WELCOME
ARCANA is more than a performance, it’s a movement. ARCANA is a celebration of dance for anybody with any body. Our mission is simple and powerful: to build community, foster acceptance, and inspire love through the art of movement. We believe that dance is a universal language. It’s one that tells stories, sparks connection, and allows authenticity to shine through. We dance to build. We dance to belong. We dance to create magic.
Alchemy
Arcana: ar•ca•na | ärˈkānə
secrets or mysteries
Alchemy: al•che•me | alkəmē
the medieval forerunner of chemistry, based on the supposed transformation of matter. It was concerned particularly with attempts to convert base metals into gold or to find a universal elixir. A seemingly magical process of transformation, creation, or combination.
performers in order of appearance
BEAST COAST | MERCURY
“Between form and formless it dances.
A breath before thought. Spark before flame.
Essence of change - it moves through everything.”
Hot Pot Improvisational Team Synchronization (ITS) North American East Coast dance family.
This will be an improvised piece in collaboration featuring:
Jessi, Andriel, Oxcidian, Amber Sol, and Shanna.
Learn ITS locally from Jessi: Website
Learn ITS online from creator Amy Sigil: Website
QUEEN YARELI | TIN
“Soft metal, yet wide in reach.
Breath of Jupiter expansive, open-handed,
holding life without gripping it.”
Since the age of 14, Queen Yareli has immersed herself in the art of bellydance, training under Valerie Rushmere and evolving into a powerful performer over the past 21 years. Renowned for her musicality and mesmerizing, serpentine movement quality, she weaves both tradition and innovation into every performance. Her dance journey also spans Latin ballroom and salsa, enriching her expression with rhythmic flair and passion.
AUDIE | COPPER
“Soft gleam beneath the skin of earth born of Venus, shaped by touch.
It holds the curve of hips, the warmth of open hands.
A vessel, full with life. It does not burn. It calls.”
Returning for 2025! Audie has been performing and teaching belly dance since 1994.
While her foundation lies in traditional Cabaret style, her passion for the art has led her to explore a wide range of styles, including folkloric, North African, and modern fusion.
Audie offers ongoing live and online classes and workshops throughout New Jersey, New York, and across the country.
Follow Audie: Website | @audie_os
MIRA & HILLARY | AIR
“It carries soul on currents of heat and mist, touches all but belongs to none.”
Returning for 2025! Mira and Hillary have been dancing together since 2015.
Both former members of the Manhattan Tribal Collective and Tribe Hamsa, they’ve built a strong foundation in FCBD/ATS style and continue to explore a range of dance styles.
Known for their dynamic chemistry and playful stage presence, they perform throughout the tristate area and eat lots of late-night pastries together.
BELLY OF THE BEAST | Silver
“Cool against the skin like moonlight breathed into you.
It doesn't speak - it stirs.
Hush between heartbeats where desire and knowing touch..”
Returning for 2025! Belly of the Beast is Jessi’s student dance troupe. She is pleased to share this piece as a collective with the world!
Jessi is insanely proud of her friends/students and their dedication to this piece. (Thank you for all of your hard work and dealing with my shenanigans!)
Featuring (Left to Right): Lisa, Deblynn, Eleni, Joi, Shanna, and Apollonia (not pictured.)
KRIZIA CELESTE | EARTH
“Bones of the world, slow breath of stone and soil,
keeper of roots and ruin.
To touch it is to remember what endures.”
Krizia Celeste has spent years learning and practicing raqs sharqi and Middle Eastern percussion, building a strong foundation in both movement and rhythm. Her dance practice is guided by curiosity, a deep love for Arabic music, and the sheer joy of embodied expression. When she’s not dancing or drumming, you’ll likely find her curled up with a good book, a warm cup of tea, and her two fluffy cats.
JESSICA LYNNE | FIRE
“The forge of will, where passion scorches doubt,
and anger births clarity. Nothing leaves unchanged.
Everything burns before it shines.”
Jessica Lynne (Jessi) is a New Jersey-based fusion dance teacher and performer with a rich background in lyrical, jazz, and American Cabaret Belly Dance. She is a certified Level 1 ITS (Improv Team Sync) Instructor, the director of CoDanCo, and the producer and curator of Arcana Fusion Belly Dance. She also leads the Belly of the Beast student dance troupe, creating opportunities for emerging dancers to explore and perform fusion styles. Alongside her dance partner and “dance wife for life,” Jessi performs throughout the tri-state area and along the East Coast as one half of the dangerously fun fusion duo, The Gerudo Vagrants.
Known online as the “Internet Mom Friend,” Jessi is a vocal advocate for fellow spoonies and those with invisible illnesses. Outside the studio, she’s usually complaining about poor matching-making in Overwatch, slaying demons in Devil May Cry, drawing on her iPad, or racing toward a cosplay deadline. In her professional life, Jessi leads a team of audio and web engineers, blending creativity and leadership with her ever-present spark.
Follow Jessi: @rainboanonymous / @thegerudovagrants / @arcanafusiondance
SPECIAL NOTE FROM JESSI: Fire has the capability to bring you life, warmth, home. Fire can also destroy and leave nothing in it’s past but dust of what used to be. To me, “Fire” is about facing down the inevitability that one day I will lose my ability to dance due to my autoimmune disease. Unavoidable like an unwatched candle in a home - it will take everything away from you.
ANDRIEL | GOLD
“The sun touches the edge of becoming.
Not metal but a moment of clarity.
The body fades. The self refines. What remains is light.”
Returning for 2025! Anðriel has been fusion bellydancing since 2008.
She takes her love of music and theater to concoct a story telling experience her audience can connect with.
In alchemy gold may be the idea of perfection we strive for but we must be careful what we wish for.
Follow Andriel: @andriel_8
intermission
calixta starr | sulfur
“It rises sharply
your soul in motion flashes blue.
Wild, refusing stillness.”
Returning for 2025! Calixta Starr is an award winning, international theatrical fusion artist from NY. Her unique storytelling style has been featured in numerous stage shows, dance festivals and pop culture conventions - including New York Comic Con, MAGFest and Festival de la Bete Noire - and is a member of Geek Chic Entertainment as well. Calixta is also a member of Splendor Solis, a trio of fusion dancers that utilize storytelling as the foundation for their artistry. Calixta Starr’s training in multiple dance forms blend together to create pieces that are like “live” movies that tell a character driven story as well as continually push the boundaries of theatrical dance.
"To release the soul, one must walk the path of the blue flame.”
This piece is a reimagining of "Transmutation", a piece created by Splendor Solis (Berna, Sarah Joy and Calixta Starr), with alternative choreography by Calixta Starr.
verrina & the all-Father | lead
“Between form and formless it dances.
A breath before thought. Spark before flame.
Essence of change - it moves through everything.”
The All-Father is a theatrical male belly dancer from Philadelphia. He has been dancing for eight years, primarily under the tutelage of Vikki Gale at Tribal Bellies studio.
He loves to combine storytelling with belly dance and is inspired by the likes of Diana Bastet.
Verrina is a fusion artist from Santiago, Chile currently residing in Philadelphia.
She began her dance journey at the age of 3 and became involved in many styles of dance including ballet, tap, jazz, hip hop, flamenco, traditional Easter Island dancing and contemporary dance. Verrina has a unique style incorporating Egyptian bellydance with gothic movements, music, and visuals.
This is one of the first performance collaborations between these two dancers who were drawn together from their mutual passion for gothic style performances.
francesca AVANI | water
“It holds all things before they become.
A vessel for feeling unspoken, unshaped,
a mirror to the soul’s unrest.”
Francesca is a devoted dancer with 13 years of experience, merging her foundation in fusion belly dance with the style of waving—a form she has been studying and evolving with since the pandemic. Her genre-blending style channels expression beyond words, driven by her passion for authenticity.
Based in Catskill, NY, she has produced Bridge Street Dance since 2017, curating intensives, residencies, and showcases that foster exploration and connection. Inspired by street styles like waving, liquid, and animation, Francesca continues to explore her own path through dance while empowering others to find their voice in movement.
Follow Francesca and Bridge Street Dance on Instagram: @bridgestdance / @francescaavani
jo wall | iron
“Cold weight of intent, drawn from blood and stone.
It does not yield, it commands. Mars hums in its core,
a rhythm of conquest, of action without apology.”
Jo Wall is a New Jersey artist, who has been dancing almost 20 years with a focus in multiple styles of dance.
She is currently studying in the Salimpour Institute and is working on her Advanced Performance (Level 400) work.
She loves performing and entertaining, bringing all the personality and technique to the stage.
Jo is also a licensed Foundations Instructor with the Institute and is available for hybrid classes, privates or one on one long term coaching.
Check out her offerings at: www.brickhousebellydance.com
You can also follow her on Instagram: @brickhousebambam
UN:DL | SALT
“Crystalline anchor, it holds the weight of form.
What survives the fire, what remains when all else fades.
Steady, silent the ground beneath becoming..”
Two Brooklyn-based dancers converge in a duet shaped by breath, memory, and the quiet shimmer of the in-between.
Rooted in shared rhythm and unspoken understanding, their collaboration unfolds across layered realms, where fantasy brushes against reality and time loops, lingers, and dissolves.
Moving through dreamscapes and daily truths, their bodies speak in fragments and feeling, offering a communion of presence, echo, and transformation.
Brenna crowley | phosphorus
“Always burning - glowing without permission.
A secret fire under the skin. The soul's first flare.”
Returning for 2025! Brenna Crowley is a NYC-based dancer, choreographer, and instructor known for her powerful fusion of MENAHT-inspired dance with street styles, contemporary, and flamenco. Since beginning her dance journey in 2004, she has performed coast to coast—featured as a soloist, ensemble member, and collaborator with companies like Solstice Ensemble, Dalia Carella Dance Collective, her own Zilla Dance Project, and many more. A vibrant presence on stage and in the classroom, Brenna currently teaches at Bellyqueen School and continues to share her unique blend of movement through performance and education.
Follow Brenna: @brennzilla
the gerudo vagrants | philosopher stone
“Key to all. Not in gold, nor crown, nor throne,
But in the self made whole, alone.
A spark refined, the mortal shed,
Where man walks paths the gods have tread.”
The Gerudo Vagrants are a dangerously fun fusion dance duo made up of best friends and “dance wives for life,” Andriel and Jessi.
Based in New York, Andriel is a certified FCBD®Style teacher and an official FCBD® Certified Studio. Jessi, from New Jersey, has roots in lyrical, jazz, and American Cabaret belly dance, and is a Certified ITS (Improvisational Team Synchronization) Instructor. Together, they’ve performed and taught throughout the tri-state area and along the East Coast. Drawing from their diverse training and shared love of video games, they’ve combined their skills to create a unique, spellbinding fusion style.
Whether bringing powerful rhythm or playful geek energy, Andriel and Jessi are always ready to level up and take on the final boss.
Follow the Gerudo Vagrants: Website / @thegerudovagrants / @co.dan.co
WITH SPECIAL THANKS TO
Jessi would like to extend special thanks to the people who have supported her:
“My friends and family, my Fellowship, my white, red, blue, and black mages:
Thank you. Every single word of encouragement, every calming spell you casted when I was close to calling a Meteor down to this planet. Your faith in me was my warp-zone to the end, and kept me grounded when I started to float away.
Your love, believe, and emotional support has kept me going on this pilgrimage. I could not have done it without you.
With my whole heart, I offer my eternal gratitude to:
The Williams Center crew - your behind the scenes wizardry is unparalleled,
The performers who traveled from distant lands (or state lines) to breathe life into Arcana,
My forever dance-wife-for-life, Andriel, for always backing my weird ideas,
My students for dealing with all of my curses, for showing up and showing out,
And my husband, Brian - my ride-or-die, my A/V Warrior, my ultimate hype man. You are my favorite player in this co-op game we call Life.
Thank you all for believing in me, loving me, and allowing me cover your realities in glitter.”
“You guys.... are the best.”
