Tonya Chianis

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Tonya Chianis (* before 1992) is a belly dancer , singer and author .

Life

Chianis first learned ballet , but then switched to belly dancing, which she learned from Aisha Ali within five months. She married the Greek clarinetist and bouzouki player Andreas Chianis and had a daughter with him named Atlantis, who also became a belly dancer. Together with this she founded and leads the Bellydancer of the Universe Competition in Long Beach , California , an international belly dance competition. The duo released over 100 belly dance videos and DVDs, as well as several music CDs . Chianis also designs costumes for belly dance and currently teaches it at various Californian colleges and the Southern California Dance Academy. She has served as President and Vice President of the Beach Cities Chapter of the Middle Eastern Culture and Dance Association (MECDA) and has received numerous awards for her work across the United States, including the Teacher of the Year Award from the International Academy of Middle Eastern Dance. In 1992 she was seen as a holographic fire sculptor in the episode Wedding with Obstacles of the television series Spaceship Enterprise - The Next Century . She also wrote and published a book called Insights and Inspirations for Dancers .

Awards

  • Middle Eastern Culture and Dance Association: Hall of Fame Award
  • Middle Eastern Culture and Dance Association: Humanitarian Award
  • International Academy of Middle Eastern Dance: Best Teacher Award
  • International Academy of Middle Eastern Dance: Teacher of the Year Award
  • Zahgareet Magazine: Promoter of the Year
  • Zaghareet Magazine: Best Event - Belly Dancer of the Universe Competitions
  • International Dance and Theater Arts Association, Kansas City, Missouri: Promoter of the Year

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. Bellydancer of the Universe - Producers' Bios: Tonya at bellydanceroftheuniverse.com. Retrieved June 20, 2019.
  2. Bellydancer of the Universe Competition 2007 at bellydanceroftheuniverse.com. Retrieved June 20, 2019.