To pull back the curtain, here’s how this dance evolved:

Rachel Kay Brookmire was honored to be offered the opportunity for Sahara Dance to represent Middle Eastern dance at the World Culture Festival. Upon learning the size of the stage (enormous!), we realized this was a unique “Super Bowl” moment for the biggest show of our lives. After consulting with senior teachers, Rachel called in the best choreographer of theatrical belly dance in the world – Jillina – who was full of enthusiasm. Inviting Mohamed Ali to join the cast as our Egyptian star gave us an anchor to begin dreaming of a thrilling show highlighting the unique beauty of the dance. Jillina & Rachel’s vision for this epic piece came together quickly with help from the Sahara Dance WCF leadership team of Randa, Gretchen, and studio teachers. Jillina’s husband, Paul Dinletir, composed the music.

Jillina choreographed the piece in parts, each with varying difficulty levels appropriate for beginner through professional dancers: Lebanese Dream, Arabian Gulf, Taxsim Layali, Salam Saidi, and Dancing Darbuka. Jillina recorded videos and formations in her studio in Maui, which Randa and Gretchen organized and our teachers taught to their respective Sahara Dance student performance companies. Finding space to rehearse as a full cast of 100 was a challenge, but we took over school gyms all summer and even rehearsed outdoors once! With over 160 fan veils, 85 frame drums, dozens of Isis wings, canes, and thobes, plus a handful of swords, shemadans, veils, and candle trays, the stage would be full. Some dancers had as many as 4 props and we wanted to make the transitions seamless.

Jillina and Luna (her co-director) arrived early to polish the piece. On opening night our hearts soared on stage, as we presented the dance to hundreds of thousands of people watching around the world, with the Washington Monument and US Capitol as our backdrops. This project challenged us all and we have grown as a result. We are so deeply grateful for our community and everyone that contributed their time, energy, and love to making this possible. We hope you enjoy!

See more photos on Instagram and Facebook!

See details and register here

New in Belly Dance Technique classes:

• Chiaki’s teaching a new Advanced Technique class on Saturday mornings
• Rachel is back teaching Advanced Technique class on Tuesday evenings
• Florencia is teaching a Low Intermediate Props Technique class focusing on cane/assaya on Monday evenings
• Beginner II is back on Thursday evenings with Gretchen
• New Beginner I class with Nicolette on Wednesday evenings
• New Samba class with Sonia on Wednesday evenings
• Omoladun’s online only Intermediate Technique class will focus on props brush up (especially veil) this semester!

New in Performance classes:

• Florencia is bringing back the Raqqesat Tahia student company, which focuses on props – all students at the low intermediate / intermediate level should make sure they have sufficient prop training before moving on to intermediate and above student companies, and this is a great way to practice the prop skills learned in technique classes!
• Rachel will direct our famed advanced company Raqs Caravan East for the Winter Caravan show
• Florencia’s directing a new Shaabi Performance class on Monday evenings
• Our Lebanese Style performance group, Raqqesat Beirut, will be doing double veil, directed by Alma!

New category of classes: Conditioning!

Conditioning is extremely important to help build the strength and stamina required to make all our belly dance moves seem so effortless.  Add one or more of these classes to your dance practice!

• Belly Dance Cardio
• Floorwork & Conditioning
• Strengthen, Stretch & Flow

Don’t forget to take advantage of Early Bird prices – check out the full schedule and register today!  

Carioca was known for her striking beauty, expressive style, and compelling stage presence. She was especially lauded for her fluid movements, intricate hip articulations, and charismatic performances. One of her signature traits was her ability to convey emotion and narrative through her dance, making her performances not just visually spectacular, but also deeply engaging on an emotional level.

In addition to her dance career, Carioca starred in over 100 films, which further cemented her status as an iconic figure in Egyptian entertainment. Despite her controversial personal life, which included numerous marriages and outspoken political views, Carioca remained a beloved figure both within and outside Egypt. Her influence on the world of belly dance is immeasurable and continues to inspire generations of dancers today.

We are excited to announce that we are restarting our Raqqesat Tahia Company with this fall’s class schedule.  Directed by Florencia, the Raqqesat Tahia Company is a low-intermediate level company that specializes in choreographies that include props (cane/assaya, zills/segat, veil, and balancing props) along with a focus on expressive stage presence.

NOTE: This company is a prerequisite for all intermediate and above student companies. Students wishing to progress to Intermediate level and above student companies should perf

Want to start your prop performance journey at our Winter Caravan in December? Register for the Raqqesat Tahia Company performance class here!