by CHRIS BARRY

Name: Mihaela Coman

Age: 19

Occupation: Belly dancer/model

Bio: This lust-inspiring pièce de Pierrefonds perfection “has always loved to dance” but really found her groove at age 14 when her mother first paired her up with none other than the legendary Perouze Messiha—only the West Island’s premier belly dancing instructor. “I got a tape of Perouze dancing for Christmas one year and that was it, I was hooked.” Currently taking a break from her studies at Vanier College to work the exciting customer service beat at Bell Canada, Mihaela, when not dancing up a sex storm at weddings, birthdays, corporate events and the like, has been actively building up her modelling career, which to date has primarily consisted of runway gigs.

Is there a fundamentalist uncle or brother lurking somewhere, just waiting for the right opportunity to kill her for bringing shame to the family? Not that she’s aware of, given that Mihaela was born into a Christian Orthodox family by way of Romania. “My dad recently converted to Islam though.”

How often she performs: At least once a week. “For some reason belly dancing has gotten really big lately. I don’t generally dance for people I don’t know though. Like, I don’t have an ad in the paper or anything because there are risks involved. Because of the [sensual] nature of belly dancing, like, you never know what [a client’s] interpretation of it is going to be. I’d never work a bachelor party, for example.”

How to procure Mihaela for your next exotic children’s party: By contacting her via Phenix Models at 991-8735, or directly through letsbellydance@hotmail.com.

As a model, does just the thought of possibly ingesting over 800 calories a day make her want to run to the toilet to vomit? “Not at all, I have a very quick metabolism.”

Is making the casting couch scene an important element to success in the local modeling biz? “Not when dealing with serious people at auditions and stuff, but for sure, there’s always people coming up to me on the street and going, ‘Hey, I have a modelling agency—or this thing or that thing—so you should really call me and I’ll help you out.’ You really have to watch out for these people. When I was younger, still in high school, I would sometimes go over and meet them but it always turned out to be very sketchy. Fortunately, nothing truly terrible ever happened to me, but you do find yourself having wasted your time, being disappointed and becoming skeptical about the entire industry in general.”

Musical preferences: “Anything with a hot beat—you know, Arabic, Latin, Indian, Greek music. I just don’t like cold music, like techno.”

Where you might find her hangin’: “It depends on who I’m with, but usually somewhere on Boulevard Saint-Laurent.”

Childhood ambition: To become an actress.

Last book read: The Celestine Prophecy by James Redfield.

Words of wisdom: “Be positive, be yourself and don’t take coincidence for granted.”

Comments? dimwit@hdot.net