Yes I know Sema! We danced in Kumkapi Gypsy Village in Istanbul. She also teaches at Gokpinar, a small mountain village near Bodrum, Turkey. Her girls, students perform at a dinner club in Taxim called Sultana's.

I cant say I really like Asena`s recent direction in dance, but the first 5 years of her major stardom, she alone elevated the art of bellydance in the eyes of the Turkish people. I remember her dancing in a not so top level nightclub before she was discovered, and she was such a pleasure to watch then, so beautiful and sweet and her smile charmed us all, her dance was elegant and lovely, and she was the only dancer who whose name I wanted to remember.
A year later it was no suprise to me, her new found fame on the IBO show. Every Sunday evening all across Turkey, she was the darling, much the way that Didem is today. She really uplifted the image of bellydance in the peoples eyes, and brought a new higher standard of artistry to the dance than had been seen in a long time in Turkey. No doubt she sparked dreams in many young girls of being such an elegant dancer . The more famous she became though, the more she seemed to loose her smile, and take herself too seriously (became self consious), and she lost her natural nonchalant playfullness, thats an inherent part of Turkish style.
I have seen many wonderful performances by her though, and the list of great dancers in Turkey wouldnt be complete without mentioning her. Things got pretty heavy though so much drama and scandel in the publics eye, did you know she was shot in her foot??!!! Yeah, Ibo`s dirty little way of getting her back ......well, so ive heard.

Elizabeth Strong is awesome! I take her classes whenever I get a chance to visit the SF Bay Area and I love to watch her and her friends perform with The Toids. Strongdancer.com
And Reyhan is becoming very popular in Istanbul. I believe she will be visiting the US sometime winter 2008.