About Shelimah

Diane Bangerter aka Shelimah (stage name) has had a life long interest in dance.  At  age seven she experienced her first recital as a tap dancer and at age 19 taught Latin and Ballroom dancing for an Arthur Murray Dance Studio.  At 28 she discovered the wide and imaginative world of ‘Dance Oriental’ (Bellydancing) in Toronto.  She studied and performed in the Toronto area before moving to Milton and started teaching classes in the Milton and Burlington area.  She also taught classes in her private studio for students who later became a Performing Troup.

Shelimah’s passion for the dance carried her to many workshops throughout the Toronto area and the United States for study and stimulation with Middle Eastern dancing greats.   She has also presented many dance workshops and lectures on the history, culture and background of the dance.  

During a leave from Bellydancing, she also taught DanceFit, an aerobic dance program.  She found herself turning full circle to her first love, ‘Dance Oriental’.  It remains her favorite mode of expression and she is currently studying with Suhaila Salimpour of California.  Shelimah is Level 1 certified with the Suhaila Salimpour School of Dance and is currently working on her Level 2.

In 2003 she opened Shelimah’s School of Middle Eastern Dance Arts.

Shelimah works hard to preserve the traditional folkloric dances and the interpretive style of Dance Oriental as well as integrating all facets of the dance including alternative (Tribal Fusion) Bellydance.