Aela Badiana, an award winning performer and choreographer, has been dancing in one form or another for most of her life. Born and raised in Germany, she studied gymnastics as a child. At the age of 13 she found her love for dance: ballroom dancing and modern jazz dance. Aela included Aerobic and weight training into her workout plans and became a group fitness instructor. It wasn’t until 2001 when she saw the group Orient and Okzident perform at a park that she fell in love with the art of belly dance. Aela joined the group and has been belly dancing ever since. May 2002 was her grand stage debut. At the same time she was also introduced ATS. With her teacher Shazadi she watched the Fat Chance Belly dance tapes, and started experimenting.
In August 2002 she moved to Stuttgart, where she took lots of classes from various teachers, both German and from the various countries of Raqs Sharkie, giving her a broad spectrum of modern, traditional, folkloristic and experimental belly dance.
Late 2002 she began to teach on a weekly basis and with those wonderful students, she organized her first show called "Aisha’s Quest" in March 2003. The dances of the show were woven into a story written by Aela and her Husband. Ever since, Aela and her dance troupes have been heavily involved in the community; volunteering their talent to many fundraisers and community events.
2005 , after moving back to Virginia, she entered in the East Coast Belly dance classics and placed 3rd in the headliner division. Work shops, shows and haflas in the US followed and finally in August 2006 she opened her own studio in Gloucester VA called Body Wave. Her dance groups Wicked Hips Tribal and G-Town Amiras finally had their home and a place to practice because the very first Tribal Delight with Sharon Kihara delighted the community. Not long after that they received a call transferred back to Germany. Aela went back to the place where it all started for her. Wicked Hips Germany was established and she tought numerous WS and classes. She also completed her own training manual for tribal dancers, managed to get her AFAA certification as a Personal Trainer, Yoga Fit Instructor certification, and her Wellness and nutritional counselor certificate through AFPA. Tribal delight with Sharon Kihara, both 2007 and 2008 where a huge success and continued in Williamsburg Virginia, 2009 with the amazing Frederique'. In May of 2010, Aela delighting the belly dance community with not only Sharon Kihara once again but Amira from Switzerland, Tiziano from Switzerland, Howeida from Germany, and Sabua from Germany. It was an event to remember. Later on in the same year, Aela hosted the Silent Sirens Theatre production of "Nosferatu" in which she and Wicked Hips performed alongside belly dance legends Ariellah, Frederique' and Christina of Black Lotus Clothing. With Tribal Delight 2011 just around the corner (March 5th), Aela turns her attention towards an event that is sure to amaze everyone in the community. Tribal Delight 2011 will feature the one and only Jill Parker, along with workshops and performances by Kaitlyn and the amazing Onca'. The theme is the 1893 Chicago World Fair where American audiences were first treated to the art of belly dance by none other than "Little Egypt". Let us bring you back in time and entertain with a night like no other.
Aela is always striving to bring new and exciting ideas and events to the belly dance community. Her hunger and thirst for advancing the art form are an inspiration to many.
Her first Instructional DVD is available on Amazon.com click here
Aela has already started to film her second DVD. Stay tuned for more information.
~ Some of the questions Aela often receives ~
Question: In a few sentences, tell us a little about the differences between dancing in Europe and Turkey.
Aela: “Well, first you have to understand that Germany is full of immigrants from Turkey, North Africa and most Arabic countries. Often times, or better yet most of the time, you are performing for audiences from these regions. This gave me a better understanding and a deeper appreciation for their traditions. I also learned that choreography doesn’t mean anything to these audiences and you never know what will happen! It is unpredictable and you must be prepared to adapt at all times. You really have to know your stuff! Plus often times you perform to live music and some how live is always faster than recorded music. Occasionally I felt like I was running a marathon…”
Question: How is the tribal scene in Stuttgart Germany?
Aela: “When I got to Stuttgart in Jan 2002, there was no tribal scene, at least in my area. There was one other tribe, really nice girls, some of them also dance with WHT Germany. We had a great relationship. Their leader Senah let us use her studio to film the instructional part of my DVD! But that was the only other tribal enthusiasts. It always felt, and sometimes I was told by the well established people in the area that no one likes Tribal anyways. So it was a struggle at times. Now, a few years later, there are tribes popping up all over the place. German students are great, their main goal is to be authentic, and they work really hard. I was lucky to meet two teachers Ayascha and Howeida, who really got hooked on Tribal, along with their students. We had many great WS together and I can’t wait to see what will happen over the years. In other parts of Germany Tribal has been alive for much longer and there are incredible performers. One of them that immediately comes to mind is Nagaan. He was a guest performer at Tribal Delight 08, as well as the Rabentöchter from Dillenburg. “
Question: What are your goals for the next few years:
Aela: “Well, first off, I want to have a good move back to the US. That is one of my priorities at the moment :) . But after that… well, I can’t wait to be a part of the dance scene in Virginia again. Hopefully I can pick up where I left off and continue to bring good WS concepts and exciting choreographies to other dancers. Of course I want to keep on learning and experiencing with other teachers. One of my biggest dreams is to invite all of my German dance colleges and my troops from Stuttgart to come to Virginia to get to know my American troop members, and to put on a real International show.
Inshallah!”