08/04/2026
I was nine years old the first time a dance floor held me. 🧿
It was a little ballet academy in Guatemala City, and it was the safest place I knew.
My family had just moved there from Honduras. I didn't know anyone. I was in a new country, a new school, and everything felt unfamiliar. I was young, lonely, and I didn't like school.
I remember walking into that ballet class feeling excited and terrified all at once.
Then the music started.
As soon as I began to move, every bit of nervousness disappeared. Even at nine years old, I knew there was something magical about that space.
At the time, I thought I was simply learning ballet.
I didn't realize I was also discovering the place I would return to whenever life became too heavy to carry alone.
Years later, Hurricane Katrina took my home, scattered my community, and changed the course of my life. I was displaced, heartbroken, and trying to make sense of a future I hadn't planned.
One day I thought, "Why not try something new?"
I wasn't looking for a passion.
I was looking for a distraction.
So I walked into my first belly dance class.
That class became an anchor.
What began as a way to heal became a lifelong calling.
For the last 21 years, I have devoted myself to this art. For the past 18 years, I have had the privilege of teaching it. I have studied with master instructors from around the world, immersed myself in the traditions of Egyptian dance, and committed myself to honoring the culture, history, and lineage that make this art so profound.
Today, I have the honor of sharing that gift in the city I love.
My name is Karla Marie, founder of Shimmy Soul: A New Orleans Belly Dance Experience, Shimmy Shakti - Belly Dance Shimmy Soul: A New Orleans Belly Dance Experience, and Studio Shakti New Orleans.
People often assume I teach women how to dance.
But that's only part of it.
I guide women to reconnect with themselves while learning belly dance technique and cultural dance.
To feel strong.
To feel graceful.
To trust their bodies again.
To find community.
To discover that movement can be medicine.
This week, I open my doors to a brand-new group of beginner students.
If there's a quiet voice inside you that's been whispering, "I wish I could do that.."*
Maybe this is your invitation.
Keep following along this week. I'll show you exactly what it's feels like to take that very first step.
I'd love to welcome you into our circle. 💗
