Iris Bellydance
Modern Oriental Expression with a balady heart
About Farha
Farha Egyptian Dance Company is the official showgroup for Iris Bellydance Eindhoven,
providing elegant and lively Oriental dance shows with an undeniably Egyptian flair.
Whether it’s baladi or shaabi, classical or modern Egyptian bellydance or folklore, Farha will bring you a show to remember!
With more than 20 years of experience under their hipbelts,
these dancers also possess a great sense of authenticity in movement quality, musical interpretation, staging and expression.
Farha consists of Melissa, Yvonne and Iris, 3 dedicated dancers who met in Iris’ classes many years ago.
They share a great love for Egyptian dances, but also bring their unique personalities,
interests and dance backgrounds to the table, resulting in a creative and dynamic collaboration.
Get to know the dancers below!
Melissa
Melissa is Farha’s youngest member. Her sense of humour and bubbly character add a nice and light dynamic to the group. Melissa started dancing at a very young age, as her aunt is a famous professional bellydancer in the Netherlands. As a little girl, she quickly fell in love with her aunt’s beautiful costumes and the music she used to dance to. From that moment on Melissa was sold and would continue her own dancing journey with a lot of passion and fun. Melissa studied with Halima and Ana before finding her place at Iris Bellydance. She loves tabla solos with a vengeance, has a big appetite for developing in various dance styles and is always eager to learn more.
Yvonne
Creative, passionate and a little stubborn: those are the words that describe Yvonne. She is a mother of 2 boys and owner of her very own bridal atelier in which she has over 20 years of experience. She has many talents, like designing and creating theatrical costumes, face painting and photography… but most of all: dance.
At a young age Yvonne started with streetdance, jazz and ballroom dancing for over 10 years. About 17 years ago she fell in love with bellydance. Yvonne instantly knew this dance combined the best of many worlds: vastly diverse dance styles, femininity and so much yet to learn. She loves a good electro shaabi and brings a unique approach to contemporary Arabic music due to her versatile dance background.
Iris
As trainer and lead choreographer, Iris is responsible for the mission and vision of Farha, the group she started with her very best dancers. Iris builds on a treasure trove of knowledge and experience, with over 20 years of intensive studies with various world renowned Egyptian master teachers and over 15 years of experience as a teacher and stage artist, performing and coaching dancers around the globe. She has won various international awards and is sought after for her authentic yet fresh approach to baladi, (electro)shaabi and Raks Sharki, helping dancers develop an 'Egyptian ear' for music. With Farha, Iris aims to show the diversity in Egyptian dances and dancers in it's best light, trailblazing with a message of body positivity within the international dance scene and beyond.
Photo & Video
Photography: Roberto Bogers
Video coming soon...
Upcoming appearances
