Roxanne Goon

I originally started belly dancing at the age of 5 in Midland, TX, after having begged my mother to let me go to classes with her for several months. After the initial beginners' classes, I became a member of the local troupe, "Jewels of the Nile", captained by Karen Sharma. I became known as the "baby belly dancer", and I performed in largely group routines, but I did get a moment in the spotlight with a "genie solo", involving me dancing around a gold spray-painted and bejeweled Gatorade bottle.

Back then, belly dancing was kind of like "playtime"; it was really fun, but I had no conscious experience of the need for technique in my practice. There were a few things that I did take away from my early belly dance experience, however. I gained the ability to learn and memorize choreography very quickly, trained my visual learning skills, and became used to on-stage appearances in my youth. Unfortunately, Jewels of the Nile split up around the time that I turned 11, and I lost my motivation for dance. I began to focus on music and other outlets, as a growing child is wont to do.

It wasn't until I was in high school that I rediscovered my love for belly dance. Of course I had missed it for years, but having gone through several life changes at once - moving halfway across the country to Bakersfield CA, having to make new friends and start at a new school, find a new place to live - I never really got around to taking classes again or searching for a troupe. That all changed when the Bellydance Superstars came to town in my junior year, and my mother and I went to the show and became engrossed again. I had been immediately hooked on Rachel Brice and tribal fusion belly dance, and I became avid in the pursuit of Tribal DVDs after the show.

On the night of the show, Mom and I found fliers for beginners' classes with Bahiyya Almas, a local troupe with two very talented directors. Aura and Seneca taught me so much about belly dance technique and showmanship, and I am forever grateful for all of their teachings. I went on to dance with BA's professional troupe for 4 years, showcasing a cabaret style infused with salsa, flamenco, Jamaican dance, and other influences.

All during my time with BA, I kept up with Tribal Fusion stylization, mostly through DVD instructionals and a few workshops here and there. While pursuing a degree in Music Industry Studies at CSUN, I began attending events such as Tribal Cafe, seeking out fellow tribal fans and addicts. I shyly began performing tribal fusion solos in 2007, whenever I found events that corresponded with my schedule. In 2009, I joined Tribal Moon Rising, a troupe based in Bakersfield that is comprised of many strong and beautiful dancers that have honored me by keeping me around, despite the fact that I live a few hours away now and don't often make it to practices. Eventually, I hope to establish my own dance practice (and possibly troupe) in the Los Angeles area where I currently live.

I still perform frequently as a solo artist, and I consider my style to be a mix of pop-and-lock technique and serpentine movement. When it comes right down to it, it is very difficult for me to define myself and my style, because most of what I do is just ME, having fun on stage and making my loved ones smile and feel proud of me. That is my motivation. ~RG