Mid East Performing Arts Academy

We provide a fun and relaxed atmosphere at Miami Dade College's Kendall Campus. Here you will practice drills, combinations, and choreography to hone your dance skills. My typical process is to welcome the student and introduce myself and gauge their level of comfort during warm up to best proceed. 

I have been dancing Middle Eastern Dance since 2001. I took my dance troupe, Azhar Dance Ensemble, to a First place win in the 2013 USA Belly Dance Queen Competition in Phoenix, Arizona, and I won First place in the Leyla Masriya Competition in Cairo, Egypt in 2014. For more information on my bio, please visit: www.MidEastPerformingArts.com/about. All of our instructors are award winners and have an endless passion for our art. 

Pricing for classes is set by Miami Dade College, as we are partnered with them. The prices they have are always a better rate than local studios, with a larger space that is incomparable.

For private lessons, or a private group session, my price varies so please contact me if you're interested. 

I started dance as a student and began to climb the levels steadily and was asked to join Samay's professional troupe 3 years after I began. Here I happily stayed and in 2008, I taught my first class. I love to teach and watch students grow. My mentor saw potential in me and that's how I began teaching. 

I've worked with students as young as 4 years old to 65 years old. Middle Eastern dance is all encompassing of age and size, so I've been fortunate to teach all ages and levels. 

I am incredibly fond of our annual productions. Here all of our students are invited to immerse themselves into Middle Eastern dance with an authentic choreography, costumes hand-made for them from Egypt, and they leave with a new understanding and appreciation of Middle Eastern Dance. 

For more info on those, please visit: www.MidEastPerformingArts.com/annualshows to see what we've done in the past. We also have a YouTube channel with some of our favorite performances. 

Take a class, ask lots of questions, and do your research. It is difficult to find a teacher that is knowledgable with Middle Eastern culture and the history of the dance along with the moves. There is deep meaning to movements, appropriate costumes, gestures, and other performance aspects that are pertinent to finding a good mentor.

I would do the research and see the teacher's performances, look up vintage belly dancers and see what style best inspires you and find the teacher that has that style. 

Questions should always be focused on yourself as a dancer. Do not compare yourself to others, or criticize others. We all have our own dance path. Ask what you can do to perfect your skill, what other teachers teach a specific style or move you enjoy, ask what music to listen to as a guide until you find your unique style. 

When asking a teacher for something, please respect your mentor. Don't demand or become sensitive. Ask questions with an open heart and remember that your teacher is there to help you. Their responses will guide you on your path.