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Mirah Ammal Known for her delicate yet passionate style and musical interpretation, Mirah Ammal is a professional Middle Eastern dance performer, choreographer and instructor. She specializes in raks as-sharki (belly dance) and folkloric dances of the Middle East. Based in Minneapolis, Minnesota, Mirah performs and teaches workshops throughout the region and around the country. She is also artistic director of Al-Bahira Middle Eastern Dance Theater and the Aalim School, and was co-founder and director of the former Ammala Middle Eastern Dance & Music. Mirah performs for weddings, parties, special events, festivals, and educational or cultural presentations, and can be seen dancing regularly in Twin Cities area restaurants and in Milwaukee. Mirah has studied with many top names in dance from the U.S., Egypt and other countries including her first mentor, Cassandra Shore, and other artists such as Dina, Raqia Hassan, Momo Kadous, Fahtiem, Amel Tafsout, Farida Fahmy, Nourhan Sharif, Aisha Ali, Hadia, Tamalyn Dallal, Beba, Hamada, Lucy, Randa Kamel, and Dr. Mo Gedawi. She has also traveled to Egypt to further her dance education and her understanding of the language and culture.
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"From gut-wrenching sorrow to spot-on comedic timing, Mirah makes every dance an emotional experience for the watcher. Delicate and glamorous, she is sultry and strong, her dancing poignant and playful. It is impossible to resist her bits of belly theatre. A more exotic experience you've never had." ~ Lee Spears Innerwilderness.com
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In her own teaching, Mirah emphasizes a physically and mentally healthy approach to belly dance. She focuses on body awareness, proper alignment, and technique for a physically healthy dance experience. She also encourages positive body image and self-acceptance by helping her students explore their femininity and inner grace through the dance. Her humor and down-to-earth nature make her popular with students of all ages, shapes, and sizes.
Some notable past performances include: Arab World Fest 2008 - Milwaukee, WI Orientalia - Miami, Florida Ahlan Cairo Nights 2005. 2007, 2008 presented by Little Egypt - Dallas, Texas AHEPA Greek Heritage Festival - Waterloo, Iowa Mason City Greek Festivals - Mason City, Iowa Eid Al-Fitr Festival sponsored by Arab Student Association - St. Cloud, Minnesota Nourouz Afghani New Year Celebration - Bloomington, Minnesota Performance for Lucy Little Egypt workshop show for Lucy of Cairo - Dallas, Texas Performance for Dina Little Egypt show for Dina of Cairo - Minneapolis, Minnesota Bridges Dance & Music Performance Series - UW River Falls, Wisconsin Edge Performance Series at Hopkins Center for the Arts - Hopkins, Minnesota "Eternal Egypt" presented by Minneapolis Institute of Arts - Minneapolis, Minnesota World Cultures Festival at the College of St. Benedict - St. Joseph, Minnesota Upper Midwest Festival of Oriental Dance - Minneapolis, Minnesota "Kinetic Kitchen" curated by Sarah LaRose Holland - Minneapolis, Minnesota Cassandra's Cabaret - Minneapolis, Minnesota Enchanted Evenings with Cassandra Shore and Mozayik - Minneapolis, Minnesota Layali Sharque Arabic Music and Dance Show - St. Paul, Minnesota "Grandmother's Trail: How Nina and Najma Got Their Groove Back" as Najma Minnesota Fringe Festival - Minneapolis, Minnesota MoRae's Cafe appearance as a guest artist - Tampa, Florida An Evening of Dance with Sahra Saeeda - Milwaukee, Wisconsin An Evening of Dance with Hadia - Milwaukee, Wisconsin An Evening of Dance with Yasmina Ramzy - Milwaukee, Wisconsin The Women's Expo - Minneapolis, Minnesota and St. Paul, Minnesota Safar Annual Show presented by Samantha Fairuz - Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Mirah's Performance Specialties Include:
Saidi and Raks Assaya (cane dance)
Tunisian pot dance
Performance with live bands
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