Lotus Niraja is a modern style bellydancer with recent workshops and performances around the U.S from which she is rapidly gaining national recognition. As a performer, she is loved by her audience as for her energetic and personal elegance as well as her technique which is expressed with subtle nuances, movements and emotive interpretation. In addition, Lotus is the artistic director and a principal choreographer of the nationally recognized Niraja Dance Company (The NDC).
For more information about Lotus Niraja, please visit : www.lotusniraja.com

Astryd Farah deMichele splits her time between Egypt and the United States, performing and teaching Egyptian Oriental dance professionally. For a decade she has spent time living, studying and traveling throughout the Middle East; touring not only Egypt, but also Jordan, Syria, Lebanon, Morocco and Turkey. Performing in Cairo, Egypt, she has been showcased at the JW Marriott and Sheraton Royal Gardens Hotels, as well as in weddings and parties, and in past years she's worked at other locations in both Cairo and Sharm el Sheik, Egypt. When in the United States, Astryd Farah is adjunct faculty for The University of Oregon, instructing Middle Eastern dance with an emphasis on Egyptian styling, and travels nationally instructing workshops and giving performances.

Astryd Farah's powerful technique and stunning interpretation of Arabic music delights audiences East to West -- her extended time the Middle East having integrated into her body a profound understanding of this beautiful art form. She is one of the featured dancers in top Egyptian choreographer Raqia Hassan's technique videos (volumes 7 & 9); Raqia is one of Astryd Farah's main instructors of the dance form. She has also had the pleasure of studying under Mahmoud Reda, Diana Tarkhan, Randa Kamel, Mona el Saied, Aida Nour and Shalaby, amongst many others -- developing her dance technique as well as her understanding of the music she loves. Astryd Farah passes on her knowledge by teaching precise, defined technique as the vehicle to express the emotional aspects of the music - her warmth and clarity in teaching has inspired hundreds of students. When she's not busy "bringing Cairo to you", she "brings you to Cairo ", by hosting personalized tours for dancers desiring to travel to and study in Egypt .

"Astryd Farah embodies the intensity and passion of the Great Egyptian Art." ~ Karim Nagi, TurboTabla

"She is flat out excellent! She embodies the kitsch and the stellar technique of Egyptian dancers all rolled into one." ~ Diane Adams, Company Mezza, Atlanta , GA

For more information about Astryd Farah, please visit : www.DanceAstryd.com

3. Nashwa's "Best of Baladi Workshop"

Let Nashwa lead you down Cairo's narrow and crowded narrow streets, which are alive with something called “Baladi.” It’s not exactly a rhythm or a melody, nor simply a style of dance: It’s a way of life, a proud heritage, a robust attitude, a complex web of cultural dynamics. It’s uniquely Egyptian.

Learn about “Baladi”: meaning, history, rhythms, costumes, format, lyrics and the gestures thereof. Through Nashwa's teaching you will be able to recognize various elements of “Baladi” dance style as well as its musical components.

A portion of the workshop will consist of a discussion / lecture on “Baladi”, while most of the time will be spent learning how to apply its attitudes and moves to the dance.

Born and raised in Cairo, Egypt, Nashwa attended Cairo University where she earned a Bachelor of Arts in Literature. Her lifelong love of dance led her, at the age of 14, to commence studying dance with Mahmoud Reda, internationally renowned ‘ambassador of dance.’ For ten years she studied folkloric dance forms from the Gulf, Sinai, Alexandria and Red Sea regions, which provided her with a solid foundation in her future career in performing and teaching. She developed her ‘Oriental style’ of dance through instruction from Raqia Hassan, Ibrahim Akef and other masters in Egypt, utilizing traditional and contemporary props, learning solo, duet and trio dance structures and mastering performance style, choreography, and staging. Through her dance career she became acquainted with Hossam Ramzy, famed world percussionist, who has worked with major artists including the Rolling Stones, Led Zeppelin and Peter Gabriel. Now based in London , Mr. Ramzy has stated, “Nashwa’s dancing is mesmerizing.”

In 1988, Nashwa moved to Tokyo, Japan, where she continued to teach this ancient yet contemporary art form to a growing following, as she performed internationally. In 1993, she founded the Isis Dance Troupe. With over 60 students from Japan, Australia, New Zealand, the USA, the UK, Russia, Brazil, Peru, El Salvador, France, the Philippines and many other countries, the troupe soon became an international sensation. Nashwa has toured (at times with her Isis Dance Troupe) in Japan, the USA, Europe, the Middle East and Australia and was sponsored by prestigious groups including the Japanese jewelry giant Tsugita Keisha, the Hilton and Sheraton Hotel Groups, Rotary International and the Foreign Executive Women (FEW) Association. As Founder and Artistic Director of the Isis Dance Troupe, Nashwa strives to promote her vision of the dance commonly known as "Belly Dance" (a misnomer for the term "Al-Raqs al-Sharqi"), through education, as an art form that everyone can enjoy regardless of age or physical condition. When Nashwa left Japan in 1999, she divided her growing troupe into three academies of Middle Eastern dance that remain active today.

In 1999, Nashwa relocated to California, where she continued performing and teaching Middle Eastern dance. She has performed solo concerts and also opened shows for famous stars from the Arab World. She has opened for Sabah, the Lebanese diva, in San Francisco. She has also opened for Egyptian super-star Hakim during his U.S. tour. While based in Santa Barbara she performed in San Francisco and Los Angeles for large Arab and international audiences and led workshops throughout the USA and abroad. She has taught at the historical Lobero Theater and for Santa Barbara City College as well as group and private classes. She has collaborated with Alexandera King -- the Director of UCSB Middle Eastern Dance Ensemble -- and with Dr. Scott Marcus --Professor of Ethnomusicology at UC Santa Barbara -- as well as with members of his UCSB Middle Eastern Ensemble. Their consistently sold-out performances have always been met with great enthusiasm.

In addition to stage performances, Nashwa is in great demand as speaker on the history and tradition of Middle Eastern dance, including its social, spiritual and cultural significance. She continues to provide inspiration and insight into this venerable art form. As she describes it, “Egyptian Belly dance is an art that originated over 5000 years ago, originally as a religious ritual. Women would go to the temples and make offerings to the gods and goddesses through dance, praying for divine assistance with fertility, childbirth and the many transitions of a woman’s life. Starting in the eighteenth century, the art form became stigmatized and denigrated by European colonial powers, leading to the popular American exotic image. The Colonialists, exaggerating the otherness, labeled the dance “Belly dance”, which became the popular term throughout the West.”

In 2005 Nashwa moved to Berea , Kentucky. Shortly thereafter, she was invited to perform during the Finale Celebration of the exhibit “Petra- Lost City of Stone” at Calvin College in Grand Rapids , Michigan. She now teaches private and group classes in the region, workshops nation-wide, and classes at Berea College, WaysMeet Art and Healing Center, Berea Folk Center, Bluegrass Dance Center, and Eastern Kentucky University.

“Al-Raqs al-Sharqi (Middle Eastern Dance) is an incredible synthesis of motion and rhythm, culture and history, fitness and healing, tradition and spirituality- issues that are of concern to so many of us today.” - Nashwa

4. Malia in Hawaii

Malia is the people’s choice in Hawaii as a Middle-Eastern dance performer, and instructor. Her energy and ability to captivate her audience with her universal crowd-pleasing choreography and use of enchanting props has taken her to numerous prestigious productions and events.

Malia was born on the Big Island of Hawaii, and was eventually raised on the island of Oahu by exceptionally talented parents. Her father, a musician, and her mother, an actress, have always been a constant support of Malia’s dreams. They nurtured her as she would dance, act and create choreography in the family’s home since she was 7 years old. Her only goal as a child was to be a dance instructor, choreographer, and performer when she grew up.

As a young child, Malia began studying many forms of dance, which include, hip-hop, ballroom, salsa, jazz and hula. She also engaged in various forms of martial arts, such as, Tai Chi, Aikido, and Tai Kwon Do. All of her training has augmented the development of her unique form of Middle-Eastern dance, which Malia has coined her “Malia in Hawaii” style.

As a professional performer, artistic director and choreographer, she has had the privilege of being a featured performer, and choreographer at many events!

Malia is part owner and producer of the national “Hawaii Belly Dancer Magazine”, a free monthly magazine thats goal is to bring the belly dance community together and educate the public about Middle-Eastern culture and dance since its inception in July 2005.

As an expert Middle-Eastern dance instructor, Malia has taught students from around the world, hailing from Japan, Egypt, Germany, Brazil, France, Australia, Texas, New York, China, Dominican Republic, Russia, Philippines, and Canada.

Malia’s background training in Middle-Eastern dance includes:
Saidi
Ghawazee
Folkloric
American Cabaret
Egyptian
Persian

Malia continues to study dance, art and health to keep her mind, soul, and body inspired. She believes that you never stop learning!

About the dance and lesson:

The “Malia in Hawaii” format is an enjoyable and innovative way to fuse all styles of belly dance into one. creating a one of a kind style of belly dance. Malia’s primary goal as an instructor is for you to enjoy your class experience. While in her class, she is welcoming, supportive and nurturing as you learn about your body and how it moves within the different body planes and beyond.

For more information about Malia, please visit : www.maliainhawaii.com

5. Jacques al Asmar

Jacques al~Asmar of Lebanon was born in  Ghana, West Africa and raised  in Lebanon until the age of 20. His  first impression of Oriental (Raqs Shargi) and balady (Belly Dance) came from  world-renowned dancer Nadia Gamal who happed to be his next-door neighbor in  Lebanon. 

Jacques'  natural talent for dance started at an early age. He participated in many Western style dance competitions as a young child and won several scholarship  awards. 

In  1991, Jacques al~Asmar landed a regular gig at a local restaurant in San Francisco. He soon realized that he didn't know how to apply techniques to his dance such  as: how to enter, begin a performance, remain graceful and, most importantly, how  to be an illusionist as a male dancer. In need of direction, Jacques  al~Asmar sought Amina of San Francisco for performance coaching. Two other  dancers he studied with are Nadia Hamdi of Egypt and Samir Dsouki of Cairo.