I absolutely adore belly dancing--and the entire Middle East. Finding these classes after moving to a new city was a true lifesaver for me. Natalia is such a warm, radiant person; her lessons are always filled with a gentle glow and a delightful atmosphere. I attend with pure joy! I wouldn't trade Nalini for anyone! read more

My favorite belly dance performer! The props, the technical skills a whilst smiling through complex choreographies.. needless to say, I'm a fan! read more

Vile owner when asked if kids were welcome one of the directors informed everyone that it was all ages but then the owner/director came along and started being rude and when confronted about being rude when I was already told that the classes were all ages proceeded to make even more snide remarks, I am so so glad I found a place closer for child classes. Kinda bummed that the owner/director has no class and does not know how to communicate in a friendly manner and I really do not recommend for adults based on the attitude of Natalya Karimova. ALSO I would like to add that their times are really messed up they post that they are having events on certain days and you go down there and it's empty there is a total lack of communication going on!! read more

First of all, I have to say that I can't evaluate how this place is on dancing teaching, because I couldn't get my appointment scheduled and therefore didn't end up going. I purchased a living social voucher and tried to call them three or four weeks before the expiration date to schedule my class (as told on the voucher). However, three times (spanning over a week) all ended up with the answering machine. I left messages but never got called back. So I complained to living social about it. A week later some woman called me and told me that Nalini was out of country and asked her to contact me. Then she simply told me all classes are full before the expiration date. Through the whole phone call, she didn't even apologize for my previous calls being ignored and reacted basically like "yeah, the classes are full, you are screwed." without suggesting any possible solutions. Gladly I got my money back from living social at the end. It seems like this place does have a few good reviews on dancing teaching (weirdly they are all from November last year, nothing this year), but I just don't think this place knows how to do business or respect a customer! read more

Nalini Dance, located in Bellevue, WA is a premier international dancer, performer and director of dance recitals and productions. Please check out her web site. She is a highly sought after teacher of Belly dance, Bollywood dance and Russian gypsy dance for adults and children. She is amazing. How do I know? I have been dancing in the Willow Moon dance troupe under her choreography direction for 7 years. She has classes for beginners, intermediate and advanced students plus she directs the Blue Lotus Dance Company. She often travels to the India and other counties to perform because of her talent and beauty. If you are thinking about trying any these categories of dance, my recommendation is.... don't wait! Yours in dance~ Petra read more

I just had my wedding on October the first, and Nalini made my day! Her exhilarating, and skilled dancing left me, my groom and my guests overwhelmingly impressed. She performed bollywood and belly dancing. I especially liked the bollywood dance; it made me feel like i was inside an indian movie and a real princes for performing for me. She really knows what she is doing and taking her job seriously. I would invite her again for any special occasion! read more

I feel so lucky to have such an amazing Teacher, Dancer and Artist right here in Bellevue. I had been wanting to take Belly Dance for years and finaly started last Winter. I not only found a passion for Belly Dance but Bollywood as well. Nalini has inspired me with her passion for Dance. She is truely an Artist. read more

Nalini is absolutely fantastic; as a teacher, as a choreographer, and as a performer in her own right. I have been a student of hers for around 5 years now so I have a lot of experience to back up my comments. If you want to learn to dance, or improve your dancing and move to the next level, I highly recommend taking classes from Nalini. As a teacher she is supportive, inspiring, and challenging - a combination you do not often find. Many teachers are either one or the other but not all of them. This combination really brings out the best in each student and helps her students grow. She is very attentive to detail and teaches you all aspects of dancing, from foundational, correct movement to the finer details of expression and presentation (costuming, makeup, etc.). As detail oriented as she is, she will not overwhelm you with more than you can handle but she will also not let you stagnate at the same level. For people just starting out she will focus on getting the basics right and then teach how to layer additional details like expression as they get the basics down. As a student gets more skilled, she will add focus on the seemingly small details of gesture, expression, and presentation that make the difference between good and excellent performances. She has many students who have been with her for years. Her student groups, especially in the Bollywood style, get many performance opportunities, particularly in the summer months when there are many local festivals and events. She also helps prep students for competitions; a number of her students have won competitions in both individual and group categories. She can also create custom choreographies on request. Nalini is a gifted and inspiring performer as well. If you get the opportunity to see her, don't miss it! She has formal training in dance and choreography and it really shows in the high caliber of her performances as well as the choreographies that she creates for herself and for her students. For the last few years, she has toured in India performing, so she is out of town some months of the year but then comes back with new choreography inspired by the latest music and trends in India. One other commenter said something about Nalini teaching through having students mimic her but not teaching technique or expression - this does not match my experience at all. While Nalini does have students mimic her, this is an effective technique that many dance teachers use. It is also not the only method she uses. She also definitely does teach technique and expression; it may be that she was not focusing on that at the specific class that the commenter went to. I would really suggest taking classes for at least a month before jumping to any conclusion. This same commenter also said that Nalini starts late - this is not usually true, Nalini is usually very punctual. They also complained that Nalini cancelled class when only one student showed up for a group class - many dance, music, and fitness teachers do this because otherwise they are giving a private lesson but not getting paid for it. I personally feel it is disrespectful to expect a teacher to give a you private lesson but only pay them a group class rate. There was one more comment in that other post that I felt was a bit misleading. The person stated that Nalini had classes in her living room - it is true that some classes were in her home but it was a room that was converted into a home dance studio. There was a hardwood floor, a wall of mirrors, and no furniture. Many classes are held in separate dance studios. read more

I have been coming to Nalini's classes for almost a year. Nalini is a phenominal teacher and dancer. I've taken Belly Dance and Bollywood classes from basic to intermediate/advanced level. The classes are a lot of fun, great excercise, and the music rocks. Nalini is great in explaining the moves and designing choreography. The small class size at Harmony Ballroom allows for personal attention. In a nutshell, I like everything about this school. read more

I'm a local dance teacher (bhangra) and I've been to some of Nalini's classes and have seen lots and lots of performances by her students and performance groups -- always really great! Nalini herself as a dancer is really wonderful to watch, especially for me, her Bollywood. Her choreography is quite intricate and she pays a lot of attention to detail in teaching. The students are happy and I've seen that she has a sizable following of long-term students! read more

Nalini is a beautiful dancer. I worked with her to set up a private Bollywood dance lesson for me and my girlfriends. It was our first time trying Bollywood and we had a great time. Nalini was easy to work with. She responded to my emails and phone calls promptly. She worked within our time frame and then reserved a space at a dance studio in Bellevue. Overall it was a very fun experience. read more