Your Instructor

Ahla w Sahla (Welcome). My name is Layla, and I am a lifelong dancer with a passion for preserving cultural traditions. I was raised in diaspora but spent many cherished summers in Lebanon, playing with cousins, savoring family meals, and enjoying the beauty of the sacred land.

I started my dance journey as a child in Western dance classes like ballet and jazz, but as I grew older, I felt a pull to merge my passion for dance with my pride in our culture.

I was lucky to meet Shahna, a professional Raqs Sharqi instructor who I trained diligently under for the next 5 years.

In the decades since, I’ve dedicated my dance study to practicing various forms of traditional dances from our region.

As I return to teaching, I want to support others to understand the traditional knowledge held in these dance forms. They have context, purpose, and medicine in their movements.

Join me in practicing these beautiful dances so we can further the preservation of the sacred traditions. Come discover what the dance awakens in you!