As the child of a belly dancer, Karen has always been surrounded by this ancient enigmatic art. As a toddler she would gaze at her mother’s performances, mesmerized by the swirling silk and glistening beads. At thirteen years of age, her dream of taking the stage herself came true. Today, she attributes her strength, grace, flexibility and understanding of belly dance to these early experiences, as well as her continued study of ballet, modern, tap, jazz, yoga and work as a personal trainer. Most, recently, Karen has been studying with Vancouver teachers Rahma Haddad, Loulie, and Sarita as well as taking workshops with internationally-renowned belly dancers such as Hadia.
Belly dancing truly is a family matter for Karen. She is ecstatic that she has been able to pass this tradition – which she began learning from her mother – on to her own daughter who is now attending one of Canada’s top universities. Since filming Shimmy, Karen has had two more children, making her the proud mother of three. She is loving raising her children and tending her garden in the rainforest on the wild West Coast of Canada.
