Asharah has been performing since the age of six as a dancer, figure skater, and singer. As a bellydancer, she is best known for her dramatic fusion of tribal and cabaret styles, but also has extensive experience in Turkish, Egyptian and American bellydance. She recently earned her Level 2 certification in the Suhaila Salimpour format, and aims to blend this format with American Tribal Style bellydance. Her technique, musicality, and finger cymbal playing skills have been noted and admired across the country. She is deeply grateful to Alexia (Kim Leary), Artemis Mourat, Suhaila Salimpour, and others who have guided her along the way.

In addition to traveling around the country to teach sold-out workshops, she teaches regular tribal belly dance classes at two of the Washington, DC, area's finest dance studios, Joy of Motion and Saffron Dance. She currently performs around the country and periodically at the Shisha Lounge in Sterling, Virginia. She will be releasing her first instructional DVD Modern Tribal Bellydance, produced by WorldDanceNewYork, in January 2008, and she is featured on the groundbreaking DVD Gothic Bellydance: The Darker Side of Fusion, produced by World Dance New York. From 2003-2005 she performed with the avant-garde troupe Martiya Possession and before that was a two year member of Raks Odalisque, Princeton University's Middle Eastern dance troupe. She also provided live percussion and graphic design for Maduro's debut release Shimmer Sustain.

Asharah is not only an accomplished dancer but also has a B.A. in Near Eastern Studies from Princeton University. Ever since her childhood, Asharah has been deeply interested in Middle Eastern arts and culture. She believes that every belly dancer must know the history and culture of this dance, whether she is performing it in its traditional forms or fusing it with others.

POPS, LOCKS, AND TICK-TOCKS

Inspired by robots, experimental electronic music, and the poppin' and lockin' B-Boys of the 70s and 80s, Asharah has integrated mechanical movements into her expressive tribal fusion performances. In this workshop, Asharah will lead students through anintense warm up and then will show students how to break down traditional bellydance movements such as vertical hip figure-8s, shoulder rolls, torso undulations, turns, andarm waves into smaller and sharper parts to give your performances a robotic and creepy edge. After drilling these movements, she'll teach a short combination that demonstrates how these movements can be used in a performance. She'll also briefly discuss concepts of electronic music,how it is created, and how to listen to the nuances of music made by machines and computers.