Rhyolyn: the name and the dancer

The name Rhyolyn, pronounced \RYE o lin\ (rhymes with violin), is a variation of the word rhyolite. Rhyolite is a fine-grained intrusive igneous rock predominately composed of siclicate minerals. It may also contain larger crystals in it's fine matrix (porphyritic rhyolite). Rhyolite forms when felsic (silicate rich magma) cools slowly underground (intrusive). Felsic magma is thick, viscous, and associated with violent Mount St. Helen's type eruptions.

Rhyolyn began her dance career in Salt Lake City Utah where she performed with the Precision Cabaret Troupe, Avatar, under the direction of Thia. She also danced solo at several restaurants including Cedars of Lebanon, House of Kabob and Pita, and Grecian Gardens. While in Salt Lake City, Rhyolyn studied American Cabaret, Classical Egyptian, and Folkloric belly dance under a number of different teachers.

In 2004 Rhyolyn moved to Huntsville, AL where she began an entirely new phase in her dance career. Unable to find a regular weekly belly dance class, she turned to other forms including Odissi (Indian Classical Dance), African, and Flamenco. She also began attending workshops all over the South including a monthly series in American Tribal Style. While living in Huntsville Rhyolyn formed a duet with Mitara and then began working with the Dance Collective Masmoudi & the Naughty Nomads in 2005 after Mitara relocated to Boston, MA. Rhyolyn traveled around the South and performed with Masmoudi & the Naughty Nomads throughout 2005 and was the troupes' primary choreographer.

Spring 2006 brought Rhyolyn to Portland, OR where she continues her Odissi studies and has also taken up Hip Hop classes. She recently began working with a new dance collective in the Portland area, Raqs Underdog.

While Rhyolyn enjoys studying pure dance forms, her primary interest if fusion. She considers her style to be "world fusion" or "barely belly dance," as her good friend Basseema (of Masmoudi & the Naughty Nomads) describes it. Rhyolyn's current focuses in fusion include (but are certainly not limited to): Odissi, Bharatanatyam, Bollywood, Bhangra, and Hip Hop.

Rhyolyn would like to credit each of the following instructors as playing a major role in her dance education

Bellydance

• Johanna (SLC, UT)
• Linda Linda (SLC, UT)
• Lissa McFaddin (Chattanooga, TN)
• Megha(Birmingham, AL)
• Rachel George(Portland, OR)
• Sulisha (SLC, UT)
• Sulrij (SLC, UT)
• Tamar (SLC, UT)
• Thia (SLC, UT)
• Viktoriya (SLC, UT)

• Ratnashree Nanda, Odissi (Huntsville, AL)
• Tania Chatterjee of Nupur Dance Academy, Odissi (Beaverton, OR)
• Anita Menon, Bharatanatyam (Beaverton, OR)

Last Update: 04/11/07