About Me

Who is this mysterious and sultry webmaster who runs Philly Raqs? What glamorous life does she lead? Do these questions keep you up at night? *Snort* Then, you're about to be sorely disappointed:

Name: Fatima
Residence: Philadelphia
Personal Website: You can visit my personal dance website for more info about me.

Why I started Philly Raqs: I had to take an html class and the final project was a website. I thought belly dancing would be a great topic since I always got frustrated trying to find restaurants, teachers, and workshops in the area. I liked the site so much, I decided to bring it out to the web. Plus, I was always so jealous of Belly Dance NY.

How I became interested in belly dance: A happy convergence of a few events. My husband is part Lebanese and I enjoyed dancing the debke with his family at various parties, weddings, etc. We also tend to eat at Middle Eastern restaurants pretty often, so I was intrigued at the dancers we would watch while dining. When a friend asked me to come with her to take a belly dance class at a studio near my home, I thought "Why not?" She lasted for one lesson, and I became obsessed.

Thanks to: All the workshop sponsors past, present, and future who allow me to promote Philly Raqs at their events. Next time you are in class or at a workshop, if you see my flyers or business cards there, you're probably dancing next to me. Say hi, I'll love it.

And thanks to all the wonderful area dancers who email me regularly with announcements, stories, websites, and general information - community support and involvement are what keeps this website going. It feels really good to run a site by a dancer for dancers, and receive so much support.