Home About the Troupe Coming Performances & Frequently Asked Questions Favorite Links & Meet the Performer Photo: David Arnold Above: Shahrazad Dance Ensemble performs a khalegy-style dance at a retirement community in the Seattle area. Please contact us! The troupe is available for performances at festivals, corporate events, parties and concerts in Western Washington. Home | About the Troupe | Coming Performances & Frequently Asked Questions | Favorite Links & Meet the Performer Website by Shahrazad. Copyright © 2006-2008 Shahrazad Dance Ensemble - Page Updated 3.29.08

Frequently Asked Questions

What kind of dances do you perform?

Shahrazad Dance Ensemble performs folkloric Middle Eastern dances based on dances of the Levant, Egypt, North Africa, and the Persian Gulf. We also perform Egyptian raks sharqi, fusion dance, and a Western adaptation of Middle Eastern dance known as American Belly Dance.

Upcoming Performances

• May 3: Shahrazad Dance Ensemble will be performing at the St. Matthew School Rainbow Heritage Festival in Seattle. Look for our performance at 5 pm at the St. Matthew Community Center. The festival has food, performances and fun for the whole family.
• May 3: Shahrazad Dance Ensemble will be performing at the Arab Center of Washington's Mother's Day Hafla in Seattle. As in many others, mothers hold a special place in Arab cultures, so it is very fitting to hold a celebration of motherhood by holding a traditional hafla, or party, for them and their families. Tickets are available for purchase at the link above.
• May 24: Shahrazad Dance Ensemble will be performing Northwest Folklife Festival in Seattle. The Northwest Folklife Festival runs from Friday, May 23 through Monday, May 26. We will be performing at the International Dance Stage on Saturday evening, May 24 at the International Dance Stage at Seattle Center.
• July 19-20: Shahrazad Dance Ensemble will perform at the Mediterranean Fantasy Festival in West Seattle at a time tbd. In an action-packed 12 minutes, the troupe plans the world premiere of our new dance to a song by Corvus Corax.

Zorina has been performing at Gordon's on the Green in Tukwila, Washington on Friday nights with live Arab music. Call Gordy's for more information and upcoming dates for these opportunities.

Members of Shahrazad teach at...

Zorina teaches a weekly intermediate/advanced class at the Abyssinian Dance Center.

How long have you been dancing?

As a group, or individually? Shahrazad Dance Ensemble was founded in 1978 in Seattle. The current dancers have all been dancing with the Ensemble for more than 15 years. The troupe has a resume full of of performances at ethnic festivals, cultural events, gala shows, parties, events of the Society for Creative Anachronism (SCA), and science fiction conventions all over the Pacific Northwest. We represent more than 100 years of dance and performance experience. Most of us have also been solo performers of Oriental Dance in nightclubs and at festivals.

How much does it cost to have the troupe perform at my event?

Please click the link below and send us a message with some information about your event or party, and your contact information. We need to know the type of event, size of performing space, and the length of time of the performance you wish to have and we can discuss the cost of a performance.

How do you look so polished yet look like you're having so much fun?

We look like we are having so much fun because...well, we are! We enjoy sharing a vision of the music with our audience, and we are happy to be showing people these wonderful dance forms. We work hard as dancers, and we strive to fill every performance with enthusiasm, excitement and a sprinkling of humor.

Do any troupe members have Middle Eastern ancestry?

We are asked this question more often by people who are from countries in the Middle East. Usually it's because they recognize dance and music they know and are charmed that we know it, too. They wonder if one of us learned the music and the dance from our mother and grandmother. None of us is of Middle Eastern ancestry. Troupe members have travelled to Turkey, Egypt and Jordan.

Who makes up the choreography?

We are blessed that our artistic director is Inzar, one of the Pacific Northwest's most notable choreographers of Middle Eastern dances and a leading choreographer and performer of American Belly Dance. She has choreographed much of our original repertoire. Due to her work, the Ensemble's dances are creative, challenging and fast-moving works. Her inspiration is drawn from long-time research and dance experience. Some of the dances in our repertoire were choreographed by our troupe member, Noura. The whole troupe collaborates on dances by adding great new moves and the important element of polish. We also perform, by permission and with credit whenever possible, dances we learned from Mahmoud Reda, Zahra Zuhair of Los Angeles, and L'Emir Hassan Harfouche of Lebanon.