Nathalie Tedrick has performed in over 500 shows in 18 different countries, her first performance was at Cabaret Theater in Monte Carlo.
Submitted photo
In cable television land, there exists a perky teen whose classmates have not an inkling she moonlights as their favorite pop music princess. In Glen Ellen, there lives a down-to-earth young woman who tours the world as one of the aptly named Bellydance Superstars. Happily, both the fictional Hannah Montana and the living, breathing Nathalie Tedrick are on fast tracks to stardom.
Tedrick has lived in Glen Ellen since the age of three with her mother Terry Roberts, a teacher at Altimira Middle School, her sculptor father Bryan Tedrick and her 17-year-old brother, Jacob. Roberts, who was a jazz dancer, took her impressionable five-year-old daughter to a performance of the “Nutcracker.” That transformative experience led to Tedrick’s insistence that her parents enroll her in a numerous dance classes.
At 15, Tedrick was asked by her best friend, Molly Molotsky, to join her in a belly dance class taught by Anne Ziemienski. Next up were weekly private lessons with the Ziemienski, an experienced dancer whose stage name is “Safi.” Tedrick went on to study with two seasoned dancers, Terry Deljourno and Dhyanis, in their San Anselmo studios.
Last April, Tedrick auditioned for the Bellydance Superstars, a company that formed in 2003 and has since performed some 500 shows in 18 countries, and was asked to join the company. After two months of training in Monaco, Tedrick first performed with the company at the glamorous Cabaret Theater adjacent to the main casino in Monte Carlo. Dressed in colorful and bejeweled Egyptian-made costumes, the 20-year-old Tedrick, along with her Bellydance Superstars co-stars, has thrilled audiences on stages throughout Monaco, England, Canada and the United States.
“Although it was a great experience to visit Europe, I preferred the U.S. and Canadian tour that just ended because I was able to perform every night,” said Tedrick. “A typical day on the U.S. tour consisted of getting up at 9 a.m., riding in the ‘Belly Bus,’ making a lunch stop, traveling on the bus for a few hours more, rehearsing at the venue, eating dinner and then performing in the show!”
The grueling tour allowed for little sightseeing. On the road, the health-conscious dancers preferred lunch stops at Whole Foods and caffeine breaks at Starbucks. The locations also offered a little slice of the familiar during a whirlwind mélange of theaters and hotel rooms. Tedrick says that she had a “blast,” but is happy to be back home with her parents and brother for a few months before she embarks on a tour of the west coast in February.
To keep her slippered foot in, Tedrick will share her talents with local women by teaching a belly dance workshop at the Sebastiani Theater on Jan. 5, 1-3 p.m. The workshop will start with a warm-up, continue with the teaching of basic belly dance technique, continue with a short combination dance and end with a cool-down. The cost of the workshop is $50 and is open to all interested women.
“Belly dance was created by women, for women and that’s what the day is all about,” said Tedrick. “A lot of women are held back from taking dance because they feel they won’t fit in, but I want to make everyone feel welcome. Belly dance is a great exercise because it is low-impact on joints while providing endurance, flexibility and strength.”
Next year will prove to be a busy one for Tedrick and the Bellydance Superstars. There will be a month-long tour of the west coast, including a March 1 show at the Marin Civic Center and a March 2 performance at the Napa Valley Opera House. The following month, a tour of Italy begins and in August, it’s off to Taiwan for a series of performances.
“My philosophy is that if I keep myself involved with at least one thing I love, I am on the right path,” explained Tedrick. “I believe that if I stay on that path, it will lead to more and then more.”
To participate in the Belly Dance Workshop, contact Tedrick by phone at 707.695.3491 or through e-mail at twinkle5678toes@yahoo.com. To learn more about Bellydance Superstars, go to www.bellydancesuperstars.com.
