Valentina (UNITY) is a second generation belly dancer who was raised in the underground Los Angeles art scene by her mother, Leela, a successful theatrical belly dance icon. Belly dancing alongside such acts as the Mutaytor and Karis, Valentina was exposed to hoop dance as a freshman in high school!

She now emerges as a performer and instructor in the arts of belly dance, hoop dance, fire and burlesque. Her ability to seamlessly combine these dance forms gives her a unique and provocative vision unlike any other. Valentina's Hoop Burlesque act was featured on Showtime's Live Nude Comedy in August 2009. Valentina is the leader of The Hoop Unit, a fusion performance group that debuted in June 2009.

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"The art of teaching is the art of assisting discovery." -Mark Van Doren

• Belly Dance with Valentina!
• Hoop Dance in Point Loma
• UCSD Hoop & Belly Dance
• Hoop Dance in Mission Valley
• Los Angeles Workshops
• Sunday Beach Hoop Classes

The Hoop Unit is a unification of belly dance, hoop, fire and burlesque into one fused form of expression and entertainment. This troupe is the first of its kind! It will constantly push the boundaries of performance art by telling stories, presenting themes and concepts or simply entertaining audiences with outside-the-box dance fusion.

Cairo Caravan '10--The Hoop Unit from Sanctuary Studios on Vimeo.