Portia Lange is a renowned belly dance educator, performer, and entrepreneur, best known as the founder of Belly Motions, a Miami-based studio turned global platform blending Middle Eastern dance with fitness and empowerment. With over 20 years of experience, she has developed a unique, inclusive teaching method that welcomes all ages and abilities. A champion of Cairo’s Nile Group Competition, a Miami Herald Top 20 Under 40 leader, and a two-time ELLE Oriental cover star, Portia has also trained instructors worldwide through her Belly Dance Fitness Instructor Training Program. She is the creator of MIAMI RAKS FEST and continues to inspire thousands through both in-person and online programs that celebrate confidence, joy, and self-expression through dance.

In this episode you will learn about:

• How Davina’s passion for sewing turned into costume repairs for local dancers and eventually her own costume book

• Learning self-publishing from sci-fi zine culture, selling her first 50 books on spot, and writing over 20 books since then

• Challenges of affording professional costumes in the 80s and the importance of the costume making skills

• Her research into vintage Assiut fabric and what makes it so magical

• Deep dive into zills—why dancers need more context, not just technique