I’m Drake von Trapp.
About me.
I’m a Chicago-based fusion belly dancer. I hold an MA and BA in Dance and a post-master’s certificate in Multicultural Women’s and Gender Studies. I believe in studying belly dance with curiosity and rigor, both as a movement practice and an intellectual pursuit.
Dance with me.
I am called to teach, and I love connecting with dancers to expand their technical complexity and build a dance practice that is productive, accessible, and sustainable. I offer weekly in-person classes at Arcanum World Dance in Chicago, as well as in-person and remote private lessons.
Learn with me.
I am a belly dance history researcher, specifically in the scope of men in belly dance in the United States. I believe knowledge is our most potent weapon against oppression. As a firm believer in anti-oppressionist education, I challenge various systems of oppression in my classroom and research.
Upcoming events
Available Courses
Explore the rich history of belly dance in the United States: Learn about the misinformation that has circulated through belly dance discourses for centuries, and how modern research has combatted common myths and stereotypes about male belly dancers. We will learn about the impact of several formative male belly dancers in the US and North America, such as John Compton, Bobby Farrah, Ahmad Jarjour, and Bert Balladine.
Dance festivals are sacred places. They bring dancers together from all over, they reconnect local dance communities, and they bring in instructors that would otherwise be challenging to study with. As a professional opportunity, they are invaluable sources of networking and professional development—photo shoots, performance recordings, costume shopping. They’re important to all levels of dancers, both emerging and established. All that to say, we all need and deserve to enjoy belly dance festivals.