MELA AMAIYA
Mela Amaiya believes that movement is medicine, and is devoted to the lifelong study of dance. She loves teaching and performing regularly throughout the Bay Area, and is passionate about empowering others to feel confident in their bodies, voices, and lives.
At Dance Mission, Mela teaches Beginning Salimpour Belly Dance for adults, Grrrl Brigade Belly Dance for teens, and Salsa Belly Dance for youth, as well as directing SF Salimpour Collective performance group. Her classes weave together technique, cultural context, connection and joy.
Mela is a Licensed Instructor in the Salimpour School of Belly Dance, and continues to train extensively in belly dance, and also Cuban dance, both in the US and abroad. She is honored to study regularly with Suhaila Salimpour, and to share the family legacy and training with her students.
Outside the studio, Mela facilitates an online Rituals Program focused on creating intentional habits, WomanSpeak Circles centered on women’s public speaking, and offers one-on-one coaching. You may also find her leading dance tours to Cuba with PlazaCUBA, spending time in New York with her son, or sitting near a river. And, you’ll almost always find a cup of tea in her hand or in her bag.
With a B.A. in Dance and an M.A. in Women’s Spirituality, Mela believes the body is a portal to the Divine within.
She is grateful to continue to evolve within herself, her dance and her life.
Follow her at instagram.com/mela_amaiya/
Learn more at lifetemple.com / www.melaamaiya.com
