Who is House of Inanna?
Meet Our Dancers
These lovely dancers make up House Of Inanna. Read more for each Dancer by clicking on the Plus sign. As a troupe, House of Inanna loves to perform traditional FCBD®Style, as well as occasionally work comedy into our routines, and we also enjoy performing with our dear friends and world-music performers Fontain’s M.U.S.E. We welcome new students and collaborators, any time. Please contact us to talk!
Petra Pino
Founder
I had a life-transforming “A-ha!” while dancing in the chorus during FatChanceBellyDance practice at Noe Valley Ministry: I was “waiting” too much: I was waiting for the perfect time to start learning how to shimmy like “the big girls” in FCBD, and I was waiting for others in my life outside the dance studio, as well. Living in the waiting room, in fact. My inner voice said, ‘Stop waiting and DO it! Life is too short to wait for the perfect time to act!’ When this happened I started shimmying, and realized that I could do just about anything that I set my mind, body, and spirit to accomplish. I love sharing the potential breakthrough experience of belly dance with others.
I’ve always loved to dance, even though I was immensely self-conscious as a kid. My mom enrolled me in ballet and modern dance when I was young, but I had a hard time sticking with it — I was short and rotund, and really embarrassed about that. So I danced alone, to music in my room. As a teenager I was a little less concerned about what others thought of me and did really expressive dance at dance clubs, as well as pogoing and slam-dancing across Germany, then DC and Richmond, VA, during my punkarina years.
In 1995 I had the good fortune to find myself in Carolena Nericcio’s FCBD®Style belly dance class, having been dragged there by a friend. She took three classes and decided that it was not right for her, but I was hooked! I loved the grace of the experienced dancers, their ability to move in sync like a flock of birds, and the exotic expressiveness of the music we danced to.
Between 1995-2000 I was in Carolena’s class between one and three times a week, and was part of her understudy troupe, Second Skin. When I got a new job outside of San Francisco, though, I had to leave the FatChance fold. During the next few years I studied with a number of Cabaret teachers, including Magana Baptiste, Azar, Mashuqa Maya Murjan, and others. I love exploring all different types of belly dance, but FCBD®Style is my first love — the improvisational capacity and moves are simply compelling for me. I missed it, and couldn’t stay away.
In 2003, at the request of a few friends and acquaintances, I began teaching mostly FCBD®Style style in a small studio. Since then I’ve realized my passion and capacity for sharing FCBD®Style, as well as infusing it with other dance forms — and the occasional yoga asana, too.
Since 2004 I’ve also broadened my awareness of the Body-Mind through getting back into yoga by earning an accreditation with Yoga Alliance as a Registered Yoga Teacher through Yoga Educational Seminars. I enjoy bringing asana, awareness of the esoteric body, and meditation into dance classes… this can really enhance dancing techniques and performance capabilities. Additionally, I’m on a long-term track to complete a Masters in Somatic Psychology — which is a fancy way of saying “therapy with a focus on mind-body connections for healing.”
It’s such a joy for me to dance, and I hope it is for you too!
Stacy Braslau-Schneck
Assistant Director
AKA Hiya/ Chaiya
I first saw belly dancing at a party in Honolulu. I expected to be disgusted by this insult to the feminist I am. What I saw instead was beauty, strength, and a sensuality that was completely owned and gifted by the woman who danced. Years later I moved to California and joined the SCA, the Society for Creative Anachronism, which tries — with varying levels of authenticity — to recreate the Middle Ages. There were belly dancers there too, and soon I was taking classes from one of the teachers: Siobhan of Cloverdale. I began to understand the differences between Cabaret and what was then called “Tribal” dance, because I was always drawn so strongly towards “Tribal”.
I joined the “bellydancer invasion” at Burning Man, and eventually a group of about 30 dancers — many of whom did not know each other — ended up in front of “The Man.” It was a dance celebration, not a performance. There was no stage, no particular audience — though we certainly attracted a crowd. Someone began leading, and we all followed — a scattered clan come together as one. The lead changed; someone else gave a cue and the rest of us followed along. It was magical. I wasn’t very experienced in “tribal style” at this time so I knew some of the moves, but not the cues (in my favorite picture of the group of us, I’m facing the wrong way!), but my heart sang with the joy of it — a collective of dancers dancing as one. I came home with a rededication to the dance, and to group synchronized improv in particular.
I am happy to be a member of House of Inanna, having joined in 2005. Since 1998 I have been dancing with great joy in my living room, on the playa, and in the SCA. I can usually be found wearing purple, petting dogs and posting on Facebook. I am also known as “The Cookie Lady” for gifting cookies from my head-balanced basket!