Valeria Lo Iacono – Taking up belly dancing ten years ago, for me was a revelation. I was introduced to this type of dance by a friend Jeanan Haddad, from Iraq. My training includes ballet, jazz and tango, but oriental dance has been my favourite form of dance since I started practising it.

Since then, I performed in Seoul, South Korea, in various venues and I kept studying and improving my technique with great dancers such as Dandesh, Aida Noor, Yasmina, Sarah Farouk, Randa Kamel and Khaled Mahmoud. My dance style is focused especially on Egyptian raqs sharki, with some use of veil and finger cymbals.

In addition to practising oriental dance, performing and eventually teaching, I have created this website, because I wanted to give information on this art form. I try to make the site as informative as possible and also make it useful for the dance community, by adding oriental dance classes and events, as well as general information and tips.

Originally I was born in Sicily, Italy but I am now based between Cardiff, South Wales in the UK and Catania (Sicily, Italy). I travel to Egypt and Turkey usually two or three times a year and I am presently involved with belly dance in conjunction with dance therapy. Learning about dance therapy is an area which I am particularly interested in for the future.

Valeria continues to enjoy her belly dancing and can be seen at many workshops and classes in the UK. You are bound to see Valeria at some point if you dance in the UK. If you want to learn belly dance at beginners level in Cardiff, Wales you can contact Valeria.

World Belly Dance Promo

Other Performances

• Dancing in Seoul, South Korea - as reported in the Korean Herald.