Heather Bougie I first was introduced to Middle Eastern Dance when I worked in Northern Ontario, Canada.  Sheila Petrachenko, a fellow physiotherapist, was my teacher.  Most of the gals from work, a massage therapist or two and we had our troupe.  We came together to share, to be with each other, to laugh, to cry and to dance.   My most memorable time of dancing together was at an ethnic festival dancing to "the dance of peace."  The energy we shared, that we came together to create and to give away to the audience, was extraordinary.   That energy made people stop what they were doing to look, it drew them in towards us like little kids that can sense something special and want to be a part of it.  Truly, time stood still and in my heart it felt like heaven and earth were came together and were inseparable.  I wanted more of that! So I took classes here and there over the years-Appleton, WI and  here in Milwaukee, always looking for that special energy of the dance, looking for women who wanted to come together to celebrate their femaleness, their oneness in the dance.  Meet great teachers but no one that had that spark, that understanding of the "holiness" if you will, of the dance. Funny thing is, I saw Stefanie Master's picture and bio 3 years before we hooked up.  I felt a connection, felt "the spark" and knew we would come together eventually.  I kept the paper.  I still have it.  And now we dance... For me, belly dancing, especially Tribal dance, is about celebrating our unique, divine femininity and our oneness as a female tribe, all at once.  It is a safe haven where you can be the essence of who you came here to be, no extraneous layers between yourself and others, a place to grow and discover who you are and who you are becoming.  A place of healing.  A place where those around you will hold space for you as you grow, with genuine care in their hearts for you.  Didn't expect all that from a dance class but am most grateful for it. It continues to gently push me forward and carry me up when I am down. We dance together, each as ourselves and together as one.   Come join us... Heather Bougie