About

Catherine Taylor

Fusion belly dancer and choreographer Catherine Taylor is known for her powerful stage presence, boundless creativity, stellar teaching techniques… and stage-quaking flutters!

"A KICKASS performer... Catherine Taylor rocks!"

Amar

get to know your dancer

Who is Catherine?

Undeniably charismatic and always enthusiastic, Catherine Taylor is a dance performer who packs a big presence and charms folk with her innovative choreographies and inspiring teaching.

Certified teacher of Amy Sigil’s ITS (Improv Team Sync) at all levels

Alumna of:

Zoe Jakes’ Dancecraft

Ashley Lopez’s Integrated Dance

Paulette Rees-Denis’ Collective Soul

Farah Nasri’s London Algerian Ballet

UK-based dancer Catherine Taylor has been passionate about dance and art her whole life. She has travelled the world to train in raqs sharqi, fusion belly dance, Silvestre technique and more.

Having professionally trained as an English language teacher Catherine is passionate about pedagogy and helping people learn and understand dance in a way that works for them. Catherine is a truly focused, patient and excellent teacher who can always get the best out of her students.

As a performer she is both a belly dance and fusion artist and a burlesque performer, performing very silly pieces as her alter ego Vulvarine.

An internationally touring artist, Catherine has performed and taught 10 different countries so far. Her workshops are engaging, challenging and innovative. On her signature programme, the Idalia Performance Skills Course, Catherine coaches students through her process to own the stage through creating multi-layered artistic performance pieces.

As seen at:

catherine's signature superpower

Bomb-ass Performer

“A POWERHOUSE!”
– Fuchsia

Catherine is a fierce performer whose stage presence is renowned. She is the queen of epic stage face and can beat anyone in a belly flutter battle.

She excels at creating artistic and conceptual pieces that are engaging and entertaining to watch.

As her burlesque alter ego, Vulvarine, she creates hilarious acts channelling characters as diverse as Princess Leia, Skeletor act and Agent Cooper from Twin Peaks.

If Catherine hadn’t found dance, she 100% would be making really weird installation art in a dingy corner of London somewhere.

catherine's signature

Group Choreographer

Catherine’s true superpower is as a group choreographer. She creates powerful and magical group performances that move and inspire audiences.

Catherine creates group pieces wherever she can – she is always more interested in team and collaboration than going it solo. She creates pieces for her dance company, in collaboration with other dancers, or as part of her fabulous performance intensives, where students get to expand their performance skills while learning how to work together, making friends and excel at their dance.

"The variety in choreographies Catherine makes does not cease to amaze!"

ivana

i wanna be the one who walks in the sun

Idalia Dance Company

Catherine is the creative director of Idalia, a dance collective featuring a rotating roster of incredible dancers. With them, she choreographs pieces varying from the intense, atmospheric and experimental, to the heartfelt, expressive and joyous.

Catherine has had the immense pleasure of directing some of the world’s top fusion belly dancers, including Zoe Jakes, Amy Sigil, Alexis Southall, Sofeya, Lydia Vines, Rachael Redfern, Nicola Wigfield, Samantha Valentine, Holly Amber, Demelza Fox, Kathleen Pearlson, Michaela Hamajova, Doro Altenburger and many more.

Idalia have performed at international dance festivals such as Infusion Emporium, Gothla and Caravanseray Vienna, and have been performed at cabaret venues such as the Double R Club.

catherine's dance company

Idalia

Idalia has performed at international dance festivals such as Infusion Emporium, Gothla and Caravanseray Vienna, and at cabaret shows such as the Double R Club.

"I saw your Idalia piece at the show and was blown away. Super powerful and thought provoking.... Bloody amazing!"

Teveç

Founding member of

Curious Verses Dance Collective

Curious Verses is a dance collective united by their passion for beauty, movement and innovative art.

Curious Verses creates innovative and hauntingly beautiful dance art rooted in fusion bellydance. Curious Verses host joyful biannual haflas in London and are the hosts of the London fusion bellydance festival Interconnected.

Outside of dance...

🗣️

LANGUAGE lover

Catherine has travelled the world as an English language teacher, loves learning languages for fun (she can get by in Portuguese, French, Italian and Turkish) and is so fascinated by how languages work that she’s currently studying for a PhD in Linguistics.

🪘

ESCAPE TO BRAZIL

A lot of Catherine’s deepest development as an artist has taken place in Bahia Brazil under the tutelage of Rosangela Silvestre and Vera Passos, learning Silvestre technique and Orixá dance movements at their yearly dance intensives.

🗺️

Travel nut

Got passport, will travel! Catherine takes any chance she can to see the world – from Costa Rica to Tunisia, Madagascar to Indonesia, Turkey to Vietnam. (She does have a terrible sense of direction though, so don’t follow her.)

🪧

fierce lil' hate pixie

Catherine cares deeply about justice and inequality – her university degree was studying international politics and she’s the kind of fiery person who will stand up to injustice if she sees it. Issues of activism, marginalised communities and the need to come together to support one another are key themes in her choreographic work and her approach to teaching .

🌶️

Neurospicy

As an ADHD diagnosed person, finding ways to make learning more inclusive for folks all along the neurodiverse spectrum is super important to Catherine – her masters degree was all about how people with ADHD experience language learning and what they need to thrive.

ITS Powerhouse

Pioneered by Amy Sigil in California USA, Improv Team Sync is a smart, high-energy team style of fusion dance that works on a cue system. It’s team belly dance with edge!

Catherine is one of Europe’s premier ITS teachers and is certified to teach all levels of the format.

Catherine Taylor corrals the London-based ITS troupe Sigma, and teaches workshops and fortnightly classes in Colchester.

Catherine is THE SHIT

Demelza

get dancing

Want to book Catherine to teach in your city?

Check out Catherine’s workshop topics list and reach out to host her in your city.