Our Teachers
Susan Ricciardi
With a love of music and dance stemming from early childhood, Susan has studied and competed in many forms of dance, including Irish step, Ballroom and Native American Pow Wow. After taking a workshop on Tribal Belly Dance in 2003, being drawn to both the communal aspect of the dance and the varied ethnic music and costuming, she was immediately hooked and began her studies. Susan sought out classes and workshops with every instructor she could find, including Sharon Kihara, Belladonna, Tempest and Vikki Williams, and in the summer of 2009, she completed Level I and II teacher training with Paulette Rees-Denis of Gypsy Caravan. Susan currently dances with LunaMuse Tribal Belly Dance, and strives to bring a sense of joy and empowerment to her fellow dancers.
Carmen Butler
Carmen Butler- dancer, performing artist and teacher. Ms. Butler began her formal dance training under the direction of the late John Hines and Ione Nash. She has also studied and performed with The Philadelphia School of Dance and Arts, the Arthur Afro-American Dance Ensemble, the Alvin Ailey American Dance Center and the Performing Arts Training Center in St. Louis where she was trained extensively in the “Katherine Dunham Technique”
Besides performing with Images of the Motherland- Interactive Theater and collaborating with the “Little Africa Percussion Ensemble” to produce a series of Lecture/Demonstrations on Afro-Cuban music for the Free Library of Philadelphia Ms. Butler has also been a guest artist/lecturer in Northern Italy, Liberia, and West Africa.
Ms. Butler holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Point Park College and a Masters Degree in Education from Cheney University
Shiva Das
Shiva Das has been studying Hatha Yoga since 1986 and teaching since 1995. He spent 14 years as a corporate executive heading a quality assurance and training function, but abdicated the hectic corporate world in 1999 for a full time career as a Yoga instructor. He has extensive training in the Integral and Viniyoga traditions as well as extensive study of Yogic philosophy, Jyotish and Ayurveda.
Shiva Das is Co-owner and Managing Director of Yoga On Main in Manayunk, PA, the oldest studio in Philadelphia, and acts as the primary instructor for Yoga On Main’s 200 and 500 Hour Teacher Training Programs, a Yoga Alliance certified school. He co-developed Inner Fire Yoga, an artful balance of postures, pranayama, yoga teachings, mantra and meditation for all levels, and strives to accomplish his personal goal, given by his Guru AMMA, to Love and Serve.
Annabel Grote MA
Annabel Grote experienced the joy of movement and improvisational dance while studying with local modern dance teacher Hedy Tower. She deeply values the body, mind, spirit integration and expressiveness which comes from unstructured movement. She is certified in Motional Processing©, a process of holistic integration through creative expression. She holds an MA degree in Counseling Psychology, is a Reiki Master and maintains a private counseling and Reiki practice.
Stacey Cohen
Stacey has been teaching yoga for over 10 years. After practicing the healing arts for almost 20 years, yoga became a natural addition to her life as the perfect venue for expressing her deep spiritual connection to all that is!! Her creative spirit and love of the healing arts combine to offer an eclectic approach to the ancient traditional Kundalini and Ashtanga yoga systems. She encourages students of all levels to celebrate their individual soul in its’ physical manifestation and become one with their true divine self! She hopes you will join her in the joy of creating a strong healthy mind, body and spirit together with others who truly value and acknowledge the divine self. Namaste!
Mirella Nicholson, RYT
Mirella received her 200 hour certification in Inner Fire Yoga from Yoga on Main in 2008. She has also completed her 500 hour certification in 2009 from Yoga on Main. Mirella has been teaching yoga for 3 years and has been a student of yoga for more than 14 years. Her classes are classical in nature and include pranayama and meditation. Using her training in Ayurveda, she provides adjustments and modifications to make each class as blissful as possible for each student. She strives to apply lessons learned on the mat to her daily living. This is usually the inspiration for the bhavana or theme of each class.
Patricia Shore
Patricia M.M. Shore (YogaTrish) began practicing yoga and meditation in the late 70’s She’s a Quaker and an active community organizer. She was a tour guide for Historic Philadelphia and then worked in support at Outcomes Research at Merck. She received teacher training certificate in August from the Yogalife Institute in Wayne, PA where she studied householder or lifestyle yoga under Bob Butera, PhD. She teaches the 8 Fold Path yoga with short lectures in the beginning and discussions as well as gentle asana (poses) and pranayama (breathing practices). She lives in Elkins Park, is married to Tony Shore, and has seven children.
Yael Ortiz
Yael has always loved dancing and expressing herself through the dance. As a child, she fantasized about being a ballet dancer or even on Broadway (absolutely LOVES musicals and don’t get her started on her Bollywood addiction) but never pursued those thoughts except in daydreams. At the age of 25 she walked into a dance studio for the first time in her life and began ballet and modern dance lessons. Several weeks into her classes, her teacher approached her and wondered how long Yael had taken lessons previously. Yael told her she had never had any prior lessons and her teacher informed her she was a natural!
Needless to say that was all the encouragement Yael needed, she was hooked!
A move to Philadelphia, prompted her to look into dance classes in the area and that was when she discovered belly dance. What a joy Yael discovered! The fluidity and beauty of belly dance was so natural to a woman’s body. Later Yael stumbled upon “Tribal Style” bellydance. Dance for and by women– A tribe and community of dancers! The fates smiled upon her and led her to her beloved teacher, Vikki of Hipnosis. She has studied under Vikki for many years now along with being a Teacher’s assistant for the past year and a half. Yael is also a member of Tribal Spirit Belly Dance troupe and enjoys performing at a variety of haflas in the Tri State area. Yael has also attended workshops with Zafira and Paulette of Gypsy Caravan.
When Yael is not dancing she is a dreamer of dreams and maker of her home. She is also a doula, childbirth advocate, preschool teacher, supporter of women, aspiring herbalist, and Medicine Woman student. She loves fiber and enjoys spinning wool, knitting, weaving, and crochet . Most of all she enjoys learning and teaching along with empowering children and women.