Suzy Evans has been involved in the belly dance industry since 1975, starting out as a dancer herself, then as a producer of world-class bellydance concerts and videos. With 40 years of experience in the field, Suzy has established herself as one of the leading authorities on The Art of Belly Dance.

The dance form we call “belly dancing” is derived from traditional women’s dances of the Middle East and North Africa. Women have always belly danced, at parties, at family gatherings, and during rites of passage. A woman’s social dancing eventually evolved into belly dancing as entertainment (”Dans Oryantal” in Turkish and “Raqs Sharqi” in Arabic). Although the history of belly dancing is murky prior to the late 1800s, many experts believe its roots go back to the temple rites of India. Probably the greatest misconception about belly dance is that it is intended to entertain men. Because segregation of the sexes was common in the part of the world that produced belly dancing, men often were not allowed to be present.

The International Academy of Middle Eastern Dance and Suzy Evans are producers of the best belly dance shows in the world! These incredible live concerts, with state-of-the-art sound and lighting and world class performers, have been professionally recorded and edited, and are available now on DVD.

In addition to the best live belly dance events, IAMED has also been producing the most comprehensive and easy-to-follow instructional videos on the market today. Choosing the most talented and respected belly dancers from around the world to give instruction in their own areas of expertise gives IAMED the advantage of having a diverse offering of topics for all levels of dancers.