Courtney Anne is a professional belly dancer based out of Colorado Springs, CO.  She has been belly dancing since 1999 and until 2016 performed under the name Neisa Salima.

Courtney first discovered belly dancing at age 5 when a dancer came to her kindergarten class for a presentation.  She couldn't wait to tell her mother about the experience and asked if they could hire her to dance at her father's birthday party, which they did.  From that point, she knew she wanted to become a belly dancer. She was thrilled to finally have the opportunity to begin her study of Middle Eastern dance after moving to Colorado Springs years later.  She does not remember the name of the dancer that she saw, but would like to offer her heartfelt thanks for the seeds of inspiration that she planted.

Courtney has studied this art form with many talented instructors such as Mahisha Alail, Kaya, Maya Christina, and Isadora. She strongly believes that this art form requires a lifetime of study and therefore continues to supplement her dance education with workshops from dancers such as Suhaila Salimpour, Morocco, Fahtiem, Cassandra, Dalia Carella, Eva Czernik, Princess Fahrana, Wendy Buenaventura, Sadie, and many others. 

Courtney primarily dances American Classic style of belly dance, and includes techniques and props such as zills, veil, floor work, swords, wings, fire, and feather fans.  She has performed regularly at restaurants such as The Caspian Cafe in Colorado Springs, India's Castle in Denver, and Tajine Alami in Manitou Springs, in addition to shows and events around the area.

Courtney also is the director and choreographer of The Serpentine Visions belly dance troupe.  She loves sharing what she has learned about belly dance with others through teaching group classes, private lessons, and workshops.

 Previously, she also danced with Zalzali Belly Dance Troupe and Alrakasat.  

As Zalzali's coordinator, she worked with the other members to bring their "Night at the Oasis" shows to the public roughly monthly through 2005-2011 (a continuation and extension of shows originally begun through Mahisha and Alrakasat), and to sponsor several workshops and shows bringing instructors to Colorado Springs.  In 2009, she also worked with Badia to organize ShimmyCon, a two-day event aimed to get the word out about local instructors and introduce students to new learning opportunities, featuring multiple workshops and a gala show.

Courtney Anne welcomes you to her website and hopes that you discover and enjoy both the beauty and fun of belly dance! 

Photo of Courtney with veil by Cynthia Holling-Morris.  Black and white photo by Andy Hagan.  Photo of Courtney in red by Artist Edge Photography.