Frédérique (Lady Fred) is a worldwide renowned instructor & performer. She has and continues to teach domestically & internationally and is an annually featured instructor at the Tribal Massive™; a well respected belly dance college regarded around the world for it’s high quality instruction. She is known as an avant-garde artist, theatrically driven belly dancer, instructor, pioneer, and creator / director of both: Silent Sirens Theatre™ and the Black Heart Ballads™.
A Brief History…
Frédérique was born June 11th in Beirut, Lebanon though her ethnicity is Syrian, Armenian, French, and Italian. She speaks fluently in French (first language) & English. Her family immigrated to the United States, fleeing from the civil war and tired of traveling from country to country throughout the Middle-East arriving on American soil when she was 2 years old.
Frédérique has been dancing since she can remember. Her only formal training as a youngster was in figure skating; spending 6 days a week at the rink replete with private lessons for 3 years. She was also on the rink’s skating team which had minimal Ballet training during the week. She performed a few solos winning first place in 3 out of 3 competitions.
The Dance…
She began studying American Tribal Style Belly Dance (ATS) in February of 1997 with Amy ‘Luna’ then shortly after with director & phenomenal dancer Jill Parker where she stayed until December of 1999 and left to delve into creating something new.
With nothing to lose, Frédérique as an artist established herself through originality; branching out through the integration of urban underground lifestyle and tribal style belly dance. With almost 2 decades of experimentation and self-realization Lady Fred is revered an innovator and pioneer in the Tribal Fusion community. Outside of the ATS training she had from Luna & Jill, her movement and dance style is self-developed and authentically her own; it is because of her foundation in ATS however that she owes her improvisational skills.
Frédérique is known for her overall avant-garde theatre style and is responsible for introducing the use of new genres of music (dnb / dubstep / classical / scores) to tribal belly dance starting as early as 2000. With her innovation and coalescence of sound editing, she continues to push the boundaries in the set mixes she creates and raises the bar in stage presentation in the tribal fusion world. She is also responsible for influencing the union of vintage stylization with the use of antiques for costuming embellishments and old Jazz music used widely in tribal fusion community today as a staple to the genre.
Frédérique’s performances are based on vignetted theatre inspired narratives and have made an enticing impact on her audiences as well as motivating her peers. Her instruction leaves students inspired with knowledge and perspective on individuality and defining one’s passion through movement. This fashion of instruction has her teaching domestically and internationally while inspiring current and next generation belly dancers to explore their artistic abilities and express themselves through movement.
This innovation comes from her impulsive artistic momentum which has enabled her to fully realize and accomplish her visions.
Previous & Present Day Involvements:
- 1997 – 1999: Ultra Gypsy (troupe / principle dancer)
- 2000 – 2004: Romani (troupe / creator / co-op)
- 2004 – 2004: Belly Groove (duet)
- 2005 – present day: The Lady Fred (soloist)
- 2007 – 2008: Barbary Coast Shakedown (troupe / principle dancer)
- 2010 – present day: Silent Siren’s Theatre (company / creator / director)
- 2011 – present day: The Black Heart Ballads (troupe / creator / director)
Current Training:
- Ballet
- Hip Hop
- Contemporary
- Hollywood Jazz
- Middle Eastern Belly Dance
