This year's winner is Ellie Taylor
Growing up traversing ballet, tap, and jazz, Ellie eventually found her ‘true love’ in the form of bellydance in 2014. Soon after, she began performing regularly at various venues on the South Coast of New South Wales, Australia.
Ellie has since studied traditional, modern, contemporary fusion, and theatrical styles of bellydance, and in 2018 began teaching weekly. Ellie is trained in Keti Sharif’s A-Z Bellydance methodologies and has trained under Kylie 'Astarte' Morrison from Astarte Studio in Shellharbour, Australia. Ellie has performed with advanced performance troupes since 2016, and is mentored by Miki Tsuchiya of Miki Bellydance, Singapore.
Stylistically, Ellie is inspired by the notion of self-expression through dance – finding the approach that speaks to each individual dancer. You will most often find her dancing modern raqs sharqi and contemporary fusion. She is trained in various props, with a particular fondness for veil and fan veils.
Ellie has been a Shimmy Mob team leader since 2019, and currently runs weekly classes and offers online tuition from Kiama, Australia. She has an extensive background in mental health, and prides herself on providing a welcoming, inclusive, and safe environment for her students. Visit her website to learn more.
