I dance. I also love to play frame drum, finger cymbals, and sing. I believe movement and rhythm are technologies that help humans access presence, connection, and liberation. Tools for remembering our oneness with mother nature and the sacredness of all of life.Also known as bellydance and raqs sharqi, I teach and perform Middle Eastern, North African, Hellenic, Turkish, Central and South Asian inspired fusion dances. As an Italian-American, I am a grateful guest in the M.E.N.A.H.T. dance community.I share my life's work through my online and in-person training program, Dance Cohesion, in which I teach movement, music, and research that highlights the timeless beauty and modern versatility of bellydance. I’m humbled to have been invited to teach and perform in over 20 countries. When I’m not traveling, I am with my fur family at home in Austin, Texas, on the unceded territory of the Tickanwa-tic and Nʉmʉnʉʉ‎ peoples. I earned a master’s degree in Culture and Performance, and a bachelor’s in Dance from the University of California at Los Angeles in 2012, where I investigated bellydance history and was trained in choreographic method as well as a variety of dance disciplines.Since my raqs sharqi studies began in 1999 with Daleela Morad in Sacramento, California I have enjoyed touring with many classic and fusion artists, including Bellydance Superstars and UNMATA.I directed Rose Movement Studio in Austin from 2013 to 2018 where I developed a passion for hand percussion, gained valuable lessons on teaching and leadership, and made many cherished memories. Rose Movement Studio is now my online studio where I teach students from all over the world in weekly online classes.I like to take a thoughtful and playful approach to teaching dance which is shaped by my mentors and loved ones. They include my mother and studio director Ann DaPrato, my fusion dance teacher and friend Amy Sigil, the Egyptian dancers of the golden era, my raqs sharqi idol Aziza, Persian dance innovator Sharhzad Khorsandi, my yoga teacher Dixie Metz, frame drum teachers Miranda Rondeau and Marla Leigh, my graduate advisor Vic Marks, as well as friends, students, and colleagues from Rose Movement Studio and beyond.Thank you to all the dancers who paved the way for me.DANCE THOUGHTFULLY, DANCE PLAYFULLY,AR