Bio
Tori is a dance artist, performance coach, and choreographer based in Boise, Idaho and Los Angeles, California. Tori first fell in love with dance watching VHS tapes of the Royal Cambodian Ballet rented from the local Oriental Market. When pretending to Riverdance in the living room was no longer enough, Tori opened up a yellow book and enrolled herself in her first ballet class at age 8 and hasn't stopped dancing since.
Although Tori trained as a professional ballet and contemporary dancer, her heart lies in Middle East and North African dances, where she is a forever-student of folklore, modern raqs sharki or belly dance, and fusion dances. With a perpetual interest in bridging societal and cultural divides, Tori uses dance as a tool to educate and inspire as many people as possible to value our differences (and of course to get up and move to the beat).
Although Tori trained as a professional ballet and contemporary dancer, her heart lies in Middle East and North African dances, where she is a forever-student of folklore, modern raqs sharki or belly dance, and fusion dances. With a perpetual interest in bridging societal and cultural divides, Tori uses dance as a tool to educate and inspire as many people as possible to value our differences (and of course to get up and move to the beat).
Tori has been the creative director for the critically acclaimed Big Bad-Ass Belly Dance Show and The Art of Belly Dance in Boise, Idaho. Tori is the recipient of grants from the Boise City Department of History and Art, Idaho Commission on the Arts, and the National Endowment for the Arts. She has a BA in Theatre and Political Economics from the College of Idaho and an MFA in Choreography from Jacksonville University.
For more videos and images, please visit the Gallery.
Experience
Scroll to the bottom of the page for Tori's full Curriculum Vitae
From a young age Tori has taken classes in many dance genres, most notably classic and modern ballet. She has participated in professional ballet performances and performed musical theatre styles at The College of Idaho. Tori started her belly dance journey as a professional apprentice under Cecilia Rinn and StarBelly School of Dance. She has taken workshops from many talented and beautiful dancers, and makes a point to do specific trainings and workshops in belly dance styles several times a year. Tori has trained extensively in ballet, pointe, jazz, lyrical/contemporary and modern dance in Idaho and in Europe. Tori has experience in Broadway styles through theatrical training as well as a BA in Theatre Arts and has participated in pointed dance and pedagogy trainings such as the Arab Dance Seminar, the Pomegranate SEEDs Teacher Training, and the Limon Dance Foundation Home Edition II Teacher Training.
From a young age Tori has taken classes in many dance genres, most notably classic and modern ballet. She has participated in professional ballet performances and performed musical theatre styles at The College of Idaho. Tori started her belly dance journey as a professional apprentice under Cecilia Rinn and StarBelly School of Dance. She has taken workshops from many talented and beautiful dancers, and makes a point to do specific trainings and workshops in belly dance styles several times a year. Tori has trained extensively in ballet, pointe, jazz, lyrical/contemporary and modern dance in Idaho and in Europe. Tori has experience in Broadway styles through theatrical training as well as a BA in Theatre Arts and has participated in pointed dance and pedagogy trainings such as the Arab Dance Seminar, the Pomegranate SEEDs Teacher Training, and the Limon Dance Foundation Home Edition II Teacher Training.
Selected Past Performances and Collaborations
Big Bad Ass Belly Dance Show at the Visual Arts Collective
The Art of Belly Dance at the Sapphire Room (this show has featured Delilah Flynn, Karim Nagi, Myra Krien and Cecilia Rinn)
small matters with Migration Theory
Sofia's Greek Bistro and the Taj Mahal of Boise with The Starbelly Dancers
Dances in the Tent of Rubies, Invaders of the Heart 2020: Flappers and Fringe, Boise Pride Fest, Steve Nelson Benefit Show, Trashion Show benefiting Idaho Rivers United, A Persian Night benefiting Tidwell Social Work Services & Consulting, Hyde Park Street Fair, Goddess Fest, Boise Library Comic Con, Frankly Burlesque Marathong, Pussy Cat Ball and other NUrse Productions Events, Treefort Music Festival, Capital Street Market, Idaho Renaissance Festival, Carnival Salsa Night at the Knitting Factory, St. Alphonsis Festival of Trees, International Dance Night: Boise Music Festival, Arabian Nights with the Serenata Orchestra, Day of the Young Child at the Idaho Botanical Gardens, Art in the Park, Live Work Create Garden City First Friday, We Art Women at Art Source Gallery and more!
The Art of Belly Dance at the Sapphire Room (this show has featured Delilah Flynn, Karim Nagi, Myra Krien and Cecilia Rinn)
small matters with Migration Theory
Sofia's Greek Bistro and the Taj Mahal of Boise with The Starbelly Dancers
Dances in the Tent of Rubies, Invaders of the Heart 2020: Flappers and Fringe, Boise Pride Fest, Steve Nelson Benefit Show, Trashion Show benefiting Idaho Rivers United, A Persian Night benefiting Tidwell Social Work Services & Consulting, Hyde Park Street Fair, Goddess Fest, Boise Library Comic Con, Frankly Burlesque Marathong, Pussy Cat Ball and other NUrse Productions Events, Treefort Music Festival, Capital Street Market, Idaho Renaissance Festival, Carnival Salsa Night at the Knitting Factory, St. Alphonsis Festival of Trees, International Dance Night: Boise Music Festival, Arabian Nights with the Serenata Orchestra, Day of the Young Child at the Idaho Botanical Gardens, Art in the Park, Live Work Create Garden City First Friday, We Art Women at Art Source Gallery and more!