Rozeta Ahalyea
Encyclopedia
Rozeta Ahalyea was one of the earliest professional bellydancers
in Australia
with a performance career that spanned four decades. She trained Amera Eid
and Terezka Drznik, who both became distinguished teachers and who themselves taught many of today's professional Australian belly dancers. In this regard, although not enjoying great fame during her career, she is an important figures in Australian belly dance history
Born in Greece and emigrating to Australia in the early 1950s, Ahalyea's professional career started in 1962 at age 16, arriving in Sydney
after running away from home to escape an arranged marriage. Rozeta found work as a cashier in a Spanish nightclub in Kings Cross and this is where she saw her first bellydancer. The boss of the nightclub overheard her boasting she could dance better than the dancer on stage. He found Rozeta a costume and she performed for the first time doing a Greek Tsifteteli
that she had learnt growing up, with an accompanying live band. The crowd enjoyed the performance so much the boss gave her a job as a full time dancer.
Six months later she toured Japan for six months and at the age of 17 was the youngest solo artist ever to visit. She then moved to Hong Kong for 3 months before going to Thailand
.
Unbeknown to Rozeta the owner of the Thai nightclub she was contracted to was the Prince of Thailand. After a month long courtship they became engaged. Their engagement broke down upon learning that the Prince wanted more than one wife, as was custom in Thai tradition. She fled the country with the help of a General’s wife, who was British, via Hong Kong and Taiwan before returning to Australia. She waited until she qualified for an Australian passport before working overseas again.
Rozeta worked extensively in the Sydney restaurant and nightclub scene but due to ill health from the smoky environment she moved to Queensland.
While in Australia, she also taught bellydancing privately. Two notable students were Amera Eid
who eventually set up Amera’s Palace, the first bellydance boutique in Australia, and Terezka Drnzik
who started Sydney’s first full time bellydance school.
Belly dance
Belly dance or Bellydance is a "Western"-coined name for a traditional "Middle Eastern" dance, especially raqs sharqi . It is sometimes also called Middle Eastern dance or Arabic dance in the West, or by the Greco-Turkish term çiftetelli...
in Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
with a performance career that spanned four decades. She trained Amera Eid
Amera Eid
Amera Eid is an Australian bellydancer and owner of an Australian bellydance school, Amera’s Palace. Amera is of Egyptian and European background and was introduced to bellydancing at the age of twelve. She began her professional training with Rozeta Ahalyea in Sydney in 1983 and worked the Sydney...
and Terezka Drznik, who both became distinguished teachers and who themselves taught many of today's professional Australian belly dancers. In this regard, although not enjoying great fame during her career, she is an important figures in Australian belly dance history
Born in Greece and emigrating to Australia in the early 1950s, Ahalyea's professional career started in 1962 at age 16, arriving in Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
after running away from home to escape an arranged marriage. Rozeta found work as a cashier in a Spanish nightclub in Kings Cross and this is where she saw her first bellydancer. The boss of the nightclub overheard her boasting she could dance better than the dancer on stage. He found Rozeta a costume and she performed for the first time doing a Greek Tsifteteli
Tsifteteli
The Tsifteteli , is a rhythm and dance of Anatolia and the Balkans with a rhythmic pattern of 2/4. The dance is probably of Turkish origin and in the Turkish language it means "double stringed", taken from the violin playing style that is practiced in this kind of music...
that she had learnt growing up, with an accompanying live band. The crowd enjoyed the performance so much the boss gave her a job as a full time dancer.
Six months later she toured Japan for six months and at the age of 17 was the youngest solo artist ever to visit. She then moved to Hong Kong for 3 months before going to Thailand
Thailand
Thailand , officially the Kingdom of Thailand , formerly known as Siam , is a country located at the centre of the Indochina peninsula and Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Burma and Laos, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the...
.
Unbeknown to Rozeta the owner of the Thai nightclub she was contracted to was the Prince of Thailand. After a month long courtship they became engaged. Their engagement broke down upon learning that the Prince wanted more than one wife, as was custom in Thai tradition. She fled the country with the help of a General’s wife, who was British, via Hong Kong and Taiwan before returning to Australia. She waited until she qualified for an Australian passport before working overseas again.
Rozeta worked extensively in the Sydney restaurant and nightclub scene but due to ill health from the smoky environment she moved to Queensland.
While in Australia, she also taught bellydancing privately. Two notable students were Amera Eid
Amera Eid
Amera Eid is an Australian bellydancer and owner of an Australian bellydance school, Amera’s Palace. Amera is of Egyptian and European background and was introduced to bellydancing at the age of twelve. She began her professional training with Rozeta Ahalyea in Sydney in 1983 and worked the Sydney...
who eventually set up Amera’s Palace, the first bellydance boutique in Australia, and Terezka Drnzik
Terezka Drnzik
Terezka Drnzik is one of the matriarch figures in the Australian bellydancing community, having started the first dedicated bellydance studio in Sydney in 1989...
who started Sydney’s first full time bellydance school.