MAYA ACID | Renate Bakker

Maya Acid is a Tribal and Fusion Bellydancer

well known for her magnetic stage presence. Sharing her art and heart for experimental bellydance with improvised performances to all musical styles.

With a multi-faceted career in bellydance, theatre and costume design, Maya Acid has been performing and teaching Bellydance since 2003. She works with live musicians, bands, electronic live sets and Dj's. From folk to electronics, from jazz to punkrock and anything in between.

Maya was a core member of The Uzumé Dance Company for 6 years. Together they taught and performed worldwide at major events and produced the famous Beyond Bellydance events in The Netherlands.

Maya is also a collaborating performer for theatre group Fields of Wonder. As a designer she creates performance costuming, jewelry and one of a kind 25 yard skirts and is a proud dancer/director of her advanced student performance troupe.

Foto: Riny van Eijk

ACID BELLYDANCE

I am often asked what Acid Bellydance means,

or where the name Maya-Acid comes from.

Good questions, I will try to explain :)

For me, Acid is a big family name for sound effects, used in many different musical genres. It is that 'elastic energy' from sounds that squeeck and bend, adding the extra freak, funk and spice to it.

Acid has always touched my heart. Acid is what makes me dance. Any music with soul and a little acid flavour. Imagination stimulating music.

A lot of acid in music comes from electronic instruments or sound-manipulations, but acoustic instruments, didgeridoo for example, can have this acid quality too.

Foto: Riny van Eijck

When I started bellydancing in 1999, I had a vision. I wanted to bellydance to Acid and electronic dance music, at that time unbeknowst to me that the San Fransisco bellydance community was already experimenting with it too, naming it Tribal Fusion Bellydance. Funny, if you believe in a collective consciousness :)

Maybe it was my own take on Tribal Fusion Bellydance, or just my synonym for it. It is also about my personal taste and choices in music and where I attempt to push my style, a bit of freaky, if U like ;)

Yours truly, Maya-Acid