| Dancers | |
| FEATURED DANCERS | |
 |
Miriam Chavez Miriam brings a dynamic combination of passion and grace to Oriental Dance. Her style is fluid, classic Modern Egyptian belly dance, as performed in the cabarets of Cairo. She is also proficient in folkloric styles of many countries, including Lebanese Debke, Saudi Arabian and Gulf States Khaligi, Tunisian, and Upper Egyptian Saudi. After performing Ballet Folklorico (Mexican folk dances) as a child, she trained in Middle Eastern Dance with some of the finest teachers on the West Coast. Miriam has performed at the top clubs in the Los Angeles area, including Luxor, Al Andalus, Aladdin, The Middle East connection and Byblos. In 1996, she performed at Ossy’s in Leon, Mexico. Recently, she completed a four-month engagement in Las Vegas at The Aladdin's Desert Passage, also dancing at The MGM Grand’s Mediterranean restaurant Neyla’s. Miriam has been a featured dancer in many stage productions in Los Angeles as well, at the El Rey Theater, Highways, and Fountain Theatre. She has performed with many groups, including the Adam Basma Dance Company, Mohammed Khordadian’s troupe, as well as with Flowers of the Desert. With the flowers, Miriam has done many television appearances, including the 1997 Tournament of Roses Parade. |
 |
Hajjara
Habibi The development of Hajjara Habibi's career has definitely been unusual; from Burlesque to Ballet to Bellydance, it was an interesting and natural progression. Sharing her mother's passion for the stage, she has been following a path paved with rhinestones back to her Middle-Eastern roots, finding her true calling in Bellydance. For more than five years she created concepts, characters and costumes for the Burlesque stage. Her experience there helped develop a playful stage persona which audiences find fun, engaging, and alluring. Ever seeking to improve her craft, Hajjara went on to study Ballet under the direction of Kathryn Irie of Stage Seven in San Diego, California, while simultaneously working toward a degree in fashion design. Now dedicated to the art of Bellydance, she continues to study in the Egyptian tradition with Los Angeles' most prestigious instructors, including Zahra Zuhair, Tamra-henna, Ansuya, Jillina, and Princess Farhana. Dance troupe affiliations include Eshta Dance Company, Arabesque Dancers and Cabaret Arabia. She has performed at several restaurants and nightclubs throughout Los Angeles, including Hollywood's famous Dar Maghreb on Sunset Blvd. Hajjara's solo debut was on a Berlin stage performing with the twelve-piece Arabic-fusion band Oriental Mood. Headlining the Prix Europa Festival, her breakout performance was broadcast live to more than 17 nations in the European Union. Fortunate to be naturally blessed with a strong spirit and a stylish sense of aesthetics, Hajjara is committed to creating beauty and joy through dance. |
 |
Jazmine (bio to come) |
 |
Liliana
Sanchez Liliana was raised in South Central Los Angeles where at the age of ten she developed her rhythm and created her style in hip-hop while choreographing local neighborhood shows. She has also embraced her roots through her study of Mexican folklorico dance while continuing her training in ballet and modern dance. Her love for dance had always been alive but the passion sparked when she was introduced to belly dancing six years ago. She began studying American Cabaret style dance then extended her skills to include Egyptian, Lebanese Dabke, and Classical Indian Dance. Her teachers include, Kristen Cunningham, Veena Bidasha, Saahira, Mesmera, Prince Andrew and Juliette Arroyo. She teaches weekly basic belly dance classes focusing on muscle isolation, veil work and rhythms held at studios in West Hollywood and privately in Burbank, CA. She is currently a member of the Arabesque Dancers dance company and Alkhoyoul Dance Theatre. Her other interests include computer graphic arts and Muay Thai boxing. Her recent live stage performances include the Spectrum Nutcracker, The Arab-esque Dance Concert, World Festival, and Miss Asia USA Pageant. She recently conducted a workshop on improvisational dance techniques called “Vision Keepers”, and has made many local restaurant appearances.
|
 |
Natasha
Senkovich Natasha was born and grew up in Zagreb, Croatia. She began her study of classical ballet as a little girl, after passing some stringent physical and musical ability tests still required in European countries. She later joined a belly dance troupe and performed in Japan, Taiwan, and Italy for a span of five years. The years spent traveling provided her the opportunity to learn Japanese, Italian, and some Mandarin. Now based in Los Angeles, Natasha continues to perform as a Middle Eastern dancer and is also a member of Viviane Hamamdjan's Egyptian folk dance ensemble. Natasha is also an accomplished actress having trained in several methods. She produced her own theatre show, “The Person I Once Was” which was well received. Recently, Natasha just completed an instructional video with Natural Journeys entitled “Bellydance for Wimps”. And even more exciting, she recently returned from Egypt having just produced and directed a documentary entitled “Bellydancers of Cairo” with exclusive interviews and dance footage with Egypt's most famous dancers, Dina, Lucy and Nagwad Fuad, as well as many other accomplished Egyptian dancers. The documentary explores the status of bellydancers in modern Egyptian society. |
 |
Valarina (bio to come) |
 |
Lailah Yasmina Lailah has studied from the masters of Egyptian dance both in the United States and the Middle East. Her dance background includes ballet, tap, jazz, tango, and flamenco. The love of Middle-Eastern music was the beginning of her quest to pursue the beautiful art form of Oriental dance. Lailah has worked with world-renowned dance groups such as Zahra Zuhair’s Eshta Dance Company, Ya Amar Dance Company as well as the Arabesque Dance Company. Other dance company’s include Laila del Monte’s Flamenco Dance Company. Between her serious studies in both flamenco and Oriental dance, Lailah brings a colorful and exiting collaboration of flamenco fusion as well as passionately executing the more traditional dance form of flamenco. Her talents have led her to a variety of stage presentations including, “Arab-esque”, “Azahar,” “Veils of Innana,” and the “Mermaid Song.” Television appearances include programs on Univision and Women’s Entertainment Channel. Her collaborated efforts in dance projects and fund-raising events to support research and patient care programs include the nationally renowned City of Hope Cancer Center as well as the John Wayne Cancer Institute of Southern California. In addition to her teaching and performing, Lailah has launched her firm, Iberian Entertainment which offers a variety of entertainment including jugglers, stilt walkers, fire-eaters, and tarot card readers in addition to a variety of world dance disciplines. Future projects include more fundraising and corporate event entertainment. Lailah can be found performing in fine dining establishments throughout the greater Los Angeles area. |
