Ebony Qualls, International Fusion Belly Dancer
Ebony has taught and performed in multiple cities throughout Asia, Canada, Europe, South America and the United States. She has toured internationally with the world famous Bellydance Superstars and Bellydance Evolution and has performed in and choreographed for Zoe Jake’s House of Tarot. She is most honored to be a guest instructor on Rachel Brice’s Datura Online, the leading website for belly dance instructional videos.
Ebony has taught and presented at health and wellness events/centers Wanderlust, Lululemon, Daybreaker, Kripalu and Ecstatic Dance. She has performed onstage with Grammy nominated band Thievery Corporation, with electronic musician and performance artist Peaches, and with Turkish/Electronic fusion recording artist Oojami.
She is the co creator of the Black Bellydance Bundle, a project that increases diversity and inclusivity in the bellydance community.
She has guest performed with Solstice Ensemble, has directed fusion troupes Raquettes ShimmyPop and Raqs Caravan Urban, and is a soloist at a variety of engagements including restaurants, private parties, weddings, festivals, music videos, concerts and numerous theater performances.
Ebony’s playful spirit flavors both her performances and her approach to teaching belly dance since 2003. A combination of strong technique, musicality, and innovation are the foundations of her colorful dance presence. Ebony teaches and performs both traditional raqs sharqi and her own dynamic fusion belly dance style, which is fueled by her background in both oriental and urban dance genres.
Along with her love of dance, Ebony is in love with teaching. A founding instructor of Sahara Dance – Washington DC’s Center for Middle Eastern Dance, her students describe her as “approachable” and her classes as “fun” and “challenging”. She teaches weekly classes in both traditional and urban fusion formats and has choreographed for Raqs Sahara, Sahara Tribal, Raqs Caravan West and Raqs Caravan East. Newcomers to belly dance are Ebony’s favorite students, as they are a major source of inspiration to her.
Ebony continues her own regular dance studies and has trained with world-renowned master instructors from traditional raqs sharqi and tribal fusion circuits.