Shahrazad Dance Ensemble About the Troupe

New! Follow Shaharazad Dance Ensemble

Below: Members of Shahrazad Dance Ensemble performing a khalegy-style dance at the 2007 Northwest Folklife Festival in Seattle. They wear the traditional dress for this dance form, a long embroidered gown.

Photo © Tatsuki Kobayashi

Please contact us! The troupe is available for performances at festivals, parties and concerts in Western Washington.

Home | About the Troupe | Coming Performances & Frequently Asked Questions | Meet the Dancers & Links

About the Troupe

Photo © Shaharad Dance Ensemble

Above: Members of Shahrazad Dance Ensemble performing the troupe's North African basket dance at the Kent Regional Library in February 2009. For their participation in the "Many Voices, One Land" program of the King County Library System, the troupe presented folkloric dances from the Levant, the Gulf, Turkey, Persia, and Egypt, and told stories about their inspiration,Shahrazad, the heroine of Alf Layla wa Layla, The Thousand and One Nights.

Shahrazad Dance Ensemble of Seattle has performed at Northwest Folklife Festival at Seattle Center, Turkfest at Seattle Center, the Arab Center of Washington's Cultural Festival, the Mediterranean Festival in West Seattle, the Western Washington Fair, and other events.

Members of the troupe have taken classes from notable teachers of dance of the Middle East, including Egyptian leading folkloric producer and choreographer Mahmoud Reda, Morocco of New York, Suhaila Salimpour, Nadia Hamdi of Cairo, Hadia of Calgary, Zahra Zuhair of Los Angeles, Leila Haddad and many others.

Shahrazad Dance Ensemble’s alter egos, the Wild Women of Wongo, have appeared at science fiction conventions, Halloween parties, and by special request at oriental dance shows. The Wild Women wear costumes that are works of art, and perform dance inspired by ethnic fusion and alternative music.

Here's a review of our October 2008 performance in Tacoma, WA at the Spooktacular Evening Gala, produced by Halima:

"I loved the wild abandon and pure contagious joy they had stomping and shaking their rattles and spears at the heavens. Each wild woman was an individual in the color of her animal print dress and accessories made of leather, fur, feathers, teeth and beads of wood, nuts and stones. Their faces were painted in happy colors and patterns. They reminded me of the Lost Boys of Never-Never Land. I bet they had great fun creating and sharing this dance." --Jareeda Magazine, November/December 2008

Photo © Shaharad Dance Ensemble