ABOUT FAARIA & KENZIE
Faaria
Faaria (Claire Lynch) started teaching belly dance to a small group of students at a ballet studio in 2003. Faaria discovered that sharing belly dance with students through teaching weekly classes was her calling.
Faaria's training in ballet and modern dance coupled with her belly dance training were all put to good use. Faaria realized that introducing belly dance to beginners and continuing their dance enjoyment in upper levels gave her a deep sense of accomplishment and joy. Enjoying every student's successes in class is what drives Faaria to offer fun, challenging and joyful belly dance classes for the women of WNY.
As Faaria's student base grew so did her vision for her new home studio. Oasis Dance Center is now the haven where students come as they are, and leave with a smile. Faaria teaches beginner through advanced level belly dance classes at Oasis. Faaria has been sharing belly dance with women and teens since 2003 in the Buffalo and WNY area.
Faaria has had the pleasure to teach workshops at the Goddess Hour, STORM Buffalo, SUNY Fredonia, Canisius College, the University at Buffalo Summer Dance Program and countless other venues in addition to her regular weekly classes.
Faaria has a lifetime full of experience in Western dance forms and spent her younger years concentrating on training in ballet and modern dance. Her belly dance education is never ending. Faaria has and continues to participate in workshop training with some of the most highly acclaimed belly dancers in the U.S and around the world.
Faaria brings her training and experience to class and consistently presents a fun, challenging class for belly dance students at every level.
You can contact Faaria at 716-698-0288 or at faaria@oasisdancecenter.com.
Kenzie
Born and raised in Buffalo, NY, Kenzie is a second generation belly dancer with an insatiable passion for the art of Egyptian dance. Her dance journey began with ballet and modern dance classes as a child, and she would often follow her mother to her belly dance classes and rehearsals just to watch. As a teen, Kenzie studied ballet and modern under master instructors Kerry Ring and Lisa Taylor in her hometown, and spent summers at the New York State Summer School for the Arts.
Kenzie’s journey into Middle Eastern dance began in her early teen years, and by the age of 17 she was professionally performing at Egyptian, Lebanese and Pakastani weddings, festivals, restaurants and hookah lounges around the Buffalo area alongside her mentor Faaria.
Kenzie earned her BFA in Dance from SUNY Fredonia, where she was the recipient of several talent scholarships and performed with the college’s pre-professional dance company. Kenzie is a strong believer in being an eternal student and travels around the US, Canada and abroad to study with the best in the industry. Kenzie completed Sahra Kent's Journey through Egypt program that included three weeks of study in Cairo, Luxor and Aswan, Egypt in April and May 2018.
Kenzie has been invited to perform and teach across the Upstate NY area and Ontario at various events including Artpark's production of "The Odyssey," Lehrer Dance's "Gallery Dances" at the Burchfield-Penney Art Center, Buffalo State’s annual Culture Show, Canisius College’s Arab Night, the International Institute's "Buffalo Without Borders," SUNY Fredonia’s International Education Week, UB’s Israel Week, and Hilel Buffalo’s Israeli Carnival. Some of her accomplishments include winning 1st place at the East Coast Classic in the Professional Cabaret category and bringing home the silver medal at the Euro Crown Competition in Thessaloniki, Greece.
You can contact Kenzie at 716-598-1815 or kenziebellydance@gmail.com.
Faaria and Kenzie are the mother-daughter duo behind everything at Oasis Dance Center. Learn more about their unique dance journeys below!