Najla is based in Windsor, Ontario, Canada and is lucky enough to have bellydance friends on both sides of the border.  Windsor is a wonderful city, it has so much to offer.  With Detroit right across the river, we really do have it all.

Najla's very first encounter with this world of midriff baring exotic women, was as a child with the TV show "I Dream of Jeannie".  Oh how she tried to cross her arms and blink to make her dreams come true.  Alas, there was no funny "boingk" noise and the horse did not appear in her backyard.  But the show was fun to watch just the same.  The next time was at a gym, where an instructor came in on a trial basis to see if the women would come to her class.  Apparently, women were too self-concious and concerned about curious eyes at the window of the aerobic room, so that class did not last.  Then, in 2000, she had an idea.  She was going to be married later that year and her and her future husband were having a Jack and Jill party at the end of the summer.  Wouldn't it be fun to dress up and perform for him right there at the party in front of all their friends and family?  Oh yah!  That idea opened up a whole new world and thus, "Najla" was born.  She ordered a video from the internet, made a costume, and learned some basic moves all on the down-low.  In retrospect, it took a lot of guts to pull that performance off, but it was fun through the whole process. 

Najla, with the encouragement of her teacher, Najwa al Qamar, began teaching bellydance in Windsor, Ontario in 2003.  As a teacher, it is so rewarding to watch the students blossom like beautiful flowers.  They begin like tightly wound rosebuds, and after a few weeks, they are opening up, becoming more intuned with their bodies and feeling very sexy and/or sassy, depending on the dance they are learning.  Learning together with such a supportive group of women is empowering and fun. 

Najla continues to study the dance through various workshops and teachers in Ontario and Michigan.  It is her goal to one day travel to Egypt and the Middle East, to the land of ancient tombs, to experience the culture directly.  Such a trip will truly put it all into perspective. 

To contact Najla by e-mail: najlabell@hotmail.com