Tara Dhatu Student Teacher Program listing

AUSTRALIA
Sydney, New South Wales
This circle has been active for over 10 years. Under the direction of 4th Level Mentor Felicity Oswell the group has participated in many celebrations offering the Mandala Dance of the 21 Taras and a White Dance created by Felicity. They recently accomplished a Cham tour together with Dzogchen Rinpoche and a group of monks from his monastery. Felicity has initiated women throughout Australia in the dance, mentors several circles and has taken the dance to Japan. Please here for our past event listings.
Felicity Oswell	Level 4	Phone: 61-2-9344-4996	Visit Felicity's Schedule.
Sue Benson	Facilitator
Therese Olson	Level 1
North of Melbourne
In the hills north west of Melbourne there are some very interesting communities. We have two active circles and had one prison outreach in the area.
Daylesford
Jenny Swan Raynor	Level 1	Phone: 61-3-5348-4321
Janinne Maree		Phone: 61-3-584-8802.
Adelaide, South Australia
In the far south of Australia the Adelaide dancers meet on special occasions.
Jocelyn (Jocki) Fairley	Level 1	Phone: 61-8-8391-2565
BRAZIL
There are many active Tara Dance circles in Brazil. Much of the music, texts and materials have been translated into Portuguese. There is an excellent web site in PortugueseTaradhatusulamerica.org
Central Coordinator for South America Myriangela Alvim Naves Central Coordinator Myriangela Alvim Naves Phone: 61-3343-3968
Rio de Janiero
Tara has been dancing in Rio for seven years under the direction of 4th Level mentor, Maria Ache. She has initiated dancers all over the country and has facilitated a number of offerings. There are several active circles in the Rio area.
Maria Ache	Level 4	Phone: (21) 2531-8425 / (21) 2531- 1910 / (21) 9924 3132	Maria's Bio:
Isabel Azevedo	Level 3	Phone: (21) 8233 0807
Magno Guimardes de Pinho	Level 2	Phone: (21) 2245 0160 / (21) 9874 2737
Vera Ache	Level 1	Phone: 21 – 2245-6711
Angelis Bernacchi	Level 2	Phone: (21) 9238 6774 / (21) 3150 9593
Porto Alegre, Rio Grande de Sul
In the far South of Brazil there has been an active Tara Dance circle turning. The first facilitator was Marge Oplinger. When she moved to Florianopolis, up the coast, several dancers stepped forward to continue holding meetings. Marge often joins them in offering the dance at various festivals. Lama Padma Sampten has a Dharma Center in the area and encourages his students to join the dance and to offer the dance during his special events
Josiane Fernandes Fontana	Level 2	Phone: 51-32122842
Cintia Miro	Level 1	Phone: (51)32667392
Brasilia
Myriangela Alvim Naves	Level 3	Phone: 61-3343-3968
Maria Thereza Lima	Level 2	Phone: 61-3248-7860
Gisele L'Abbate	Level 1	Phone: 61-3242-5002
Florianopolis
Leila Francischelli	Level 3	Phone: 48-3233-7832
Marge Oppliger	Level 3	Phone: 48-3338-3538
Andrea Alvim M Barbosa	Level 1	Phone: 48-3233-4870
Sao Paulo
Francis Rose Feder	Level 1	Phone:
Marly de Almeida Pedra	Level 1	Phone: 11- 4186-1611
Salvador, Bahia
Sandra Bonfim	Level 2	Phone: 71- 3481-5421
Daniela Vasconcelos Gomes	Level 1	Phone: 71-9962-2468
Belem, Para
Cassia Maria P.G. Hage Amaro	Level 1	Phone: 91-3230-9152
Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais
Heloisa Aradna Novais	Level 2	Phone: 31-3411-7709
CANADA
Ottawa, Ontario
Phyllis Danu	Level 2	Phone: 613-620-9000
Brandon, Manitoba
Johanna Leseho	Level 1	Phone: 204-427-0408
GERMANY
Wuerzburg
Lisa Staimer	Level 2	Phone: 49-0931-451843
GREAT BRITON
London
Suzanne Messinger	Level 1	Phone: 07788100952
JAPAN
The circle in Japan has been turning for several years. Felicity Oswell from Sydney, Australia goes twice a year and has led some amazing events. Sasa Nagao is the first Student/teacher to step forward and facilitate a monthly meeting.For a schedule of Tara Dance events in Japan and to meet the Japanese dancers please visit here
Tokyo
Felicity Oswell	Level 4	Phone:61-2-9344-4996 (In Australia)
Yuko Sasa Nagao	Level 1	phone: 08066631461
NEPAL
Kathmandu
Our Tara Dance work has been focused on two groups of nuns. Andrea Abinanti, a classically trained dancer in Indian and Nepali styles has been overseeing this program.
Andrea Abinanti	Level 3
Kopan Nunnery
Lobsang Palmo	Level 1
Lhundup Kalden	Level 1
Lobsang Lekzom	Level 1
Lobsang Sangmo	Level 1
Lobsang Rabsel	Level 1
Lhundup Kalsang Sherpa	Level 1
Tenzing Chonzom	Level 1
Lobsang Choezin	Level 1
Tara Abbey
Norla Drolma	Level 1
NEW ZEALAND
Donna Dancing Turtle	Level 1	Phone:	Turtles Bio:
PORTUGAL
The Tara Dance in Portugal was introduced by Lila Ventura. She encountered the Tara Dance in Brazil and has been facilitating circles throughout Portugal since 2003. For a schedule of Tara Dance events in Portugal and to meet the Portuguese dancers visit here.
Carmoes
lila Celia Ventura	Level 2	Phone: 00351 26194 1694	Lila's Bio:
RUSSIAN FEDERATION
Prema & Anahata brought the Tara Dance to Russia in 2001, enlisting five Russian dancers to join them for the pilgrimage to India and Nepal. They returned in 2006 and a number of Russians have joined the STP aspiring to spread the Tara Dance throughout this vast country. Ilona Vorslav of St. Petersburg has currently agreed to be the Central Coordinator for Russia, overseeing finances, mailing lists, translations and contact with the international organization. Zahira Shelter has agreed to work with STP documents and to see to it that ST in other parts of the country have the most recent translations of everything. Masha of St. Petersburg has offered to help with translations and to take care of finances. There are two active circles in Russia, St. Petersburg & Perm. We invite you to visit our St Petersburg Community along with our Events page, (Please note that the Events Schedule is written in Russian not English at this stage, however, by clicking here you will get a rough English Translation of this Beautiful Website by our Russian Tara Sisters). Please visit here for our past Event stories.
Central Coordinator Ilona Sokolova Phone: 7812-552-81-86
St. Petersburg
Zahira Margarita Shetler	Level 1	Phone: 7812-601-11-12
Shahodat Golomuz	Level 1	Phone: +7 - 812-590-69-09
Perm
Lubov Korotovskikh	Level 1	Phone: 342-293-9685
USA
Arizona
Flagstaff
Cynthia Knox	Level 1	Phone: (928)607-0344
Phoenix Area
Meeting for over six years, the Phoenix Valley Tara Mandala has generated a strong central circle of enthused and experienced Tara practitioners. Gatherings are comprised of participants who range in age and in experience. Meetings happen once a month and welcome all to join. Please contact Parvati for information about meeting time and location as these details vary from month to month. Parvati Forrest Anee Burke is a level three teacher. She traveled to India with Tara Dhatu for the 2001 Pilgrimage and has facilitated the Phoenix Valley Tara Mandala since it began to meet in 2001. To read some of our Past stories, please visit here.
Parvati Forrest Burke	Level 3	Phone: 602-412-7386	Read Parvati's Bio
Amaura Leesa Delaney	Level 1	Phone:480-835-7721
Jyothi Pace	Level 1	Phone:602-738-0750
Tucson
Teresa Newberry	Level 3	Phone: (520)822-1412
Arkansas
Hot Springs
Jayne Quddus Webb	Level 1	Phone: 501-258-3469
California
Tara has been dancing up and down the coast of California since the Mandala went on the road in 1988. We offered the dance in San Diego, Los Angeles, Santa Barbara, Berkeley, El Cerrito, San Jose, Healdsburg and a tiny town near Arcata. The Lotus Circle keeps a monthly meeting turning in the Bay Area. Karen Metta, Marie Elena and Bonney Meyer are a dedicated group of teachers/organizers and our yearly celebration there is an ecstatic connection with old friends and new. Lama Kunga, who lives in the Berkeley Hills offers empowerments during our celebrations and dharma support through the year. Many of the Lotus Circle have studied the 21 Praises in depth with him. We invite you to visit our Events page.
El Cerrito
Karen Metta Fleischer	Level 3	Phone: 510-525-2560
Marie Elena Gaspari	Level 2	Phone: (510)964-9178
Bonney Meyer	Level 2	Phone: 707-887-2210	Bonney's website
Santa Barbara
Shelley Meaney	Level 1	Phone: 805-967-9993
Laura Gasparrini	Level 1	Phone: 805-568-1558
Georgia
Atlanta Area
Sarah Salamander Thorsen	Level 2	Phone:(404)584-5242
HAWAII
Kauai
Shortly after the Tara Dance was born on the island of Maui, Prema took the dance to Kauai at the invitation of Eana Rose. Prema made a commitment to the Kauai dancers to offer the Tara dance there once a year and to this date has kept this commitment. Eana Rose was one of the first Tara dancers to enter the Tara Dhatu Student Teacher Program (STP). She has kept the dance turning on a regular basis since 2000 at a lovely temple she built behind her house on the lush north shore of Kauai. Hale O Ka Pu’uwai has become the home of the Tara Dance on Kauai. A Level 4th Mentor of the dance, Eana has encouraged Trishana Star to lead the meetings when she is “off island”. Sharon Gonzales also shares in the leadership of the circle and sometimes leads Tara practice in Kapa’a, further down the coast. We invite you to visit our Kauai Community along with our Events page, aswell as our Past events.
Eana Rose Graves	Level 4	Phone: (808) 828 0138	Visit Eana's website
Trishana Star	Level 2	Phone: (808)828-0076
Sharon Gonsalves	Level 1	Phone:(808)823-9364
Maui
The Tara Dance was born on Maui in 1986 and some of the original dancers are still dancing!!!! Dechen and Kachina have held things together since Prema started traveling so extensively. Now Babara has joined the Tara Dance Student/teachers program. With their dedication and Prema more in residence a monthly meeting is happening. Please contact Barabara for our Monthly meeting information. Please visit here to see our meeting dates.
Kachina Palencia	Level 2	Phone: 808-874-7412
Dechen Groode	Facilitator	Phone: (808) 879 5554
Barbara Gach	Level 1	Phone: Phone (808) 874-8191
Louisiana
Baton Rouge
Jessica Zebrine is Prema’s niece. For almost ten years she has been dancing and studying the Tara Dance.While completing her PhD in Theatre at Louisiana State University, Jessica also serves as Director of Religious Education at a local Unitarian Universalist church. She leads a monthly Mandala Dance Circle at the church, sharing the dances of Tara and other Dances of Universal Peace. For more information about these classes. Or if you live in the Baton Rouge area, join the MandalaDanceBR yahoogroup at Click to join MandalaDanceBR . To read more on Jessica Zebrine's journey
Jessica Zebrine	Level 3	Phone: 225-773-2376
Lafayette
Adrianne LaBry connected with the Tara Dance through a Mandala Offering held at Jessica’s church in Baton Rouge. The Dance touched a deep place within and she gathered a small group of dancers and started a weekly meeting. Encouraged to look for dharma centers in her area she connected with Katog Choling and has facilitated the dance meditation of Tara's 21 Qualities monthly at their facility. Sophia's Circle, a women's spirituality center of Lafayette recently invited her to give regular classes to their group as well. For more information about the circle in Lafayette please contact Adrianne.
Adrianne LaBry Smith	Level 2	Phone: 337-237-2233	Adrianne's Bio:
Maryland
Sandra Kammann	Level 2	Phone:
New Mexico
Santa Fe
Gayle Myers	Level 1	Phone: 505-474-0903
New York
New Lebanon
Aimee Johnson	Level 1	Phone: (518)794-8641
North Carolina
Winston Salem
After the sublime blessing of meeting Prema and dancing the Tara Dance for the first time in 1995 in Fayetteville, Arkansas, Mekare commited to bringing the Tara Dance as often as possible to North Carolina. It all began in the fall of 1997, when Prema and Anahata arrived in Winston-Salem. A full Mandala with protectors and a large group of children spontaneously arose from this somewhat conservative southern town. It was so very powerful! Women from this original Tara Dance are still dancing in NC. The wheel began turning with such joy. Tara Circles began meeting in 1999 in North Carolina, after Mekare was invited by Mary Miller Stair of Asheville to lead the Mantra dance for a large DUP circle. The response was so overwhelming that with Prema's blessing, Mekare traveled to Asheville from her home in Winston-Salem one Sunday a month for a year and a half leading a wonderful circle of Tara Dancers, which culminated with bringing Prema and Anahata to Asheville for the third full Mandala Dance weekend in NC. Three glorious women from the Asheville circle, Anna, Jan, and Susan, went on the 2001 Pilgrimage. Mekare then established a Tara Circle in her hometown of Winston-Salem where a small but devoted group danced together as often as possible in living rooms, gardens, and porches. Tara has also danced her blessings at a funeral, a croning ceremony, birthday celebrations, a New Year's ceremony, and numerous gatherings for the healing of our world. The Winston-Salem and Asheville Tara Dance Circles both resume this autumn in NC !!! Please check back on this webpage in mid-September, 2007 for exact locations and times.
Mekare Fiske	Level 3	Phone: (336)761-1427	Read Mekare's Bio
Ohio
The Tara Dance has been turning in Ohio for almost ten years. Starting in Cleveland the circle moved to Youngstown when Julie Thomas joined the Student/teacher program. Konchok, a Level 1 of the STP has been assisting Julie, and leading the circle when Julie is traveling. She is starting her own circle in Salem, Ohio. More information on our Youngstown Tara Community, please visit here. For more information on our Salem Tara Community, please visit here.
Youngstown
Julie E. Thomas	Level 3	Phone: (330) 941-1735	Julie's Bio:
Salem
Konchog	Level 2	Phone: 330-550-2341
Campbell
Danna Bozick	Level 1	Phone: 330-755-6606
Oklahoma
Edmond – Oklahoma City
Latifa Elizabeth Muller	Level 1	Phone: 405-341-4066
Norman
Emilie Steele	Level 1	Phone:
Texas
Austin
Kathryn Henderson	Level 2	Phone: (979)822-2722 or 979-575-0780
Gayle "Oceana" Temkin	Level 1	Phone: (512) 351-5538
Vermont
There has been an ongoing circle of Tara Dancing in Vermont since 1999. For a schedule of Tara Dance events in Vermont and to meet the Vermont dancers, please visit here.
Plainfield
Elizabeth Breck	Level 3	Phone: (802)453-3431
Janice Walrafen	Level 2	Phone: (802)454-1461
Susan (Suki) Ciappara	Level 1	Phone: (802)299-4971
Washington
Seattle
Seattle hosted one of the first Tara Dances outside of Maui. At the dance Dagmola Kushog, the esteemed wife of Sakya Lineage Holder Dagchen Rinpoche attended the dance. She was entranced and had many wonderful things to say about it. She became a close friend of Prema and Anahata’s and has continued to give encouragement and support for the dance. She has requested that it be a yearly performance in Seattle. Please contact our Central Co-Ordinator - Lilliha Herington for further details.

Eastsound, Orcas Island
Julia Sanderson-Dubois	Level 1	Phone: (370)376-8272
Wisconsin
Madison For our Tara Meeting Dates:
Ivy Garlynd	Level 1	Phone: (608)257-3802
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Please move your mouse over the map and click on the region that you are wanting information on. Or Alternatively, you can simply click here: for our full International Listing

Please move your mouse over the map and click on the region that you are wanting information on. Or Alternatively, you can simply click here: for our full International Listing

Sydney, New South Wales

Level 4

Phone: 61-2-9344-4996

Facilitator

Level 1

North of Melbourne

In the hills north west of Melbourne there are some very interesting communities. We have two active circles and had one prison outreach in the area.

Daylesford

Level 1

Phone: 61-3-5348-4321

Phone: 61-3-584-8802.

Adelaide, South Australia

In the far south of Australia the Adelaide dancers meet on special occasions.

Level 1

Phone: 61-8-8391-2565

There are many active Tara Dance circles in Brazil. Much of the music, texts and materials have been translated into Portuguese.There is an excellent web site in PortugueseTaradhatusulamerica.org

Central Coordinator for South America

Myriangela Alvim Naves Central Coordinator Myriangela Alvim NavesPhone: 61-3343-3968

Rio de Janiero

Tara has been dancing in Rio for seven years under the direction of 4th Level mentor, Maria Ache. She has initiated dancers all over the country and has facilitated a number of offerings. There are several active circles in the Rio area.

Level 4

Phone: (21) 2531-8425 / (21) 2531- 1910 / (21) 9924 3132

Level 3

Phone: (21) 8233 0807

Level 2

Phone: (21) 2245 0160 / (21) 9874 2737

Level 1

Phone: 21 – 2245-6711

Level 2

Phone: (21) 9238 6774 / (21) 3150 9593

Porto Alegre, Rio Grande de Sul

Level 2

Phone: 51-32122842

Level 1

Phone: (51)32667392

Brasilia

Level 3

Phone: 61-3343-3968

Level 2

Phone: 61-3248-7860

Level 1

Phone: 61-3242-5002

Florianopolis

Level 3

Phone: 48-3233-7832

Level 3

Phone: 48-3338-3538

Level 1

Phone: 48-3233-4870

Sao Paulo

Level 1

Phone:

Level 1

Phone: 11- 4186-1611

Salvador, Bahia

Level 2

Phone: 71- 3481-5421

Level 1

Phone: 71-9962-2468

Belem, Para

Level 1

Phone: 91-3230-9152

Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais

Level 2

Phone: 31-3411-7709

Ottawa, Ontario

Level 2

Phone: 613-620-9000

Brandon, Manitoba

Level 1

Phone: 204-427-0408

Wuerzburg

Level 2

Phone: 49-0931-451843

London

Level 1

Phone: 07788100952

Tokyo

Level 4

In the hills north west of Melbourne there are some very interesting communities.
We have two active circles and had one prison outreach in the area.

There are many active Tara Dance circles in Brazil. Much of the music, texts and materials have been translated into Portuguese.
There is an excellent web site in PortugueseTaradhatusulamerica.org

Myriangela Alvim Naves
Central Coordinator

Myriangela Alvim Naves
Phone: 61-3343-3968

Our Tara Dance work has been focused on two groups of nuns.
Andrea Abinanti, a classically trained dancer in Indian and Nepali styles has been overseeing this program.