about us

	Lacy Dickerson has been a long time student of dance and movement since 1996 when she became a member of her highschool dance team. As a dedicated dancer, she was named captain of her highschool dance team her senior year (1999). Lacy has been studying Middle Eastern dance in particular at Zanzibar since January 2006 under the direction of Andrea Perkins and Juli Downum. She has been instructing classes at Zanzibar since 2007. She has been director of Zanzibar Studio since October 2009 when her mentor and dance hero, Andrea Perkins left to explore new land! She also directs Dandasha Dance Company and Tribe Zanzibar. Lacy has studied with various world-renowned dancers and musicians such as: Rachel Brice, Zoe Jakes, Mardi Love (The Indigo), Mira Betz, Elizabeth Strong, Jill Parker & Rose Harden (Ultra Gypsy), Onca O'Leary (Mezmer Society), Heather Stants (Urban Tribal), Tobias Roberson, August Hoerr (Mezmer Society), and the list continues to grow... Lacy also received her Yoga Instructor Certification in June 2009 with Stephanie Keach of Asheville Yoga Center. Lacy's classes have deep focus in technique as well as body awareness. She likes to help women empower themselves with self-discovery through dance! “My first introduction to bellydance was a profound one I will never forget. After the tragic loss of one of Chattanooga's beloved musicians, the universe led me to an event in his honor. During the show, two bellydancers graced the stage with the most mystifying movements I had ever seen. The two dancers were from Zanzibar Studio. Intrigued by this beautiful dance form, I signed up two weeks later. And the rest is history....”
	Lauryn Peterson began performing in theatre at a young age in Chattanooga and continued into her college years. At Bard College, Lauryn shifted her attention to advocacy but was always active in the arts. In July 2003, Lauryn returned home from studying abroad in Budapest, struggling with an eating disorder. She impulsively signed up for classes at Zanzibar Studio. Lauryn loves to talk about how bellydance quickly became a healing force in her life. In the school years, Lauryn studied non-stop in New York with Allegra Hirschman (Three Sisters Dance) and Victoria Jacobs (Barrio Flamenco). During breaks, Lauryn returned to Zanzibar from Andrea Perkins, Jules Downum, Miranda Cagle, and Stacey Nolan. In May 2005, Lauryn moved back to her hometown, got engaged to her wonderful husband Jared, and immersed herself in consistent study at Zanzibar. Lauryn began assisting and substitute teaching in 2006 and took on her first full class in 2007. Lauryn has been a regular Zanzibar instructor since June 2008. more...
	Mattie Waters studied the art of Middle Eastern dance with the "great Andruska," with whom she trained vigorously for a year in a half before performing with the Dandasha Bellydance Company. In 2007, Mattie moved to London to finish a degree in theatre arts. While across the pond, she taught some of her first belly dance classes. Mattie is an active student of dance and has trained with many of the great world-renowned teachers that we know today. Mattie has been teaching classes at Zanzibar Studio since the summer of 2008. Her fun and unique approach to dance keep her classes fun and fresh! Combining solid practice and performance technique, Mattie is both an inspiring and challenging teacher. We hope that students of Zanzibar will be able to enjoy her skills a little longer before Hollywood or Broadway whisks her away from us!
	Born and raised right outside of Chattanooga, Miranda Cagle took the typical Southern girl dance trilogy of ballet, tap, and jazz, but years of scientific schooling and personal anxiety kept her far away from the performing arts through her teens and twenties. A serendipitous glimpse of tribal bellydancers at a California Rennaissance Faire in 2003 was the moment that turned out to change her life and led her to save and repeatedly muse over a class advertisement she saw when she came back home. She started taking classes with Andrea Perkins at Zanzibar in the fall of 2003 on a dare from a friend (at the time she was so body-conscious and private that she didn’t wear tank tops or shorts). Read more...