Russya started dancing at the age of six and was trained in Ballet, Jazz and Modern Dance. In 1987 she discovered oriental dance, the beginning of a passion.
She began her studies at "Centrum für Orientalischen Tanz" in Munich, continued her training with famous belly dance couple Beata and Horacio Cifuentes in Berlin and has deepened her experience abroad with a number of teachers including Sahra Saeda, Raqia Hassan, Dauat Ibrahim, Lelya Jouvana, Hassan Affifi, Mahmoud Reda and performed with a lot of egyptian bands including the well known drummer Sayed Balaha who has fomerly worked with belly dance icon Nagua Fuad. She danced in Germany, Spain, Finnland, Sweden, Poland, England, Singapore and Australia. Her experience ranges from performing as a belly dancer at traditional weddings, in Turkish and Egyptian nightclubs and restaurants, private functions, as well as theatre shows
Russya has also graduated from the "monsun academy of voice and performance" in Hamburg, studied acting at "SynapseCreativeChaos" in London and singing with Prof. Peter Elkus. Yoga is part of her daily practice.
So as to broaden her knowledge and understanding of human movement she has worked with Suprapto Suyardamo, a Javanese master of dance and meditation, for several years and is also a certified Polestar Pilates trainer and Educator.
She finished her Masters of Arts (Drama Therapy) at the Edith Cowan University in Perth, and currently lectures movement and expression for contemporary performance at WAAPA as well as using drama and dance as therapeutic tools in various settings like drug and alcohol counselling, mother and childhood attachment, or creative problem solving (stage fright, speaking in front of an audience, body images etc).
2011 | Scholarship to complete PhD at WAAPA
Currently she is a PhD candidate at WAAPA. |
2008 | Cert. 3 in Fitness, Cert. pregnancy in motion Member of the International Dance Council - CID |
2007 | AThR, PACAWA member |
2006 | Master of Arts (MA Drama Therapy). ECU. |
2003 | Dip. Yoga-Gym & Classic Training |
2002 | Certified Practitioner Of Pilates Studio Polestar |
1998 | Dip. Acting |
1997 | Dip. Performing Arts, Hamburg |
1991 | Dip. Dance Pedagogics |
As a lifelong practitioner of belly dance and performance in its various forms, Russya has a vast reservoir of experience from which to draw. In choosing to focus on the beauty of Oriental Belly Dance she has followed a path, which has led her on an adventure throughout the shows, festivals and performances of Europe, The Middle East and Australia and allowed her to work with an amazing array of talented artists from all walks of life. Russyas passion for dance is probably best illustrated by the path of her various performances ranging from traditional belly dance to theatrical stage shows and cutting edge multi media performances, being a dancer as well as choreographer and director. A lifelong journey and the search continues... and led her to create the yearlong orient-dance-art stage performance training.
In successfully managing to combine a professional understanding of the anatomy of human movement with the elements of dance, which form such a big part of her life, Russya has developed a truly individual style of teaching and sharing knowledge. The essence of which is which is helping and guiding others on their own personal search for perfection.
Things such as contents and grandeur in the dance, discipline in training, clear teaching concepts, clean dance techniques, advancement of the dance in relation to modern functional concepts became important than just repeating traditions.
She is known for her articulate dance style, ranging from classical and theatrical performances to modern and traditional belly dance shows & looks back on years of experience of being on stage; she thrives for quality and professionalism in every aspect of dance As a teacher she is also well known for her ability to convey not only dance techniques, a feeling for music, and zest of life, but also personality and self-confidence. Russya is a hard taskmaster, but endowed with a great deal of empathy she always manages to challenge and bring out the best of all her students.
2011 | coreography BLAU for Link dance comany |
WAAPA |
2010/2011 | WAMED Festival | Perth |
2009 | various shows | in Germany |
2008 | WAMED Festival | Perth |
2007 | Schmidts Tivoli | Hamburg |
2006 | Empires of Dance | Perth. |
2005 | Orientobsession | Germany Tournee |
2004 | AIDA Cara | Cruise Ship |
Bellies Under the Stars | Perth Amphitheatre | |
Bellies for Breasts | Perth, Octagon Theatre | |
Orientobsession | Hamburg, Bremen, Carlsruhe | |
Gala Bazaar Oriental | Berlin. | |
2003 | Finland Oriental Dance Festival | Turku. |
Soul Of Orient | Womanperspective Festival, Carlsruhe | |
Orienta Spring Festival | Frankfurt | |
Presenter Orient Dance | Hamburg | |
Summer Dance Week | Munich | |
2002 | Singapore Orient Night | Singapore |
Middle Eastern Dance Festival. | Sydney | |
Dance Week | Canberra | |
Football World Cup | Hamburg | |
Khan-el-Khalili Show | Hamburg | |
Orient-Magazine Festival | Augsburg | |
Orienta | Frankfurt. | |
Lelya Jouvanas | 10th.Orientalisches Festival Europe | |
Finland Oriental Dance Festival | Turku | |
2001 | 10th Year Jubilee, Group 1001 Nights | Hamburg |
Show in Thessaloniki | Greece, with Sayed Balaha. | |
Harem Nights & Censored Images | Perth | |
World of Orient | Hanover | |
One Night From 1000 Nights, Gala | Hamburg | |
Dance Festival Up To Dance | Gladbeck | |
Variety in Goldbeckhaus Rampenfieber | Hamburg | |
2001 | Kissenfest, Hamburg & Congress | Mirow |
2000 | Babylon Show in Thessaloniki | Greece, with Ibrahim Abu Hassan |
"Schmidt’s Theater" | Hamburg, Variety | |
1999 | Oum Koulthum Homage, Gala. | Hamburg |
Orient Show | Cottbus | |
1998 | Schrille Nacht, Heitere Nacht | Hamburg, Variety |
"Schlachthof", Opening celebrations | Hamburg | |
1997 | "Schmidts Theater" | Hamburg, Variety. |
Group member of the Egyptian band 1001 nights. | ||
1996 | "Schmidt’s Theater" | Hamburg, Variety |
Opening of Theatre in Bauhaus, | Rottweil | |
1995 | resident dancer at "Sultan” | Hamburg. |
1994 | shows in Sweden and Spain | North German Dance Festival. |
2012 | "how close do you want me?" for proximity Winner of the spirit of fringe award "on the couch with the Freudian dream girls" | Fringe World Festival | |
2011 | Les Giraffes, Ringboy | company off, PIAF | |
2009 | Celebration (H.Pinter) | directing | |
2007 | Journey of the happy Buddha | Eve | Ralf Rauker |
2006 | Vagina Monologues | div | Sally Latin |
2005 | Jury Selection, Putting On An Act | Performance | Russya Connor |
Check Out! | Agent Gully | Jane Raitt | |
2003 | Messiahs | Angel Bildai | F.Fleckenstein, Germany |
Electro Belly Minimal 2 | Performance | Otto/Ressin, Germany | |
2002 | Elektro Belly Minimal | Performance | Otto/Ressin, Germany |
2001 | the little ice bear | little ice bear | W. Göltner, Germany |
2000 | eventtheater, industrial shows | div | Germany |
Sacred Rhythm | purification | Prabto Suyardamo, Bali | |
1999 | Maria Stuart | Lady Curl | Udo Schürmer, Germany |
Pinocchio | Füchsin | H Uleman, Germany | |
Das doppelte Lottchen | div | Klaus Gutbier, Germany | |
Ein Kranich im Schnee | Kranich Yuki | Beatrice Arnim, Germany | |
1998 | The Flower Time Temple | Water | Prabto Suyardamo, England |
Ein Kranich im Schnee | Kranich Yuki | Beatrice Arnim, Germany | |
1997 | Light | Dole | Sebastian Grobler, Germany |
Alle Lust will Ewigkeit | Soloperformance | Christina Jänichen, Germany | |
Moving in Poetry | Art | Prabto Suyardamo, Germany | |
1996 | Der König stirbt | Königin Margarete | Dominique le Parc, Germany |
2005 | withheld | Sarah | Sunisa Brown for FTI |
Counting numbered day | Jess | Brendan Briggs, for Curtin | |
2005 | Mermaids | Gideon | Ian Scott for PAC |
2004 | do you like it | Jen | Peter Gleeson, short film |
2002 | Sesame Street | Marlene | Holger Borgrefe, for NDR |
2001 | Loves rules | Andrea | Karl Kases, for SAT1 |
SAR | Lena | Rolf Liccini for ZDF | |
Judge at three | I.Mosheimer | Hartwig Vanderneut ZDF | |
2000 | Judge at three | Jasmin Schmolz | Heidi Ramlow, for ZDF |
Anam | driver | Buket Alakus, movie | |
Castle Einstein | Frau Antelmann | Renate Kaye, for KiKa/ ARD | |
Kiss me, Tiger | young woman | Jan Ruzika, for NDR | |
Die Affäre Semmeling | politician | Dieter Wedel, for ZDF | |
Motorcycle-Cops | Natascha | Helmut Metzger, for RTL | |
Der Einzelne in der Gesellschaft | Mo | Micha Würfel, for dffb | |
Wollfs Revier | cop | Arend Agthe, for Sat1 | |
1999 | Delay | Wendy | Laurence Tootey, for HdK |
Die Meinung des Dorfes | div | Stefanie Ressin | |
K3 | actress | Jan Ruzika, for RTL | |
1998 | Roy´s Welten | Dancer | Buket Alakus, for FHH. |
Adelheid und die Mörder | Dancer | Arend Agthe, for: ARD | |
St. Angela | Annett Grolik | John Delbridge, for: ARD | |
1997 | Paralyser | Housewife | Nik Schofield for VIVA |