Grace Constantine
Bio
Grace is a lifelong dancer, and her belly dance journey began over twenty years ago. She is the founder & artistic director of Deviant Dance Company, and maintains a thriving teaching practice at The Lair, her private studio in Portland, Oregon. She has taught improv bellydance workshops for ivy-league (Columbia University) and public schools (Portland Public School District), and is proud to be an instructor at TribalFest, JamBallah, & Belly Dance Cave Camp. Grace won Zaghareet! Magazine's Golden Belly award for Best Kept Secret in Belly Dance in 2008. Her passion and stage presence have enthralled audiences across the country. Her unique style is imbued with intricate beauty, wild improvisation, and powerful storytelling.
Grace's solo dances are always improvised. Deviant describes her philosophy: that each dancer must be different--deviating from everyone else, for every dancer has a unique spirit, a singular mythology that comes from experience and imagination that no other can describe. Grace devotes her art to representing both the light and the dark, that which is sacred, sensual, and absurd. She strives to express in dance the magic of this strange world with devotion and reverence.
Grace took her first belly dance lessons in 1990, and began dedicated study with Tatseena in 1996 at the age of nineteen. She has also studied modern, tap, Haitian, and West African dances, and began learning yoga at the age of three. Grace has straddled the worlds of urban culture and untamed nature all her life. Her Native American culture colored her early summers on the reservation in the Arizona desert (Grace is a proud member of the Maricopa Indian Tribe), and remain a counterpoint to her life as an urban indian. She has always been most inspired by nature, and has extensively studied & worked in horticulture & wildlife habitat. Grace's work is further inspired by her world travels, and the beauty she has seen along the way.
Grace is incredibly grateful to her many instructors over the years, but special mention must be given to Grace's teacher and director Tatseena, who has nurtured Grace's talents for over a decade, and to the groundbreaking Bert Balladine, whom Grace was incredibly fortunate to have had the opportunity to study with, and whose contributions to the art helped shape bellydance in the United States.
Tribal Fest Instructor and Performer 2001–02, 2006, 2009, 2011, 2012
Grace performed both as part of troupes, and as a solo artist at Tribal Fest many times over the last decade. She was asked to become a Tribal Fest workshop instructor in 2009.
Columbia University (New York) Workshop Instructor 2011
Golden Belly award for Best Kept Secret 2008
Grace won Zaghareet! Magazine's Golden Belly award for Best Kept Secret in Bellydance in 2008
Belly Dance Fantasy Festival Instructor and Performer 2002–2011
This event heavily features live music, and Grace has been performing at this event with artists such as Reda Darwish, Mary Ellen Donald, Doug Adamz, and Flowers of the Nile, for the last decade. She has also been a Fantasy Festival workshop instructor at this festival since 2005.
Rakkasah Performer 1998–2004, 2007–2008
Grace performed both as part of troupes, and as a solo artist at Rakkasah many times over the last thirteen years, as they provided Grace with the opportunity to collaborate with musicians such as Rajab Juma & Omar Tarek, Helm, & Light Rain.
The Rose City Rollers 2007
At this event at the Portland Expo Center, Grace was asked to be the halftime performance for an audience of five thousand people. She performed to live music provided by Chris Beck & Friends.
California Renaissance Fair 2004
Grace was asked to perform with her dance partner Qamar at the Renaissance Faire. Live music at this event was provided by Tufan.
In addition to those performances listed above, Grace Constantine has danced in many other venues, events, and festivals. These include both private events and large corporate events. She has also performed in many restaurants, including the Marrakech in San Francisco, where she once again had the opportunity to collaborate live with the amazing musician Reda Darwish. Grace is a frequent performer at The Fez Ballroom, performing with musical groups such as Raquy & the Cavemen, and has shared billing at Salon L'Orient multiple times with performers such as Rachel Brice & Colleena Shakti.
A small Selection of Grace’s Professional Experience
Music
Instructors
Some musicians Grace has had the privilege of performing with LIVE
Teachers Grace has had the honor of studying with
Photos by Gene Newell & Scott Belding
