had a successful career as a hair and makeup artist working on Broadway, Off-Broadway, national tours and regional opera companies as well as print work, portrait work and industrial films. He has worked for the Broadway companies of Les Miserables, Grease, Blood Brothers, Kiss of the Spider Woman, My Fair Lady, Cabaret and Sugar Babies, among others, and has been lucky enough to work with great stars of the stage: Vanessa Williams, Carole King, Rosie O'Donnell, Joel Grey, Debbie Allen, Ann Miller, Kim Criswell, Maureen McGovern, Andrea McArdle, Werner Klemperer, Lea Salonga, Regina Resnik, Sharon Lawrence and Kay McClelland. He has received cosmetology licenses in several states, worked as a platform artist and colorist and specializes in wig construction, repair and design.

Bringing the doum to the room!

Casey Bond is a New York  based percussionist who really has fun with a drum....and she wants you to have fun too! As the lead drummer for the coolest NYC belly dance bands, including Carmine & Friends, Scott Wilson & Efendi and The Elias Ladino Ensemble, she brings "real world" experience to her drum workshops.  She's known for her fun, friendly workshops at sleep-away festivals, including NEATS (North East American Tribal Style) Camp, SuperFunDanceCamp, Art of the Belly, Rakkasah East, Spring Caravan, Festival of the East and more. Her international credits include a three-city concert tour at the 2023 Macedonian Folk Festival with the Elias Ladino Ensemble.  Casey taught weekly percussion classes on Long Island from 2008-2020 and was the founder/artistic director of the Raq Steady student ensemble. Her original percussion compositions are featured on “Raq Steady: Greatest Hits Volume One” which is available at Amazon Music. Contact her at caseybond-at-aol.com or visit her website at www.caseybond.org.