Ishtar Dance Collective

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Ishtar Dance Collective The Ishtar Dance Society is a community-driven platform dedicated to celebrating dance, fostering collaboration, and bridging cultural connections.
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Discover events, workshops, and opportunities that bring artists and communities together.✨ The Ishtar Dance Society is a registered non-profit organization, which is committed to celebrating and preserving the cultural richness of Raqs Sharqi (شرقي رقص ) and South West Asian and North African (SWANA) dance arts, commonly known as Belly Dance. Through performance, education, and community engagement, we strive to uphold professional standards, artistic excellence, and respect for the roots of the art form.

✨Vision:

Our vision is to create a community where Raqs Sharqi dance is celebrated and appreciated for its cultural richness and diversity. We aim to be at the forefront of this movement, using community events, local talent showcases, international collaborations to educate, inspire and foster a sense of global community.

✨Mission:

The Ishtar Dance Collective Society is a non-profit organization dedicated to promoting Raqs Sharqi dance through community events, performances, and workshops. Our mission is to provide a platform for local multicultural talent to showcase their skills, to bring international artists to our community to teach and inspire, and to share our love and passion for belly dance with the world. We strive to create a safe and inclusive environment where individuals can express themselves, learn from one another, and celebrate diversity.

✨Values:

Our core values are respect for diversity, preservation and promotion of cultural heritage, empowerment of women through dance, dedication to education and continuous learning, creativity and expression through art, and commitment to community engagement and collaboration. We hold these values dear as they guide our decision-making, shape our culture, and help us stay true to our mission.

Let's dance!Spend the day with Nourah Bellydancer exploring Egyptian technique, musicality, choreography and learn how t...
10/19/2026

Let's dance!

Spend the day with Nourah Bellydancer exploring Egyptian technique, musicality, choreography and learn how to elevate your performance!

💪Fun fact: Outside of dance, Nourah is passionate about high-intensity training and fitness. She loves challenging herself by participating in obstacle-course races!

Two workshops.
One Hafla.
A whole day of dance.

The days festivities will be held at the historic & gorgeous Doherty Hall, located on the Calgary Stampede Performing Arts Campus.

📅 November 21, 2026
📍 Doherty Hall, Calgary, Alberta
🎶 Live music by Hawaa Hawa

Come learn. Come dance. Come celebrate with us. ✨

🔗 Registration + full details through the link in our bio.

✨ NOURAH GRANDA HAFLA & WORKSHOP ✨Save the date! November 21, 2026 in Calgary Alberta.💃Join us at historic Doherty Hall ...
10/17/2026

✨ NOURAH GRANDA HAFLA & WORKSHOP ✨

Save the date! November 21, 2026 in Calgary Alberta.💃

Join us at historic Doherty Hall for two workshops with Nourah Bellydancer :

✨ Egyptian Technique Lab
Footwork • Moves • Shimmies • Turns • Conditioning

✨ Egyptian Pop — From Technique to Stage
Choreography • Musicality • Performance

Then we dance into the evening with a 7–10pm Hafla, featuring live music by Hawaa Hawa.🎶

Workshops by day. Hafla by night. ❤️

🔗 Registration + details in our bio link.

Workshop registration closes November 13 at 12pm.

✨ We’re back...and we have something exciting to share! Ishtar Dance Society is thrilled to welcome Nourah Bellydancer, ...
10/16/2026

✨ We’re back...and we have something exciting to share!

Ishtar Dance Society is thrilled to welcome Nourah Bellydancer, founder of Toronto’s Hashtaka Bellydance Studio, to Calgary! 💃

Nourah is an internationally recognized dancer and teacher with a passion for Egyptian dance, musicality and helping dancers find their own expression.

And a fun fact? Before becoming a full-time dancer and studio owner, she studied Computer Systems & Networking... and she’s currently back in school pursuing a Diploma in Business Management! ✨

Join us November 21 for two workshops with Nourah, followed by an evening Hafla.

📍 Doherty Hall
🔗 Details + registration in our bio

We can’t wait to dance with you! ❤️

10 days of yeehaw > yallah 🤠 Calgary Stampede
07/08/2026

10 days of yeehaw > yallah 🤠 Calgary Stampede

It’s Calgary Stampede Season! And we’re serving prairie goddess energy 🌻 🤠 What’s your favourite Stampede combo?
07/06/2026

It’s Calgary Stampede Season! And we’re serving prairie goddess energy 🌻 🤠

What’s your favourite Stampede combo?

05/23/2026

Thank you to Madhuban Performing Arts for continuing to help amplify this important conversation within the dance community.

They stand with artists advocating for fair compensation, professionalism, respectful working environments, and stronger standards across the industry. ✨

We also appreciate the dancers and community members who have shared their experiences and perspectives with honesty and vulnerability.

These conversations are not always easy, but they are necessary. Change begins when communities are willing to listen, reflect, and support one another with empathy.

We also wanted to share that the report and data from our spring initiative are almost complete, and we look forward to sending them out to our community very soon.🌷

Community nights like this are such an important reminder of why the arts matter ✨Ishtar Dance Society would like to ext...
05/17/2026

Community nights like this are such an important reminder of why the arts matter ✨

Ishtar Dance Society would like to extend our sincere gratitude to Eastern Dance Studio and Galina Busova for bringing together such a beautiful evening of dance, creativity, and connection. The atmosphere was filled with support, inspiration, and genuine love for the art form.

Lyla and Sakinah of Diamonds of Ishtar were honoured to perform among so many gifted artists and to share in an evening that celebrated both individuality and community through movement and music.

Thank you to everyone who attended, performed, and helped create such a memorable experience. We are so grateful to be part of this vibrant dance community 💙🌊

Exciting announcement coming soon! ✨Save the date!
05/06/2026

Exciting announcement coming soon! ✨

Save the date!

Greetings dance community!We’d love for you to join us this Sunday from 10:00 AM – 12:00 PM (MDT) for our online Communi...
04/30/2026

Greetings dance community!

We’d love for you to join us this Sunday from 10:00 AM – 12:00 PM (MDT) for our online Community Listening Session.

As part of the session, we’ll be sharing high-level insights from our recent anonymous survey, with aggregated data that honours anonymity while supporting transparency and shared understanding.

This is a meaningful opportunity to show up for one another and help shape the future of our community. Your presence and perspective are genuinely valued, and we hope you can be there - even if just for a portion.

Please register if you haven’t already and meet the facilitators below. Even if you’re unable to attend, we encourage you to register so we can make sure you receive the meeting notes directly.

Registration link in comments. 🔗👇


💫 Meet Parker-

We’re excited to introduce one of our facilitators, Parker Chapple (they/them), a valued board member and passionate arts advocate in our community.

Parker is the creative force behind BadAss Creative, where they support entrepreneurs, artists, and nonprofits in bringing bold ideas to life. Their work blends strategy with artistry - helping organizations move from vision to ex*****on with clarity, structure, and momentum.

With a background in project management, fund development, and operations, Parker has a talent for transforming complex ideas into tangible, successful outcomes. Their impact spans major arts and community initiatives, including leadership roles with Beakerhead and Calgary Pride, where they significantly expanded participation, engagement, and funding.

Beyond the numbers, Parker is known for creating meaningful, well-crafted experiences and for helping teams cut through overwhelm so they can focus on what truly matters.

As a facilitator, Parker brings a thoughtful, solutions-oriented approach grounded in collaboration, creativity, and care.

We’re grateful to have their voice helping guide this conversation.

💫 Meet Serena-

We’re honoured to introduce one of our facilitators, Serena Kerbes (she/her), a longtime member of our community and dedicated advocate for the SWANA dance arts.

A former performer with the Ishtar Dance Collective, Serena continues to support the dance community from behind the scenes, where she finds joy in choreography, mentorship, and helping creative work come to life. She is a former director of The Little Fish Dance Co., and remains deeply committed to fostering connection, growth, and integrity within the community.

Serena holds a Bachelor of Arts in Dance from the University of Calgary and brings a strong foundation in both artistic practice and professional development. In her work beyond the arts, she is a Professional Development Associate in Corporate Learning with the Chartered Professional Accountants (CPA), where she supports education and growth in a different, but complementary, capacity.

As a proud board member and treasurer of the Ishtar Society, Serena plays an important role in sustaining and strengthening the organization.

She is a thoughtful advocate for maintaining the dignity and professionalism of Raqs Sharqi and SWANA dance forms, and brings a grounded, values-driven perspective to her work as a facilitator.

We’re grateful to have her guiding this conversation with care, experience, and deep respect for the art form.


Thank you for being part of this community, we look forward to being in conversation with you.🧿💛

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Calgary, AB

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