Saltanah Dance
The Saltanah Dancers
Joyful, Enchanting Belly Dance for your Celebrations of all Kinds! The Saltanah Dancers are Deborah Newberg (director), Misty Raivo, Mena and Bryana Pacheco. We provide a dynamic, elegant, beautiful Belly Dance show to celebrate your special event! We combine elements of Egyptian, Oriental, Folkloric, Persian, Spanish and World Fusion dances in our diverse and colorful shows. We specialize in Veils, Fan Veils, Finger Cymbals, Sword, Candle Tray and Cane, offering Scintillating Solos as well as Belly Dance Troupe Choreographies, with glamorous and accomplished Belly Dancers in dazzling costumes. Enjoy our ongoing Performances at many venues! We look forward to making your celebration truly memorable.
Deborah Newberg
Deborah Newberg is the founder, director and lead choreographer of the Saltanah Dancers and Saltanah Studios. Since 2005. The Saltanah Dancers have
presented over 750 performances in NM, at venues ranging from the Santa Fe Bandstand on the Plaza to the Lensic theatre, from Cleopatra's Cafe to the Scottish Rite Temple.
Deborah has been on the faculty of the Dance department of Santa Fe Community College since 2008, and also teaches at DanceSpace Santa Fe. Her student troupe, the Habibis, also performs regularly with the Saltanah Dancers.
Deborah is known as an enthusiastic and giving teacher, and as a dynamic and musical dancer and choreographer. Deeply rooted in the traditions of Middle Eastern Belly Dance, she also enjoys contemporary innovation and cross-pollination. Her work is enriched by continuing study and performance of a variety of dance styles, especially Egyptian-style Oriental Dance (aka Raqs Sharqi or Belly Dance), Folkloric Middle Eastern Dances, Persian Dance and Turkish Roman, as well as focused study of Middle Eastern music. Her passion for dance travel and study has taken her to Egypt, Morocco and Spain. Her collaborative work with the Saltanah Dancers and her deep involvement in teaching dance are based equally upon her dedication to the beautiful art form of Raqs Sharqi and upon her commitment to the sisterhood, joyful self-expression and empowerment of women, which is embodied through the dance.
Mena
From Dallas, Mena began dance at a young age with a mix of dance forms ranging from Ballet to African Dance as well exploring theatre arts. At 16 she began her study of Belly Dance in Dallas with Rita Benner. Mena moved to Santa Fe to study at College of Santa Fe, where she received a B.F.A. In Theater and continued to study dance. When Mena is not on stage herself she spends her time tending to the locks of other performers as an Emmy-nominated hair stylist, working in films and television.
Misty Raivo
From Minnesota, Misty Raivo began her dance studies at the age of 5. Growing up as a dancer, she studied ballet, tap and jazz. In college she majored in Arts and danced extensively. She performed as a modern dancer in Minnesota and in Austin, TX. Her interest in Belly Dance came into the foreground when she began studying in Santa Fe with Deborah, and then joined the Saltanah Dancers. She is a certified yoga instructor, teaching at Santa Fe Community Yoga since 2012. She is also the owner of Raivo Modern, a company she created to house an evolving collection of jewelry design inspired by visual artwork and movement disciplines.
Bryana Pacheco
~Born and raised in Santa Fe, Bryana Pacheco began her immersion in dance at 10 years old with ballet, followed by modern dance and jazz. Since then, she has performed and taught diverse styles of dance, and has travelled to NY and the Caribbean, to deepen and enrich her dance training. In 2012, Bryana glided into SFCC Belly dance taught by Deborah and fell in love with the beauty of Oriental dance. Bryana is now an instructor in the Dance department at SFCC, teaching both Modern Dance and Jazz. She is also a highly regarded dance fitness instructor at SFCC and elsewhere, teaching Zumba and Aqua-Zumba, as well as her own dance fitness genre, Caribbean Heat.
