Julie Aime

Owner/Director/Professional Dancer

Julie Aime is a Hamilton based dance artist. Her beautiful raqs sharqi brings joy and light to stages across southern Ontario. With over thirty years of experience in multiple dance forms including bellydance, ballet, tap, and jazz, her shining stage presence and inviting smile keep adoring audiences coming back for more.

Julie Aime’s professional bellydance training began at Arabesque Academy where she also danced as part of the Arabesque Dance Company. She participated in the troupe’s performance with Circe du Soleil at the 2015 Pan Am Games Opening Ceremonies. Currently studying with Melissa Gamal, she is always looking to expand her knowledge of Egyptian dance and musicality by learning from many teachers.

Julie Aime managed and taught at BellyFlow Fitness in Hamilton for five years and in 2018 she opened her own studio, Yalla Baladi. Dedicated to her students, she focused on proper technique and the joy and passion that is an integral part of bellydance. She has also taught workshops at high schools, Hamilton Public Library, and at Theatre Aquarius. 

Julie Aime regularly graces local stages as a solo artist for Art Crawl, Glitter Super Amazing Exploding Art Show, Sidewalk Sounds, and Pride. You can find her at events and festivals all over the region from Niagara to Guelph, Kitchener, Burlington, and Toronto.

Yalla Baladi

In Arabic, "Baladi" can refer to "my country", meaning "my home". We want to make bellydance feel like home.

In raqs sharqi circles, the term "Baladi" refers to a specific rhythm, and is also used as an alternate name for bellydance/raqs sharqi. "Yalla" is a common expression used to say "come on" or "let's go". Together they mean "Let's go bellydance".

Yalla Baladi is dedicated to the art of bellydance, by providing quality instruction from a professional dancer. We promote an inclusive and encouraging learning environment. In class you will not only learn to bellydance, but you will also learn body awareness, confidence and find a new community.

Whether you join for the love of dance, a way to stay healthy or to have a new and fun experience, we have a place for you!

“Julie is an incredibly talented, gifted, passionate and funny teacher. If you are passionate about dance, she is the teacher for you.” - Julianna

“Julie has been my teacher for two years now. She is wonderful, patient teacher. Because of her I found myself perfoming on stage, something I never thought I would have the confidence to do. Her support and encouragement made it possible.” - Morwenna

“Julie is a fantastic instructor! She takes time to explain how to do each move in a way that even non-dancers can understand. She makes the class a lot of fun for everyone and puts together fun routines that everyone can do. Highly recommend!” -Staci