Amustela is an “American” style middle eastern or “belly” dancer. She has been dancing this style since 1995 when she studied under the renowned teacher/dancer Habiba at her studio in Philadelphia. With Habiba, Amustela studied the basics of Egyptian style cabaret.

Prior to 1995, she had a fascination with this dance form and learned what she could from many different teachers and even old "Sinbad" movies! Amustela was also active in American musical theater and honed her style by observing modern and jazz dance. She had the opportunity to dance professionally in Philadelphia at various restaurants, private parties and "belly-grams". Since moving to the Northern Virginia area, she has performed with Gypsophilia at the Maryland Renaissance Festival, is a regular feature at the Pars Restaurant in Fairfax, has taught both beginning level and dance for fitness classes, and is active with the Washington Area Middle Eastern Dance Association (WAMEDA). She has continued to study the dance, mostly through workshops with Suzanne DelVecchio, Cassandra, Noor-Jihan, the Turkish expert - Artemis and most recently with the legendary Adrianna.

To emphasize further on the background of Amustela's dance, her style and primary training is in the "Egyptian" Style Oriental Dance, but she has blended elements of Turkish and American theater to produce her own dynamic interpretation. Belly dance, as it is called in the U.S. or Raks Sharki is thought to be the oldest form of dance in the world. It has ancient origins -- originally thought to be from religious fertility and goddess rituals - and spread throughout the world with the armies of Alexander and the Roma of Egypt, Turkey, North Africa and Eastern Europe. Every culture contributed some elements to the dance form. Today it is a dance of celebration and can be enjoyed in night clubs and restaurants from Cairo to Istanbul to right here in the good old U.S.A.