Testimonials

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ON HÉLENA’S TEACHING/FACILITATING

“…(F)or the past five years, our school has hired Heléna Melone to present a flamenco dance workshop for fifth graders…. I am very pleased with the quality of Ms. Melone’s workshop, which is an adept combination of storytelling, movement, music, and dance performance. Ms. Melone has demonstrated a superior capability to integrate her artistic skills with instruction that is age-appropriate. I am also impressed with ms. Melone’s ability to manage a group of forty or more students in an instructional setting. Her instruction is delivered in intervals that maintain student attention and focus. I confidently endorse Ms. Melone as an instructor of dance and culture.”
- Maggi Sears, Spanish Teacher, Essex Elementary School, Essex, MA

“I want to tell you how amazing you are. Your class on Saturday night was so awesome. Many women spoke of it as the highlight of their weekend and it certainly was one of the highlights for me. I am inspired to relate to my body in a whole new way. Thank you. You bring so much grace, power and beauty to dance and your teaching. What your shared with us reclaimed belly dance and revealed it for what it truly is – an embodiment of the powerful and sacred feminine. You have an amazing gift to share….”
- Lorene Wapotich, co-founder Earth-Based Skills for Women

“What an amazing gift you have given me this fall/winter! Thank you so much for everything. From the first class when I complained of my belly shaking; and you told me about the Egyptian quote, “A woman without flesh is like a night without stars” to today: what a journey it has been. I can’t explain how I felt driving home that very first night from our beginner class… warm, understood, appreciated– and with such a different, deeper love for my own body.”
- (Student)
“I want to thank you so much for a wonderful day of dance. I really appreciate how much information you shared with us… (and) was really impressed at all your knowledge about music… and flamenco and the relationship between flamenco and middle eastern dance. You could teach a lecture class. I also appreciated how honest you were about your sources and about the confusion in what was true… that was so refreshing and so useful. I also loved the amount of information you gave about how to break down each movement… I’ve never had any dance teacher… break things down into such small units. Very helpful!…
I really appreciated the climate in your class…. This was one of the warmest dance climates I’ve ever been in…. I imagine you spend as much time laughing as dancing… which I think is really important.”
- Tarja Raag, student

“… (T)hanks again for the wonderful day of dance at SteppingStones. You really had a positive impact on the members and we’d love to see you come back again.”
Tammy Baker-Moeller, Kremples Brain Injury Foundation

“I was speaking with my husband last night about how much I am enjoying your class. I told him that I wish I had started taking classes a couple years ago when I first became interested in bellydance. It was then I realized that a large part of why I enjoy the class so much is your teaching style. It’s a great mix of humor, practicality, great tidbits of interesting information, imaginitive images and beauty. I LOVE it!! Thank you.”
- Celeste Dennison, student

Heléna “made flamenco instruction inviting and accessible”
- Jareeda Magazine

ON HELÉNA’S PERFORMING

“Heléna Melone is a truly exceptional artist. Her technical skill and knowledge of world dance culture combined with a powerful creative sensibility make her unique in her field. Collaborating on music/dance projects over the last few years has been a totally rewarding experience, not just for myself and my musical ensembles, but for the audience as well.”
- Larry Simon of Collective Consciousness & Groove Bacteria

“Heléna is a strong, expressive dancer with a beautiful, infectious smile…” and her improvisational skills make “Heléna’s ability to flow with the energy of each piece… even more impressive.”
- The Bat

“Steeped in technique,” Heléna is “a shape-changer… her movements incite and reflect a communal offering.”
- Spotlight Magazine