Welcome to FatChanceBellyDance® University, where we are uniting the world through dance

FCBDU is the official home of FatChanceBellyDance® education and certifications.

We’re a home for dancers everywhere to connect, grow, and be inspired. Whether you’re beginning your journey or refining your skills, you’ll find courses, certifications, and a supportive community dedicated to keeping this dance thriving and evolving together.

Hundreds of Classes. One Shared Language.

Explore a variety of topics led by the world’s top instructors—including the creator of FatChanceBellyDance®, Carolena Nericcio.

Get unlimited access to our full course library with a membership!

What is FCBD®Style?

FatChanceBellyDance®Style is a modern improvisational group dance rooted in traditional folkloric influences and global sisterhood. Founded in San Francisco in 1987 by Carolena Nericcio, FCBD Style (also known as American Tribal Style®) has evolved into a dance language practiced and loved by thousands around the world.

Students learn the movement vocabulary along with cues and combinations to create a unique dance experience in every class and performance.

The nature of this dance style allows dancers to effortlessly be present in the moment, connect with others, and fall into a flow state of mind. All while gaining better body awareness, learning a new art form and feeling more confident to fully be ourselves.

 “Imagine this: There was a time in history, a long time ago, when the bounce and sway of a woman’s hips was considered so beautiful that they set it to music and made a dance out of it …” ~ Carolena Nericcio

FCBDU opened in June 2020 as a way to provide a “home studio” for our international dance community. At a time when the world was pulling us apart, we wanted to create a space to feel united, support our community and continue to inspire, motivate and connect with dancers around the world.

Our team of highly skilled instructors are dedicated to supporting the FCBD®Style global community and to perserving the techniques, principles and history of FatChanceBellyDance®Style as created by Carolena Nericcio.

With hundreds of classes, certification courses, podcast and community events, FatChanceBellyDance® University is the largest and most comprehensive source for everything related to FCBD®Style education.

About FatChanceBellyDance® University

  • “A world web opportunity to learn with a lot of amazing teachers around the world from your home.”

    Pamela Clarey

  • “There are no instructors in my country and my knowledge is very fragmented, so with FCBD®U I can fill the gaps and practice in my own pace in comfort of my home.”

    Julia Makovchik

  • “I benefited from this platform because it's amazing to have all this content gathered in one place to access whenever I want and I believe this can also benefit the other dancers in the community.”

    Sylmára Màtos

  • “It's been life changing for me. Finding the FCBD online option and becoming a subscriber, has helped me to quickly transform myself into a confident belly dancer.

    Carla Cotton

  • “Your sight is the go to for FC knowledge, direction and inspiration!!”

    Natalie Elzbeth

  • “ I have very much benefitted! I wish every FCBD dancer would subscribe to FCBD-U!“

    Stella Marroquin

  • “Having been able to send a flow class to DeAnna I didn't only benefit from FCBD®U as a student but also as a teacher: I do believe it's the best platform we have for learning and for letting people know how many different teachers there are in the community. Everyone can benefit from it thanks to the huge amount of information about our dance style that they can find on it!”

    Yuri Ferretti

  • “Everything is in here. I can find every detail and info for every aspect that I am looking for in FCBDU, anytime. Every dancer could benefit. I can say is a great tool.”

    Maria Iosif

  • “At first I was curious about the steps and the aesthetics, but I stay for the therapeutic benefits and whatt I learned to better relate to other women and other people in life situations. Aside from physical discipline that improves mental well-being, it's the best combo!”

    Natalia Youkovibch

  • “I have at least 2000 questions about the steps and the technique, and this university gives me the oportunity to learn. I think this is a unique platform to explore this beautiful danceform and learn from the best.”

    Hilde Bjørnstad

  • “As I could not have regular classes because there are no FCBD Style teachers in my area, I always felt that I need to work a lot on my basic steps. FCBDU helped me a lot with this and it's great that we can rewiev all classes as many time as we want. I think this is great for any dancer!”

    Christine Agostini

  • “Every class, lecture, tutorial, and workshop is so important and worthy. What I appreciate the most are the yoga conditioning classes, it's the best complement to the style. “

    Nora