Barefoot Bellydance and Band, who perform tribal style bellydance, under its original name of ‘Qetesh’, was formed in 1999 by dance teacher Steffi Colbert and her husband Richard. Steffi has been teaching for 11 years, and she and some of her more advanced students saw an opportunity to form a separate dance performance group.

As well as teaching at classes in Aylesbury and Thame and other local areas, Steffi teaches the dancers within the performance troupe, directs and choreographs the dance performance. In addition to her studies in the UK and Europe, Steffi travelled to Portland, Oregon to study with Paulette Rees-Denis at the Caravan Studios and has been certified as a Gypsy Caravan Tribal Technique Teacher in Beginners Level One and Two. 

Richard Colbert, a dancer with Grand Union Morris, a Morris Dance side, leads the band of local musicians and percussionists who have worked hard to develop their own original sound made up of a fusion of western and Arabic influences.

As far as we are aware we are the only bellydance troupe in the UK that perform exclusively to live music created by our Barefoot Band.