Hongdae is set to lose one of its brightest stars when belly dancer Eshe Yildiz departs for Canada.

For the last seven years, through her collaborations with indie bands and the formation of her belly dance troupe Navah, she has been instrumental in marrying local and expat performances.

Eshe says she knew there was a passion for belly dancing in Korea, but it took time to find her place.

“When I arrived in late 2007, I was hopeful I would find a home here immediately. It wasn’t until I started connecting with other artists that I really felt at home,” she said.

“It took about three months for this to happen, which seems like such a short amount of time, but it felt like an eternity back then.”

After less than a year in Korea, Eshe established her Navah troupe of dancers, which would go on to perform over 180 times.

The troupe has been a great success as a cultural link with ladies from South Korea, England, Scotland, Germany, Russia, United States, Canada, Turkey, Japan, China, Indonesia and Australia, all calling themselves part of Navah.

Sophie Cooper has been dancing with Navah for one year now and says that it has changed her experience of Korea.

“I can honestly say that being in Navah has been one of the most challenging but rewarding things I have been part of. Learning new styles of belly dance and choreography always keeps it fun and interesting. Navah brings a group of women closer together and connects us through our love of dancing and music,” she said.

In the same year that she started Navah, Eshe also became the belly dancer for a Korean folk band called Orgeltanz. Through this collaboration she toured Korea and was featured in Vogue, Harper’s Bazaar and several TV shows.

After it disbanded in 2010 she continued to collaborate with other bands in the Hongdae area.

In 2012 she became pregnant and embraced the new direction her life would take in a familiar way, with more dancing.

“One week before giving birth, I organized a show to celebrate the upcoming changes in my life. The idea for the show was to mix belly dancing with local indie music and I invited three fantastic Seoul bands that I’m friends with ― Apollo 18, Romantiqua and Ninano Nanda ― to do live collaborations with Navah,” she said.

“The show was so rewarding and the audience was so responsive that I decided to launch a proper concert series mixing belly dance and indie music after my daughter was born ― Shake Shop.”

Jamie Gilbert was introduced to belly dancing and some of her closest friends through Shake Shop.

“I went to the show and was completely blown away by how well the collaborations worked, no matter what the genre of music,” she said. “I finally built up the courage to come to the studio myself, and belly dancing has become a wonderful part of my life that I only wish I had started sooner.”

The Shake Shop is now gearing up for its 20th and final show, and Eshe has brought back some of her oldest friends to play alongside her and Navah for the final farewell.

“I’m worried about keeping it together during the final Shake Shop. All the bands Navah is performing with that night are my friends. Performing with friends always heightens emotions, coupled with saying ‘farewell’ to my home, it’s going to be challenging not to cry, to say the least,” she said.

Among those old friends are Apollo 18. They played with her in the event that started it all when she was nine months pregnant.

The bassist for the band, Kim Dae-inn, said that Eshe’s contribution to the community in the time she has been in Korea could not be ignored.

“With Shake Shop and all the other collaborations Eshe did, bands could feel something new or different. I’m so sad we won’t be able to feel Eshe’s positive energy anymore but I’m going to keep the love she has given us forever,” he said.

Eshe will move back to Canada, where she will continue to belly dance.

She said this new chapter was exciting but also sad.

“I hope that I can return to Seoul one day. During my time here, my life has changed in so many amazing ways. Moving here was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made,” she said.

Shake Shop 20 will take place on Feb. 14 at Club Freebird 2 in Hongdae and will feature Eshe and Navah, Galaxy Express, Goonam, Apollo 18 and Whatever that Means.

By Elliott Brennan, Intern reporter (ebrennan@heraldcorp.com)