Ishtar’s passion, sincerity and artistry are expressed through dance, music and the written word...

I regularly perform to a wide variety of audiences, including Arabic, Turkish and Indian communities, festivals, raves, mind/body/spirit events and corporate events.

My DVD Arabesque has sold thousands of copies worldwide.

I teach over a hundred students a week and have taught workshops in all aspects of bellydance, personal growth and goddess philosophy in Britain and abroad.

In all my work I am influenced by the spiritual aspects of Goddess worship. My philosophy is, you have the power to be yourself. Your body and all material phenomena is sacred and an aspect of spirit. Through conscious movement it is possible to transcend the body to access blissful states of awareness.

I have a 2-1 BA degree in Psychology/Women's Studies and have qualifications in holistic healing and stress management. I also hold a teaching certificate. My paternal grandparents were both successful professional dancers.

My Grandmother, 'Little Supple', was a very petite woman of Moroccan descent. It was her who taught me my first dance movements. She, like me, owned her own dance school and was responsible for many developments in dance. She was famous for her unique innovation of jumping onto a glass stage and her agile, graceful and flexible body.

I regularly put on shows where my students get a chance to perform. The shows are an eclectic mix of dance, music and poetry. The night is a mixture of community dance and professional performance.

I have been teaching Psychology and Metaphysics for local education authorities for a number of years.

I sing, write songs and play guitar in Arabic and English and have performed internationally; working with musicians from a wide range of cultures.

I have worked with an extensive range of people; from professional dancers to users of women's aid services, school children, women with mental health problems and the transgendered.

I have had my writing published internationally in various publications. I have, in the past, been editor of various arts magazines and had a regular astrology column in rock magazine Kerrang. I have been on television and radio many times and have featured in various national and international magazines including Cosmopolitan.

I believe Dance, as with all forms of creativity, is a metaphor for life. Self-discovery is a prerequisite for self-Mastery. If we adopt a challenging system of movements and we practice with discipline, dedication and an ego-less desire to move beyond the things that hold us back, we can evolve.

For me, bellydance is a celebration of the universal cycles condensed in the figure of the divine feminine archetype. With practice life changing events can and do occur.

The world suffers due to the belief in Cartesian dualism. The universal dance transcends this, and presents a holistic truth. When we have mastered the difficult movements and reprogrammed our body to send out more positive, assertive signals, life is easier because people treat us better and we have an improved relationship with ourselves.

The ancient movements will connect us to the divine mother, who will encourage us to nurture rather than compete, to be strong yet yielding. It is not my body that is dancing it is the I, the very essence of consciousness that allows the universe to flow and express its connection through the body.

The world is changing - consciousness of the interconnectedness of everything, the universal soul and the power of thoughts and intentions is more apparent now than ever.

I have one darling daughter called Tara, named after the Tibetan goddess. She is a beautiful girl. I have a cat called Sugar and a little dog called Fifi.

Every thing I do is motivated by metaphysical, transformative and alchemical concepts. I want to heal people by fun and encouraging them to wake up from the hypnotic monotony that the media and mainstream society encourages.

I am interested in all religions and respect all those who respect the freedom of others to worship in whatever way suits them. The practice of bellydance is spiritual to me, because it makes people feel better and to enjoy life more. I advocate a none competitive, none hierarchical, feminist form of teaching and performance.

For me peace, social justice and environmental issues are aspects of my creative and spiritual work.