Artist, Actress & Coach
Hello and welcome to my world of dance and artistry. Read my fancy third person bio or scroll down to find out more about what you can gain from my teaching…
Having studied music, drama and dance since the age of 2, Dorte Evelyn, also known as Ishtar, is famous for her fabulous performances and strong stage presence. Her background as an actress and theatre choreographer teamed with her extensive training in Ballroom, Latin, Jazz and Middle Eastern dance, gives her an elegant intensity and energy which captivates the hearts and minds of her audiences. See a full list of her qualifications and achievements here.
She has been featured on national British television, graced the cover of the Bellydance magazine MADN, as well as various regional and local newspapers. Ishtar holds the only nationally recognised Belly Dance teaching qualification (JWAAD), but is also a trained educationalist and performer with a Honours Degree and Masters from University of the Arts, London. She is renowned for her excellent teaching skills and high standards of dance, stage and performance technique.
Originally from Denmark, Ishtar has performed, taught and trained all over the world. She’s lived and performed in Egypt, but since 2004 been based in the UK. She runs regular classes and workshops throughout the South East, and is also a much sought after speaker on all things dance, including the history and culture surrounding Oriental Dance and Bollywood.
Ishtar specialises in Egyptian and postnatal Belly Dance, but also masters Turkish, folkloric and fusion variations of the dance, as well as Bollywood, Ballroom and Latin. She is a member of the celebrated performance group Johara, a former member of the Company of Dreams, and the creative director of the dance troupe Karisimi.
She continues to train extensively with some of the most sought-after international Oriental Master Teachers such as Aziza, Dina, Jo Wise, Luna of Cairo, Yasmina of Cairo, Sadie, Sara Farouk, Dandesh, Serena and Hossam Ramzy, Mohamed Kazafy, Eman Zaki, Khaled and Tito just to name a few.
Visit the gallery for more dance photos and videos. Read more about Ishtar’s experience here.
So who is Ishtar and what can she teach me
Well, first of all Ishtar is my stage name, so please call me Dorte. Secondly, what you need to learn changes depending on where you are on your dance journey. But I basically help women shed their doubts and nerves and find their true dance potential. My students come from all walks of life and want to achieve different things when it comes to dancing. For some it may be their life long dream of performing on stage, for others to improve their posture or simply feel more confident when going about everyday life. No matter what the background or goal is, I ensure my students become the best dancer they can possibly be and move forwards with their technique, confidence and dreams.
I believe in finding your flow and performing from the heart’ Meaning, feeling and enjoying the quality of the movement, not just executing it. True dancers melt into the three M’s: moment, movement and music. To do so, you need to have good technique to support you, but also the confidence and knowledge to deliver a good performance and ideally loose yourself in the fun of it!
I don’t just teach dance – I develop dancers and help them grow.
Find out more on my blog.
Want to know more?
Here are 8 random facts about me:
- I’m grateful to have what I consider the worlds most patient husband and most adorable son.
- I was born and raised in Denmark, but have travelled and lived all over the world and speak 5 different languages [although not all of them equally good!].
- I grew up on a farm and was a bit of a tomboy as a child.
- I’m partly pescatarian, although I also eat ‘happy’ poultry, which has been raised in human and ideally organic and free range conditions [because growing up on a farm taught me to cherish animals and their welfare].
- I’ve got a green belt in Jiu-Jitsu and have attended the Danish Open in Martial Arts.
- I used to write and sing my own songs and even released a CD back in 2003.
- I love baking, even though I rarely ever eat cake.
- I’m passionate about wildlife and nature, and love diving and snorkelling. I believe we need to do more to help our planet and therethrough ultimately ourselves – and have therefore started the movement Generation Gaia, which you can follow in Instagram at @generation_gaia
