Ep 389. Jrisi Jusakos: How to Dance With Musicians Instead of Just Dancing to Music

Jrisi Jusakos is an Australian dancer, choreographer, educator, and producer with more than 35 years of experience in dance. Born in Chile to a Greek family and raised in Australia, she first connected with Arabic music and dance through Sydney’s Lebanese community before beginning her formal belly dance training as a teenager. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Dance with a major in Contemporary Choreography and has extensive training in Raqs Sharqi, ballet, jazz, contemporary, flamenco, and Persian dance. Her career has included professional performance in Sydney’s Arabic live music scene, international study across Egypt, Lebanon, Germany, and New York, and the founding of the Hathor Persian Dance Ensemble. Today, her work centers on musicality, improvisation, artistic individuality, and the relationship between dancer and live musician, while she also creates accessible movement programs for seniors, mixed-ability participants, and culturally diverse communities.