INVOKETRESS
DANCE COMPANY
Established in 2003 by founder Ishra, Invoketress is an incomparable troupe which embodies and embraces diversity not only in dance, but represents different walks of life in ethnicity, LGBQT+, education, and socioeconomic backgrounds. What holds us together is our commitment to dance and recognizing the divine in each other which allows us to continuously learn in order to evolve together.
As the Artistic Director of Invoketress, Ishra has always encouraged her dancers to find their own path from studying with other teachers to working together to host workshops with respected guest dancers in our small city of Guelph, Canada. With this openness to broaden our skill sets and deepen cultural understanding, we have grown as individuals and find inspiration from a variety of sources. The result after almost 20 years? A healthy, flourishing sisterhood where our strengths are amplified, our differences appreciated and all our stages in life are celebrated.
These are the styles of dance we offer. You may also read each dancer’s individual biographies to find out each troupe member’s experiences and specializations.
They have also performed at a number of notable belly dance events including the International Belly Dance Conference of Canada (Toronto), the Great Lakes Belly Dance Convention (Michigan), Tribal Revolution (Illinois), and Tribal Momentum Festival (Montreal). They have danced with numerous live musicians including twice Juno-nominated Eccodek, The Lemon Bucket Orkestra, Cuneyt Yetkiner, Bhadra Collective and Light of East Ensemble and being opening performers for Sean Paul and Akon.
In 2017, they won 1st place in the Ensemble category of the Hamilton International Bellydance Competition and solo troupe members were also placed in their respective categories. Together, they embody a diverse wealth of dance backgrounds including ballet, jazz, modern, hip-hop, ballroom, Irish, Flamenco, Mexican folklore, tribal fusion, ATS® (American Tribal Style®), Bollywood, Latin, hula, Burlesque, African and more. These combined with extensive study in Raqs Sharqi (classical Egyptian belly dance) and folkloric belly dance with Ishra and other instructors have equipped the troupe with the versatility to perform both Middle Eastern dance as well as innovative fusions. Each member brings her own personal strengths and personality to the group which come together to offer rich, dynamic, layered performances.
ABOUT INVOKETRESS
DANCER BIOGRAPHIES
COMING SOON
MINERVA
ALAINA
MELISSA
MARY SNOW
Managing Director
NICOLE
ELEANOR
SYDNEY
Invoketress Apprentice
SIYOBIN BLANCO
Versatile Assistant
DIANA
RACHAEL
INVOKETRESS DANCE TROUPE APPRENTICE PROGRAM
Invoketress Dance Apprentices are hand-selected students of Ishra’s who are invited to join the troupe in an apprenticeship with the intentions of eventually becoming a full member of the Invoketress Dance Troupe. These dancers are identified based on their technical abilities, emotive qualities, respect for the culture and art form, and their camaraderie with existing troupe members. The apprenticeship gives these students the opportunity to experience the administrative and business side of performing at public and private functions and to learn about some of the logistics that exist in the world of professional belly dance. They may also be invited to perform alongside Invoketress at various gigs to develop and enhance performance and stage skills (e.g., more intricate choreography, improvisation, musicality, emoting, audience engagement) that come with such experience. Apprentices need to complete at least one year of classes at the Advanced Sapphire level as well as participate in a minimum number of performances before becoming an Invoketress Dance troupe dancer.