Ishtar is a Belly Dance Artist, she is creative and original in her ideas of not only dance movement and dance imagery but also in costuming. She creates many of her own costumes as well as stylish and beautiful ones made in Egypt to convey, beautiful imagery in her dances. Being an expressive artist throughout her life in many mediums such as painting in watercolor and mixed medium, poetry of which some pieces have been published in anthologies. She has had at an early age her own designer clothing company “Bizarre Vanity” where she created 'one-of' fantasy and feminine fashions for the discerning fashion lover including a line of hand-painted and tie-dyed island resort wear for the resort shops back in the late 1980s. She creates her own stage props, dance choreographies, and dabbles in making many other items including jewelry. Creativity and originality is very much a part of her life and she has a definite style of her own in all that she touches.

Ishtar was born in the Pacific Islands, Fiji, her father being half Fijian and half Chinese, her mother half English and half French, so when asked the question what race are you?  She answers "Fruit Salad".  Both her parents were dancers mainly rock and roll and the fox trot and they encouraged her to dance from a very young age.  She danced ballet and started hatha yoga from 12yrs old and Polynesian dancing.  Her family had always owned resorts, motels and hotels, meant that she had a great exposure to 'entertainment' and what it is to 'Entertain'.   Later in life she enjoyed hip hop fusion with other dance styles that were on at her gym Les Mills for many years.  She found Belly dance after taking up advise from an Iraqi friend who recognized her innate ability to move her hips, that she should take up belly dancing.  So, she took up belly dancing in the year 2000 and excelled so well at it that she was dancing her first solo dance and other professional performances after just 9 months of training with the very well-known and much loved Belly Dancer Monique Feron.  From there she found her beloved friend and talented Raks Sharki dancer Helen Ferris who  spent much of her life as a professional entertainer and bellydancer in the Arab Clubs in the UK.  Other wonderful teachers she has had the pleasure to take workshops from and had the greatest impact on her dance are none other than the beautiful and talented belly dancer Amera from Sydney, Elenie from Brisbane, Serena and Hossam Ramzy from the UK and Keti Sharif from Perth, her early foundation teachers plus the many Egyptian and International bellydancers she has watched on video and attended their workshops. The later influences came from Super Star Dina of Egypt, Super Star Randa Kamel, Super Star Dandesh, Famous choreographer/teacher Raqia Hassan, and Egyptian Doa Salam from her workshops at the Ahlan Wa Salan Festival in Cairo, Egypt.  Ishtar from a young age has had thousands of dance hours up her sleeve and has spent many thousands of hours belly dancing to reach Master Dancer status.  Her skills being able to improvise to any music whether she has heard it or not before, and mastery over many dance props,coupled with her gracefulness, a vast dance vocabulary gives her the ability to choreograph on the moment using her great musicality skills, to interpret music into visual and rhythmic movement. She has a warm and engaging stage presence that delights her audiences. Ishtar has developed her own style in the Art of Belly dancing and has created many original and beautiful choreographies, as every Master dancer should strive to do.  Ishtar has performed as a dancer in a popular TV series in 2009, in music videos 2008, has been a guest of Asia Down Under and interviewed about her belly dance in 2007.  She has also performed in the Tempo Dance Festival in 2006 and 2007 and was reviewed highly by other known Dance Critics for having an extensive dance vocabulary and a talented entertainer. Her experience covers performances in hundreds of shows and hired functions over the years.   

Currently she is focusing on creating as many original dances and using original props which she strives to further her interest in Fantasy & fusion belly dance as well as keeping up to the changes in the Egyptian Raks Sharki and Modern Egyptian styles that she has been so adept at to the extent that while in Egypt, many Egyptians including the famous Dandesh of Egypt asked if she was Egyptian not only because she looks Egyptian but also when she danced!

Visit ishtar on youtube http://www.youtube.com/user/IshtarBellydancer

Ishtar was approached for permission to be added to the list of talented Bellydancers from around the world on the website Best of the Best Bellydancers, along with many other well renown international bellydancers and Stars. She also has many fans on youtube.  Visit http://www.bestsbest.com/bellydance 

Ishtar has had the pleasure to dance for ElemenoP in the Louder Louder Music Video in 2008, and will be in the New Season 6 of "Outrageous Fortune"  2010 as a lap dancer in a rather riotous scene!  On June 10 & 11, 2010 she will be in a large Dinner & Cabaret Show "the Love Boat", Created and Directed by Sarah Boocock from Apollo Dance Theatre, to be held at Bruce Mason Theatre, tickets can be bought from Bruce Mason Theatre.