"On stage, Samara appears as if she just descended from some cool, moonlit, outer region of the ether. She delights her audiences with a demeanor of restrained classicism that seems to belong to another age and place;... Though she is American born, Samara's spirit evokes the pure Orient."
—Ibrahim Farrah
Samara of NYC is back in Chicago!
April 23rd, 24th and 25th 2010
Drum solo, Oriental Dance and
Total technique!
Show and workshop!
Samara’s hallmark style, a blend of serene elegance, spiritual grace, earthy passion, and technical prowess is the result of a life long commitment to Oriental Dance. Drawn to the dance since she was a child; via her Mediterranean heritage (Greek and Turkish), Samara’s background enhanced her organic sense of rhythm and her mastery of hip dynamics that characterize the dances of the Near East. Samara began dancing professionally in her teens, having already studied other dance forms extensively.
In her pursuit to study the art of Middle Eastern dance on it’s highest level, Samara was aided by her outstanding dance mentor, the late master dancer/teacher/choreographer Ibrahim Farrah. Samara studied with Mr. Farrah for over 15 years became his protege and utilizes much of his philosophy and technique in her teaching method and choreography. As a member of his renowned Near East dance Group, Samara’s performed in some of America’s most prestigious concert halls, including Carnegie Hall, Avery Fischer Hall at Lincoln Center, Town Hall, The Triplex Theater, Theater of the Riverside Church and Merkin Concert Hall in New York, the Warner Theater in Washington D.C. and the Spoleto Festival in Charleston S.C.
In addition to her work with the Near East Dance Group, Samara has shared the stage with some of the most famous
singing stars of the Middle East including, ( to name a few), Walid Tofic, Ragheb Alame, Sabah, Warda, and George Wassouf. She danced with Alabina at The Beacon Theater and Christine Aguillera at Radio City Music Hall for the MTV Music Awards. Samara was a 1998 inductee into the American Academy of Middle Eastern Dance Hall of Fame.
As a soloist, Samara has been engaged in Middle Eastern nightclubs and theaters throughout the United States and Abroad. Her dance journeys have taken her to Mexico, the Caribbean, France, England, Russia, Bulgaria China, Japan, Turkey, Greece, Jordan, Egypt, Israel and West Africa.
Samara is the choreographer and Artistic Director of Dance for The Mosaic Dance Theater Company, a non profit Dance Company specializing In the Dances of the Near East, North Africa and the Mediterranean. For Mosaic she has choreographed numerous traditional and interpretive Theatrical Concerts critically acclaimed in such publications as The Village Voice and The Star Ledger.
As A Seminar Instructor Samara teaches regularly throughout the United States and abroad. In NY she teaches weekly classes and is a faculty Member at The Alvin Ailey Extension.
For more info visit her website www.samaradance.com