Azadeh is one of the oldest dance studios for oriental dance (belly dance) in Berlin Charlottenburg. It was founded in the same place in 1990 by the dancer and architect Karin Kalliko. Katharina Joumana has been teaching as a dancer at Azadeh since 1995. In 2001 she took over the sole leadership of the studio.
The name Azadeh stands today for Katharina Joumana's particular dancing and teaching style, which has strongly influenced the Berlin dance scene. Katharina Joumana and her fellow teachers impart dance technique for beginners to professionals, complemented by cultural background knowledge, enthusiasm for music and the joy of dancing. Dancers and teachers who are today well-known in Germany and abroad have passed through Katharina Joumana's school.

16 courses at different levels are given at Azadeh in a light-flooded, 100 m2 loft in a warm and pleasant atmosphere. An oriental corner invites you to relax with a glass of tea from the samovar. Studio shows offer pupils of different levels the opportunity to present the dances they have learned in their lessons. Workshops take place several times a year, with internationally active, mostly Egyptian teachers, so the dance can be deepened and experienced authentically.

Oriental dance is a special form of expression for women. It is probably one of the oldest dances in the world, with its origins in Africa. Precursors of this dance are found in Egyptian wall paintings from 1400 BC. It spread throughout the whole Arab world as an art form deeply rooted in everyday life. Oriental dance has developed up to the present into an elegant, expressive art form, which enjoys a growing popularity amongst us as well. The soft, graceful movements are not only aesthetically impressive, they also relax tension, build self-confidence and keep the whole body fit. Oriental dance is a very free dance, in which inner feelings are expressed vivaciously. Oriental dance improves not only physical elegance but also personal appeal.

Oriental dance (belly dance) means pleasure in movement, expression and zest for life. These elements should flow together into the lesson and be felt. After an introduction with warm-up and relaxation exercises, the dance techniques are imparted, building on each other in steps. Single movements and figures are sensitively taught and individually corrected.

The basic patterns learned are then brought together in complete choreographies or applied in free dance. Parts of the lesson programme are the different styles, e.g. stick dance, veil dance, balady or dancing with cymbals.

The imparting of background information on the origin and style of the individual dances belongs here too. Particular importance is attached to the assumption of a healthy bodily posture, thus a part of the lesson is aimed at building specific muscles and loosening the abdomen.