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"It comes from her soul, we can see that. Beautiful and aesthetically gorgeous to watch, and we really enjoyed it.” – Helene, international opera singer
Suzanna is an authentic entertainer with powerful movement quality and versatility who genuinely connects with her audience. She brings decades of experience in Middle Eastern, African, jazz, ballet, theatre, fitness, and more. Teaching and performing as a soloist and company dancer for over 16 years, producing multidimensional events, studying with masters of Egyptian dance, and receiving several awards, her global orientation has led her to Africa, Europe, and Brazil, with events featured in the Seattle times, Zaghareet Magazine, Bellydance Japan, and others. Check out her resume to the right or below. |
As a performer, teacher, artistic director, and producer, Suzanna aims to build community and catalyze personal growth among audiences and participants, including herself. As her events have grown to involve more and more artists and production support, a live event and video team has organically evolved as Suzanna & Friends, producing award-winning multicultural shows since 2004, from outdoor theatrical concerts and family events to cabarets and performance halls.
In 2010 she launched Belly Dance Off, an interactive format designed to engage everyone. She is also known for her other productions, World Dance Showcase, Hathor Unveiled, and Cinderella-An Egyptian Story. She also founded TaWaSol World Dance Ensemble, an authentic, vibrant, and diverse student group. Her own dance training began in childhood with ballet, jazz, and contemporary. As an adult, she discovered world music and dance, launching repeated journeys studying West African dance in Senegal and Middle Eastern dance in Egypt, training extensively with the pioneer of Egyptian dance theatre, Mahmoud Reda, and his renowned members. Through this and other cross-disciplinary training, she has developed her signature styles of Balady, Raqs Sharqi, Khaleegy, Saidi, Shamadan, Fusion, and variations with zills, veil, and sword. She has also traveled and lived throughout other African countries for research and work with villages on interactive theatre. She considers world dance and music a medium to peace and understanding that transcends dialogue. In turn, she has trained hundreds of students in classes and workshops since 2004, throughout which her choreographies have appeared on numerous stages, and is engaged in a variety of local and national performances, including concerts at Seattle Center Playhouse, Pacific Science Center, Columbia City Theatre, Seattle International Dance Festival, Seattle Art Museum, Bellevue Arts Museum; Missouri Southern State University, Olympic College, and other educational institutions. With consistent focus on core technique, she has founded RakasaFit, a core fitness belly dance workout. | ||
