Yurie is a professional bellydancer, an experienced Middle Eastern dance instructor and choreographer based in Christchurch, New Zealand.      She is the founder and director of El Yasmine Bellydance School.   

Yurie started studying Middle Eastern dance with Gendi (Founder of The School of Contemporary Belly Dance) in Christchurch in 1998.  

She started her teaching career at The School of Contemporary Belly Dance as a Saidi teacher in 2002. 

In 2005, Yuire helped to incoorporate the school as NPO, then served as a Manager of the school until August 2006.  She taught at the school as a senior Oreintal & Middle Eastern folkloric teacher till September 2009.

In 2009, Yurie left the School of Contemporary Belly Dance Inc to establish her own Middle Eastern dance school "El Yasmine Bellydance School" 

Yurie is dedicated to Middle Eastern Dance and especially focusing on studying and teaching Egyptian style Raqs Sharqi(Oriental dance) both in Classical and Modern style.

Yurie spacialises in Egyptian Oriental dance and Middle Eastern folkloric dances. She teaches and performs various folkloric dance styles; Saidi, Ghawazee, Nubian, Iskandarani, Hagallah, Khaleegy, Algerian Rai, and Tunisian, as well as classical and modern Oriental dance.

In 2010, she travelled and taught a successful workshop in Japan and also performed in Kobe and Tokyo.

She continues her Middle Eastern dance training by attending International/master teachers workshops in NZ and overseas. She studied with;

• Cassandra Shore(USA)
• Shareen El Safy(USA)
• Hadia(Canada)
• Denise Enan(Canada/Egypt)
• Amel Tafsout (USA/Algeria)
• Amera (Australia)
• Azziza (Australia)
• Elenie (Australia)
• Shamira(Australia)
• Melusina(Australia)
• Caroline of Cairo (Egypt)
• Karen Gehrman of Fat Chance Belly Dance (USA)
• Claribel(Singapore)
• Mohamed Kazafy (Egypt)
• Randa Kamel (Egypt)
• Dina (Egypt)              

Yurie is a trained and qualified adult education tutor who holds New Zealand National Certificate in Adult Education and Training.

As well as teaching bellydance, she works as a professional bellydancer  performing for Hens Nights, cooporate and Private functions, and community events. Her performance style is graceful, elegant, and family friendly with lots of fun interaction with audience. To find more about Yurie's bellydance entertainment, please click Bellydance Entertainment

Yurie also studies Hawaiian Hula with Zilla Steel and performs as a member of Hula O' Ka Lani http://nzhula.com

Yuire performing Saidi cane dance for Culture Galore.