Washington DC’s Center for Middle Eastern Dance:
a boutique studio celebrating the joy and beauty of belly dance

8-week classes now open for registration
16-week series: January 3 – April 24
8-week series: February 28 – April 24

Performance Videos

 

New to Belly Dance

16-week series: January 3 – April 24
8-week series: February 28 – April 24

Al Fanaanat Project

Submission Due April 1

 

Save the date!

Shows

Sahara Dance produces several annual theater shows featuring faculty and student companies, including our 18th annual Under a Desert Moon Gala. Learn more about our next show here.

Workshops

We offer weekend workshops to delve into specialty topics in belly dance, such as history, folkloric dances, dancing with props, and specialty styles. See upcoming workshops here.

Retreats

Remove distractions, make time for what you love, and learn practical tools to enhance joy and present moment awareness for any style of belly dance. Held in spectacular retreat centers around the world, sign up for a Sahara Dance retreat today.

Heart of Belly Dance Retreat 2026

Winter Caravan 2025

Fall25 Sahara Dance Caravan video now available for purchase!

Purchase Lifetime Access here for $25
Direct Access here
(for those who already purchased)


20th Anniversary Under a Desert Moon Gala

Performance Videos are now available!

Purchase Lifetime Access here for $25
Direct Access here
(for those who already purchased)


Sahara Dance Summer Caravan 2025

Performance Videos are now available!

Purchase Lifetime Access here for $25
Direct Access here
(for those who already purchased)

From the Sahara Dance Blog

Sahara Dance’s 2025 Year in Review

December 22, 2025

Dear Sahara Dance Community, As another year comes to a close, we find ourselves reflecting with deep gratitude on all that we’ve created together. This year was filled with meaningful milestones, beautiful performances, shared growth, and moments of connection that remind us why Sahara Dance continues to be such a… Read more

Rachel Kay Brookmire, Sahara Dance’s Founder and Creative Director, Featured on the Belly Dance Life Podcast

September 13, 2025

Listen to the Podcast Over 2 decades ago, Rachel Kay Brookmire launched what has become one of the largest belly dance studios in the United States: Sahara Dance. Based in Washington, DC, Sahara Dance has evolved and grown since 2005, offering over 30 weekly belly dance classes, a variety of… Read more

Q&A: Belly Dance for Body Acceptance & Healing

August 31, 2025

This fall, we’re excited to launch a special 12-week intensive at Sahara Dance with Jacinda. Learn more about her offering with this Q&A. Q: What makes this intensive different from a typical belly dance class? A: Traditionally, dance classes focus on the external factors, such as technique, choreography, music, history,… Read more

Introducing Raqqesat Soheir, a New Student Company

July 14, 2025

We’re thrilled to announce the launch of Raqqesat Soheir, our newest performance company! Raqqesat Soheir is an Advanced Level 2 company, offered to bridge the gap between the Advanced 1 and 3 curricula and provide additional advanced performance training as the overall levels of dancer technique has improved within the… Read more

From Rachel: Reflections on our 20th Anniversary Under a Desert Moon

April 30, 2025

Dear Sahara Dance community, Reflecting upon the 20th anniversary Under a Desert Moon show, I feel privileged to witness Sahara Dance’s growth and so proud to provide a creative home for countless dancers over the years. For this special commemorative show, I was so touched to see our tributes to… Read more

Announcing Our New Technique Assessment!

March 2, 2025

We are thrilled to announce an exciting new offering at Sahara Dance: Technique Assessments! In case you missed it, we revamped our curriculum earlier this year to better serve our students, foster creativity, and nurture talent. The new Technique Assessment goes hand in hand with our updated curriculum by giving… Read more

“Let the beauty of what you love be what you do.” – RumI

Your support of our studio enables us to continue dancing and performing. Thank you!

MAKE A DONATION HERE