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Bio & Gallery

BIO

Alicia started studying music and dance with Nikolai Ruskin and June Seaney when she was a Cornell student in 2000. Since then she has also studied with many more amazing dancers including Folkloric Fusion icon Jill Parker of San Francisco, Kalbelia Dancers Raki and Sunita Sapera of Pushkar Rajasthan, and Ciana Ariel of Florida.

Alicia produces live music and dance shows in Ithaca with the band “Taksim Ithaca” including “Djam” with Kaeshi Chai of “Belly Dance Superstars” and the up and coming “Wanah Dance Cafe” with Anya of the Hamer Sisters.

And Alicia has been hosting the world’s 2nd most popular belly dance podcast “A Little Lighter” since 2017, featuring guests including Randa Kamel of Egypt, Jillina of Belly Dance Evolution, Suhaila Salimpour, Carolena Nericcio of Fat Chance Belly Dance (formerly ATS), and Tessa Myers and Jo Boring of Cortland’s Belly, Set, Go! And

Alicia more recently started studying fire dancing with circus performer Ember Flynne.

Dancing to live music is a form of magic that Alicia is devoted to cultivating for more and more people to experience in their lifetime, even as electronic and recorded music replaces in-the-flesh musicians daily in every corner of the world.

Alicia has performed with The Turbans, Beatbox Guitar, Scott Wilson (son of Serena Wilson), Carmine Guida, and Harold Hagopian (son of Richard Hagopian) and the Cornell University Middle Eastern and Mediterranean Music Ensemble.

SHORT BIO

Alicia Free has been a belly dancer for 20+ years, a “Taksim Ithaca” percussionist and vocalist singing in multiple languages from the Levant, producer of the “Wanah Dance Cafe”,  and the host of belly dance podcast “A Little Lighter”. Alicia loves to express Middle Eastern music in dance.

DANCING WITH MUSICIANS

Beatbox Guitar
Taksim Ithaca
The Turbans

WITH FAMOUS DANCERS

Dalia Carella
Jill Parker
Kaeshi Chai
Mahin
The ever graceful Colleena Shakti
Famous Khalbelia dancer Sunita Sapera