What are people saying about Ishra & Invoketress Dance?
“I hired Ishra and Mary and they did a great job! I was very impressed by their organization. Communication prior to the event was excellent. Ishra is well-organized and set out an entertaining and exciting show for our guests that was perfect in length. Our wedding was Egyptian with a zeffe to start. The girls were skilled and professional. Their set included: Zeffe for grand entrance with shamadan, zills and tambourine; sword, veil, drum solo, Shaabi, and Saidi with dance into the audience. It was perfect and we were very impressed. I would definitely recommend booking with Ishra.” – Ashleigh, Happy Bride
“From the very beginning when I first met Ishra, I was immediately taken by her maturity, her willingness to learn and her comfort in working with people of all ages.
She has a spirit and energy that is positive and draws people to her, myself included. I have always enjoyed working with Ishra and feel that her contributions to the arts community in Guelph have enhanced the lives of many. I hold Ishra in high regard.” – Colin Clarke, Music Director, Guelph Concert Band
Photo by Dennis Novosad.
“We are fortunate to have such a talented individual in our community…Through dance, Ishra is giving people a chance to get healthier, laugh, and meet new people. The is in line with our community’s well-being vision that we are an engaged community that creates healthy and resilient people, places, and spaces.” – Karen Farbridge, past Mayor of Guelph
“Ishra brings not only a distinct professionalism to her work but also an infectious enthusiasm that all those involved are invariably swept up by and compelled to meet at the same high level of quality. As a role model for young women emerging in our local arts community, I’d like to believe that Ishra’s fierce experimentalism and joyful conviction in her work can only inspire the next generation of women drawn to the world of dance and multi-disciplinary collaboration.” – Andrew McPherson, twice Juno-nominated musician, voice actor
“Beyond her artistry and teaching skills, Ishra is an exceptional role model. She brings love, compassion, courage, optimism, determination, and seemingly boundless energy to everything she does…In so many ways, Ishra is the kind of person I would be thrilled for my own baby daughter to emulate someday. The Guelph community is lucky to have her.” – Diana Stephens, Belly Dance student, Invoketress Troupe Dancer
“Through her teaching, she has become a powerful advocate for women, showing that one, you can raise a family while pursuing your passion (she is a mother of 4 wonderful children). And two, no matter where you came from, anything is possible when you love what you do.” – Nico Kaburia, Director, Flying Dance Company
“Ishra has…fused many streams of dance into something quite unique in Guelph, a potpourri of creative expression woven with threads of feminine charm and sensuality that transcended our compartmentalized understanding of what dance represents. She truly moves through time and space with the ease of a happy enchantress; a soul who transcends the limits of earthly being.” – Simon Bell, former SNAP Guelph Photographer, Executive Director of Focus on Nature
Photo by PDV Photography.
“Ishra has built a thriving, artistic organization that adds great value to the Guelph community. The troupe is fiscally responsible, forward thinking, and community conscious. Ishra herself is laid back and easygoing but always promises and provides the highest quality service.” – Leah Landriault, Publisher, Best Version Media
“Ishra is inclusive to all women and is encouraging of their strengths, interests and input, even when they are not her own. Belly dance is more than just dance under Ishra’s tutelage. It becomes an art form, a sensual movement, a theatrical representation, a forum for understanding yourself and accepting of your body and your own beauty.” – Minerva Sanchez, Belly Dance student, Invoketress Troupe Dancer
“I ADORED your performance on Saturday night! All of the Invoketress dancers were simply stunning! Your energy was infectious, and your love for each other and the dance really shone through. Thank you for sharing your talents with us.” – Diana Balogh-Tyszko, Dancer
“Ultimately it’s not the dance steps you learn in class that you carry with you. It is the confidence to acknowledge the inner dancer and express this in everything you do. This is Ishra’s gift to us.” – Lorraine Bruce-Allen, former Belly Dance student, former Invoketress Troupe Dancer