About the dancers:

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Natalie Nazario 

Natalie is a Puerto Rican professional Raqs Sharqi dancer, teacher, choreographer, and producer. She is based between Puerto Rico and New York City, she specializes in Egyptian Oriental dance. She has regularly visited Egypt since 2015 in order to experience and understand the culture and modern life of Egyptian people in a deeper way. As a result, she started learning Egyptian Colloquial Arabic in order to interpret the music and dance in a more profound manner. One of the biggest accomplishments in Natalie’s dance career was when she was cast in the famous show Abla Fahita; an Egyptian production where she performed while speaking in Arabic at the Apollo Theater in New York City. Raks Al Zahra is the result of immense inspiration from Natalie’s travels through the Middle East and is also powered by the meaningful connection that is present between her, her dancers and the audience. Natalie’s motto is as follows: “I write my life with every dance movement. As I perform, I dance my past, present, and future to come.”  Instagram @natalie_hayat

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Jesska 

Jesska; a native New Yorker, started her dance training at the age of six studying ballet, jazz, and modern dance.  Her passion for belly dance began in 2004 and since then has studied with dancers like Janelle Cortes, Dalia Carella, Puela Lunares, and Natalie Nazario. In 2014 she became a certified instructor of the Spanish Gypsy Flamencos under the instruction of Puela Lunares of the Dances of the World Society and completed the 40-hour Bellyqueen Dance Teacher Training.  In 2014 Jesska also became a founding members of the troupe Raks Al Zahra. As a solo artist and dance instructor, Jesska focuses on emphasizing the feminine beauty and the art of storytelling through movement. Her mission is to use dance as a vehicle of self-discovery and self-“rediscovery” by exploring and embodying the passion, strength, and grace that lives within each of us.

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