What should I wear to class?↑ top

Wear whatever makes you feel beautiful! Comfortable dance clothing such as stretch pants and a fitted sports/tank top or t-shirt is recommended for dance technique correction.

Loose clothing (such as sweat pants or long t-shirts) prevents the teacher from seeing if you are executing the movements correctly. A hip scarf is recommended to frame hip movement as you develop those fabulous shimmies, but you won’t need one for your first class. Please do not wear glass beaded hip scarves as they can break and cut feet.

You can dance in bare feet, ballet slippers or non-marking rubber-soled jazz shoes (no black-soled, street or hard-soled shoes please). Be aware that some non-marking shoes do scuff our floor. To keep our floors healthy, we will ask you to remove shoes that damage the dance floor.

Sahara Dancewear and hip scarves are available for sale at the Tenleytown, Downtown, and Silver Spring studios.

What is Sahara Dance?↑ top

Sahara Dance is a boutique dance studio dedicated to creating a community for belly dancers and elevating the art of belly dance. We dance to share the joy and beauty of Middle Eastern dance through artistry, thoughtful innovation and quality classes. We opened Sahara Dance to create a community around the shared vision of belly dance as an art form.

Our recipe for quality belly dance classes includes:

• consistency among faculty in following a shared curriculum
• low student-to-faculty ratios
• thoughtful lesson plans and choreography
• high-quality performance opportunities for students
• a commitment to growth as dancers and individuals

Come join us as we shimmy in the next generation of belly dancers!

What style of belly dance is taught?↑ top

A unique blend of modern Egyptian, American and Lebanese style dance characterizes the signature Sahara Dance technique. Particular emphasis is placed on body awareness, proper alignment and clean movement execution.

Class structure is based on a Western format of clear movement breakdowns, drilling the basics, hands-on corrections and integrating movements through combinations, choreography and improvisational exercises. Above all else, Sahara Dance celebrates the joy, femininity and individual expression inherent in Middle Eastern dance.

Where are the Sahara Dance studios?↑ top

We have five studio locations: Sahara Dance Central, Sahara Dance Downtown, Sahara Dance Dupont, Sahara Dance Silver Spring, and Sahara Dance Virginia.

Sahara Dance Central, our main studio, is located in Tenleytown on the Red Line metro. The address is 4433 Wisconsin Avenue. Parking is plentiful and the Metro is just minutes away!

Sahara Dance Downtown hosts classes on weekday evenings and is located at 914 G Street, NW, next to the Chinatown/Gallery Place Metro.

Sahara Dance Dupont Circle hosts weekday evening classes and is located at the Washington, DC JCC. Classes are held in the Irwin P. Edlavitch Building on 1529 Sixteenth Street, NW, (16th and Q) and is accessible from the Dupont Circle Metro.

Sahara Dance Silver Spring is located at the Maryland Youth Ballet on 926 Ellsworth Drive in Silver Spring, MD. It is accessible from the Silver Spring (Red Line) Metro and plenty of parking is available in the Wayne Avenue Garage (between Georgia Avenue and Fenton Street).

Sahara Dance Virginia is located at Regan’s Dance Studio at Landmark Mall, 5801 Duke Street, Alexandria, VA 22304.

When do classes start?↑ top

Classes are taught on a semester-based curriculum, with three semesters each year. New classes begin in January, mid-May and early September.

What if I miss a class?↑ top

Sahara Dance offers a liberal make up policy. You may make up missed classes in any technique or combination class that is not full at the same level or below during the current session. Full/Closed classes are posted on the website and lists are available at the studio. There is no need to call, just let the person at the registration desk know that you are making up a class and present your class card to be punched.

Make up slots are available on a first come, first served basis. If classes are cancelled because of inclement weather you may make up the class as stated above. Missed classes must be made up during the current session and cannot be rolled over to future sessions.

Do you offer drop-in classes?↑ top

We offer only enrollment-based classes, as our curriculum is cumulative. However, we regularly offer one-day and weekend workshops. If you’re visiting from out of town or would like to try a class to see if it’s for you, please contact us to make an arrangement for a one time $15 guest pass.

Which class should I take?↑ top

Most students should start with a Beginner I and/or Introduction to Sahara Dance Technique class. If you don’t think you fall into this category, please contact us to discuss placement. After completing Beginner 1, deciding on whether to move up or repeat a level depends on your dance intentions. Read more about our class levels.

Is parking available at the studios? Are they Metro accessible?↑ top

Parking is usually plentiful at Sahara Dance Central (street parking), Sahara Dance Woodley (parking garage behind Lebanese Taverna), Sahara Dance Silver Spring (Wayne Avenue Garage), and Sahara Dance Virginia and limited at Sahara Dance Downtown and Sahara Dance Dupont, both of which are easily accessible by the Metro, red line.

Sahara Dance Central, Sahara Dance Woodley, Sahara Dance Silver Spring, Sahara Dance Downtown and Sahara Dance Dupont are all easily accessible by the Metro, red line.

Do your company members perform at weddings, bridal showers, etc?↑ top

Yes, members of Raqs Sahara regularly perform throughout the DC metro area. To inquire about performance rates and availability, please contact us.

Do you have to be thin to belly dance? Full-figured?↑ top

No way! Belly dance is great fun and exercise for everyone of all ages, shapes and sizes. The movements are natural, friendly and flattering for all body types. Come see for yourself!