Smiling Lune is the Twin Cities’ premier theatrical fusion belly dance company. Led by director Kalila Indivar, Smiling Lune Dance blends the isolations of Middle Eastern dance with a variety of influences to produce a performance that is uniquely ours. We strive to push the boundaries of belly dance and challenge modern perceptions of this beautiful art form. This is not your mama’s bellydance.

Based in Minneapolis, Smiling Lune is available for performances, events, and instruction. We can design a unique experience just for you! For more information and pricing, contact kalila_AT_smilinglune_DOT_com.

Kalila Indivar

Director and Choreographer
Kalila Indivar discovered belly dance as an adult while searching for a way to become more active. She has never looked back. Beginning with local Oriental and folkloric classes, Kalila quickly developed a love for the richness of the vocabulary of dance. Later, as a choreographer, Kalila began to draw from her additional study of dance forms such as jazz and modern to add new words and phrases. Kalila founded Smiling Lune (originally Basimah Kamar) in 2005 to create accessible dance for a variety of audiences, expressing the full range of human experience through movement. Kalila and Smiling Lune have performed at venues around the Midwest, as well as locally at the Minnesota Fringe Festival, John Munger’s Rabbit Show, and at Patrick’s Cabaret. Kalila’s style has continued to evolve since discovering the technique of Suhaila Salimpour. She is currently certified level 1 and working toward level 2 in Suhaila’s technique. In addition, Kalila has been fortunate enough to study intensively with Heather Stants, Margo Abdo Odell, Deb Rubin, Ariellah, and Mira Betz. Kalila currently teaches at Bohemian Underground Workshop.

Shanaz Bahara

Assistant Director
Shanaz Bahara has been studying Belly Dance in numerous forms and styles since 2004, but she has had a life long relationship with the stage.  Her Belly Dance studies began with Tunisian and Egyptian styles, and over the years she has embraced numerous other forms of Belly Dance from all over the world including Turkish and numerous styles of Fusion. She is thrilled to be a part of Smiling Lune and Kalila Indivar’s unique, theatrical approach to Belly Dance.  Shanaz currently teaches beginner level Belly Dance at Bohemian Underground Workshop.

Bon Joony

Bon Joony (Bonnie Berquam), a Minnesota native, has been dancing all her life. She has studied Middle-Eastern dance at the Cassandra School for more than ten years and performs monthly in Twin Cities dance festivals, shows and parties. She prefers improvisational dance as she blends her various creative explorations with dance and causes audiences to wonder what she is up to next.

Katerina

Katerina (Katrina Dam) has been enchanted by belly dance since she was very young. As a child, she would imitate dancers, loving both the flowing motion and fabulous costuming. She began studying belly dance 10 years ago with Libbie Henderson. Focusing primarily on Oriental style belly dance and some folkloric, she then continued with Kathy McCurdy and Cassandra Shore at the Cassandra School. She has performed at the MN Renaissance Festival and the MN Fringe Festival. Katrina has a great love of dance and has also been performing Scottish Country and Scottish Step dancing for 15 years, and Morris dancing for 14 years. She is currently dancing with Smiling Lune, and is excited to be part of this year’s Fringe Festival.

Lishan

Lishan (Elizabeth Greenberg) started learning belly dance at Grinnell College in 2004, and much to her utter confusion, she found herself teaching intermediate classes there two years later. Since then, she’s been somewhat nomadic: she has studied at the Cassandra School and at Bohemian Underground Workshop, has taught Jewish-themed tribal-style dance at Mount Zion Temple, and dances wherever she can. She also thinks you should take Kalila Indivar’s technique class. Yes, you.

Former members

Martha Ockenfels-Martinez

Martha Ockenfels-Martinez began taking dance classes at the age of 3, training in tap, jazz, and ballet at her aunt’s dance studio. In high school she began taking modern dance classes, and it quickly became one of the closest dance forms to her heart. After college she began taking bellydance classes at Zenon with Emalee Kuberra, and she fell in love with this dance form that just felt ‘right’ with her body.

Susan Knutson

Susan had a brief start in modern and liturgical dance in and after college, then spent years dancing in salsa clubs in Houston, TX and performing International Folk Dance, especially Balkan and Turkish. She is relatively new to belly dance but has embraced it wholeheartedly, taking classes several times a week and attending workshops in order to learn as much and as quickly as she can. In addition to dancing with Smiling Lune, she is a proud member of the Bourgeois Bohemians, a recently formed Tribal Fusion belly dance company.