Sahara Dance

Our Faculty

Laura Kelch

Raqs Sahara

Laura rediscovered her life-long love of dance and expressive movement when she found belly dance. She seeks to share the joy she found in it with her students. Even as a child, and a student of Western dance forms, Laura always felt music the most in her hips. Her love of spontaneous expression has found a happy home in the wide range of expression that belly dance embraces.

Laura Kelch

Laura performs regularly as a soloist in the D.C. area, is a member of Raqs Sahara and Sahara Dance Entertainment. She was an original member of resident Sahara Dance student companies Raqs Caravan East and West, and performed with Sahara Tribal.

Laura began studying raqs sharqi at the age of 16 with Autumn Leah Ward, and continued studying primarily with Rachel Kay Brookmire. She has also taken classes with Saphira, Faten Salama as well as numerous workshops from international touring teachers. She is entranced by both the organic grace, subtlety and power of raqs sharqi, and the bolder, evolving styles of American Tribal Style belly dance.