Our Dancers

Pamela Vashti Dharling is an experienced teacher and performer of Middle Eastern Belly Dance and is the founder of GYR8 Bellydance. Currently based in Andover, Hampshire, her dance history spans over 35 years, and she is able to bring her expansive knowledge to her students. During her formative years as a dancer, Pamela undertook intensive courses with the Keep Fit Association of Wales and her dance training includes ballroom, latin, ballet, western, tap and jazz. A dedicated artist, Pamela has participated in countless bellydance classes and workshops as well as regularly traveling to learn from world-renowned instructors such as Sharon Kihara, Jillina, Rachel Brice and Petite Jamilla.

Her captivating stage presence, endearing persona, and excellent dance ability make Pamela a highly sought-after teacher and entertainer. A versatile performer, Pamela has featured in restaurants, private functions, weddings, festivals, and corporate events as well as television.

Dance students benefit from Pamela’s excellent dance training and her love for the art of bellydance. Students enjoy a positive atmosphere and high-quality instruction at her classes in Andover, Hampshire. She also travels locally and nationally to teach at workshops and festivals.

Kerri Blackmore has studied many forms of Middle Eastern & Oriental Dance since 2006 under the tutelage of Pamela Vashti Dharling, Lisa Thompson, Kami Liddle, Petitie Jamila and Samatha Hasthorpe, including Traditional Egyptian, Modern Turkish, Latin Arabic, American Tribal Style (ATS) and Bhangra. She is an accomplished and inovative performer whose style and presence captivates her audiences.

Kerri specialises in ATS and has choreographed and performed group and solo dances as well as duets with various GYR8 dancers. In May of 2008, Kerri gave an impromptu Tribalesque performance with Kami Liddle of the Bellydance Superstars.

For Kerri, bellydance isn't simply a hobbie, it s a "way of life".

Natasha Clarke spent her formative years in Kuwait amongst the culture and rhythms of the Middle East and regularly visits family in Omar. From a very early age ‘Tash’ became fascinated by the image of a bellydancer “shimmying her way along the floor” and so it became a natural ambition to emulate the “sensuous and sexy” genre of dance. That ambition was realised when after formally studying bellydance since 2005, she gave her debut public performance with GYR8 Bellydance in 2008. Since when, she has become an invaluable member of the troupe, giving exciting group, solo and duet performances.

Demonstrating her diversity in dance interests, Tash has studied Hip Hop and Contemporary dance alongside various styles of Middle Eastern and Oriental dance which include, Turkish, Modern and Traditional Egyptian, American Tribal Style (ATS) Bhangra and Arabic Latin, the latter two both being styles that she favours and excel at.

Tash continues to study Arabic and French and plans one day to return to the Middle East as a bellydancer. In the meantime, her goals include dancing with GYR8 Bellydance and venturing into the extended world of dance.

Charley Hawkins studied Street Dance before discovering the joy of bellydance in 2006 and has studied under Pamela Vashti Dharling, Petite Jamila and Kami Liddle. As a keen novice student, she soon demonstrated her love of several styles of Middle Eastern Dance, notably American Tribal Style (ATS), Cabaret and Bhangra, the latter being a style that has won her many plaudits on the Bhangra and Indian Dance stage. As a skilled performer who exudes personality and warmth when she dances, Charley has become a firm favourite with audiences up and down the country with her solos spots being a highlight of GYR8’s performances.

”I love the fact that bellydance celebrates all there is about being a woman, no other form of dancing appreciates the body of a woman the way bellydancing does. No matter what dress size you are, or body shape you have, bellydancing is all about the individual and how you move. There is a bellydancer hidden inside every woman. When I bellydance, whether it’s performing for small and large audiences or just practicing I become someone else, I come alive!”

Sveta Cochrane is our Ukrainian Princess with an extensive dance and figure skating history that spans over 30 years. Having initially studied ballet and traditional folk dance, Sveta gained notoriety in the ice skating world both as a performer and competitor before moving to the UK.

Bringing her love of Russian, Ukrainian and Romanian dance cultures to the stage, Sveta is a highly sought after performer, both as a troupe member and a charismatic soloist!