Resources for Press Peeps looking to write an article about belly dance: links to studies, photos, quotes.  

Quotes From Students:

 - About Belly Dance

Belly Dance is really capable of expressing your personality, and you can make it what you want it to be - there are so many different dimensions to it.
Caroline, Student

"The world's (or at least Cambridge's) best belly dancing teacher! I honestly think everyone should try it. Once you see how fun it is you WILL become addicted!"
Kate Smith, Student

I was really sick for a really long time and the first exercise class I took was tribal fusion beginners with Demi and obviously I liked it becaues it's been about three years now and I do both tribal fusion and ATS dance. The good thing is that you have fast belly dance which is very aerobic, and the slower style which is more about slowly building muscle strength.
Mairead, Student

re. Gothic Fusion Belly Dance
"I really love the gothic stuff, I think it's fun to do slightly darker dancing - you don't get to do that in a lot of dance styles. It's just really great fun!" 
Sophie, Dance Student


Re. Halfas (belly dance parties)
"Haflas are really brilliant, I've been to a couple. First I went to one as a punter, and recently I just performed in my first hafla - Demi really loves to get her students involved in the Haflas as it's a really great feeling in a group - everyone is really friendly and happy to share what they know. it's a very friendly and welcoming atmosphere,  if you've never danced before or are new to dancing people are really  happy and supportive to see you get up on stage and perform."
Sophie

 - About American Tribal Style Belly Dance 

"For me the social aspect in Tribal Belly Dance is one of it's strongest sides - you're dancing with people, you're improvising together, you are messing up sometimes and having a laugh about it! You are always giggling together and communicating through the dance and it's just been such a fantastic way for me to meet some really good friends and to improve my social life."
Helen, ATS Student

A nice thing about Tribal Style Belly Dance is a lot of the time if you want to dance with other people, classically it's girl/boy, so you either have to find a boy, or go to a class where they are constantly rotating partners. There is always going to be an odd number of people, whereas with Tribal Style Belly Dance you find you can dance with anyone else who knows Tribal Style Belly Dance, there is no situation where one of you knows the man's part and one of you knows the woman's part and if there are two ladies they can't dance together. It's just a case of you learn how it works and off you go with anyone else who knows it. It's a really good way to get to know other dancers too. 
Mairead, Student 

"I'm a 50-something, and ATS is relatively new in my life. But I can tell you this, now I've found it I know I have to keep doing it. ATS transcends dance, and it transcends exercise. It's much more than the sum of its parts. It's about strength, trust, femininity; it's powerful but simple; it can be emotional too. Oh, and the dressing up is, to use a Demi word, 'awesome'! "
Sandra, an ATS student

Haflas are really brilliant, I've been to a couple. First I went to one as a punter, and recently I just performed in my first hafla - Demi really loves to get her students involved in the Haflas as it's a really great feeling in a group - everyone is really friendly and happy to share what they know. it's a very friendly and welcoming atmosphere,  if you've never danced before or are new to dancing people are really  happy and supportive to see you get up on stage and perform.
Sophie

Studies of belly dance:
Australian Published Study about Belly dance in Science Daily 

Photos:
feel welcome to use any of these photos in your press articles, but please credit the photographer!

Class Photos by Jelena Alecksic

Dancer Photos; Demelza Fox