Photo (in character for "RA") by Anthony Lawson, 27studio.com

Anastasia is a well respected bellydancer who performs in many of Los Angeles' top nightclubs and restaurants. She has studied in Cairo and with some of the finest bellydance instructors in the world, which complements her extensive background in ballet and jazz. Anastasia has danced with Fahteim and the Sultans of Delights, as well as the Arabesque Dance Company. She is an original member of Jillina and the Sahlala dancers, winners of the 2001 IAMED Award for Best Dance Company. Sahlala can be seen performing regularly at The Carousel nightclub in Glendale.

Aziza Sa'id is widely recognized for her powerful, joyous, and fiery style, her dramatic range and her capacity for creating unforgettable feeling in her audiences. Regardless of the style, Aziza's passion, humor, charisma and love of the dance always come through.

Aziza has been featured on several TV shows , the videos "Moon Over Denver Vol. 1" and "Follow Your Soul" with Morocco. Aziza has been a regular contributor to Mid-Eastern Dance publications for over 20 years, a contributing author "Belly Dance Book" by Tazz Richards, and is the author of the award winning Middle Eastern Dance website www.ZillTech.com. With over 3500 performances to her credit, she continues to be a regular performer at Greek, Persian and Arabic clubs, restaurants and events throughout Southern California. www.Zilltech.com

Geralyn has been studying Arabic dance under Kamala for about 5 years. She has performed as a soloist in such venues as Burger Continental in Pasadena and the Mediterranean Kabob Room in Monrovia. She is a member of the troupe "Sahira" which has performed for various functions such as weddings, parties and conventions. Recently she was in a trailer filmed for KCRW Radio. She is very proud and excited to be part of Sahra's production of "RA".

1986-1988 Member of Madamex on Atlantic Records hit "Just That Type of Girl" which went #4 on Billboard 1987.

1989-2000 Singer with Mary Wilson of The Supremes, traveling the world with this group.

Studied Oriental Dance with Yousry Sharif and Serena in NY, Aisha Ali and Zahra Zuhair in Los Angeles, Raquia Hassan and Ida Noor in Egypt. Have danced in New York, Los Angeles, Las Vegas, London and Egypt.

Currently a parfumeur with companies Pompadour and Lynn Parfumerie.

Kamala has been a professional dancer in the Middle Eastern field for over 20 years. She has performed in many countries throughout the world and has been featured on numerous film and television shows. She has performed at hundreds of Middle Eastern restaurants and nightclubs, and currently teaches several classes in the Pasadena area. Kamala is assistant director of the "Flowers of the Desert" dance company of Southern California.

Katia has a Bachelor of Arts degree in Art History and Interdisciplinary Art/Performance Art from the University of Washington in Seattle. Her Greek heritage combined with her interest in Greek Classical Art prompted Katia to travel to Greece. For over four years she has been performing professionally on the beautiful Greek island, Santorini. She relocated to Los Angeles in 1999 to join Sahra’s YA AMAR! Dance Company. Sahra’s graceful style and creative choreography captivated Katia when they first met in the winter of 1998 in Hawaii. Since meeting Sahra, Katia has devoted her life to the dance and to understanding Sahra’s style. She has also traveled to Cairo, Egypt with Sahra to study with Farida Fahmy, Mahmoud Reda, and Dina. Currently Katia performs in Greece in the summers and throughout Los Angeles in the winters.

Linda Gibson's love of Middle Eastern dance began in high school. Since then she has continued to study Middle Eastern dance, culture and history both in the U.S. and Egypt. She has done both performance and behind-the-scenes production throughout the Southern California area and taught Middle Eastern dance at UC Riverside. Linda holds a B.A. in Ancient Civilizations from UC Irvine. She is an ordained Priestess of Sekhmet, Bast and Isis through the Fellowship of Isis and is the co-facilitator of a metaphysical tour to Egypt, during which she will be leading the sacred dance in the ancient temples.

Maiani was born in Bahia, Brasil and came to this country just a couple of months prior to her 6th birthday in 1990. Ever since, she has been a part of art and art has been a part of her. She was introduced to the violin at the age of 8, and has taken part in orchestras, string ensembles/quartets, both in and out of school, especially since she attended Hamilton High School Academy of Music in her sophomore year. She has also taken part in musicals at school and with Golden Performing Arts in the valley. Maiani recently recorded a soundtrack for a drama and will graduate from High School and ABRSM Conservatory of Music in June 2002.

Maria Gill is a devoted lover of dance. A native of Cuba, she began bouncing to the rhythms emanating from the jukebox in her father's Havana cafe at the tender age of one. At 16 Middle eastern Dance stole her teenage heart. She has studied this art form with master teachers such as Fahteim, Jillina, Sahra Kent, and Zahra Zuhair. Maria also studies and performs sacred orisha dances of the Afro-Cuban, Yoruba tradition as well as other cultures of the African diaspera. When not dancing, Maria is a practitioner of the healing arts serving low income/high risk individuals and families as a clinical social worker for the County of Los Angeles.

One evening, Sahra saw Melissa performing at the Temple Bar in Santa Monica where she performs the last Sunday of every month with Los Angelitos, an Afro-Cuban rumba and folkloric group. She asked Melissa to become a part of "The Eclipse of the Sun" and Melissa was honored and flattered. Melissa has been performing and teaching Afro-Cuban folkloric dancing since 1998 and is pursuing a doctoral degree in Dance History and Theory at UC Riverside. She has also studied tango, salsa, jazz, and flamenco and loves to dance around in her new apartment.

Murielle is a 10-year-old, level 6 Junior Olympic gymnast. She also studies ballet, jazz and tap dance. Murielle has performed with the "Flower Buds of the Desert" children's Middle Eastern company at Cairo Carnival, Highways Theatre, and the El Rey Theatre. She has won the 2001 Little Belly Dancer of the Year award.

Althia is a most talented 12 year old. She is a level 7 Junior Olympic gymnast, who was a medal winner at the 2001 state Championships. Althia also studies Middle Eastern Dance.

Nadia's dance background includes studies in folkloric dance at the Maya Sofou Academy in Athens, Greece, and at the English School of Classical Ballet. With a childhood and teen years in the theater and musical comedy in Baltimore, Maryland, Nadia studied dance, fine arts, and ceramics, receiving her Master's Degree in Sculptural Ceramics from Penn State University. In California she has pursued dance studies at Orange Coast College (with Angelika Nemeth) and with Fathiem. Since 1999, Nadia has been a company member of Ya Amar! Dance Company and performed at The International Conference on Middle Eastern Dance 2001. Nadia is currently a Professor at Saddleback College, California (Fine Arts/Emeritus.)

Roxanne Shelaby is fortunate to have grown up surrounded by Middle Eastern Arts. Her love of Middle Eastern dance flourished as a child, encouraged by her Lebanese father Lou Shelaby, owner of the renown "Fez" and "Cascades" supper clubs. She began performing at the age of 16 at the request and under the leadership of Farida Fahmy (1st dancer of the Reda national dance company of Egypt).

Roxanne has been involved with Ya Amar! since its inception and has been performing with the group since 1996, including a featured solo in Tokyo, Japan (1999) where Ya Amar! performed alongside the Komatsu Dance Company in two sold out theatre performances.

Photo by Anthony Lawson 27 studio.com

I have graduated with a BA in apparel design. I never thought of performing on the theater stage, but here I am. Six years ago I walked into my first Middle Eastern dance class and I just fell in love with the music and dancing. I have been performing as a solo artist in various Middle Eastern nightclubs and restaurants in LA and Japan. Recently I have joined Sahra and Ya Amar! Dance Company and that has been the greatest joy of my life. I thank all my teachers for inspiring me to come this far.

I started this dance form in my late 50's as a healing process and to feel better about myself, to build confidence, with Angelika. With no previous dance experience, I really have to struggle, but I do the best I can. Its such great fun and feel that I've accomplished something. I've had the opportunity to participate in the OCC Spring Dance Concert and The International Conference on Middle Eastern Dance, did a birthday party for a friend, and performed in a restaurant. I feel very grateful for being able to participate in this performance and to work with such fabulous dancers.

From the age of three Ursula has studied various forms of dance, including Ballet, Jazz, Lyrical & Modern Dance. She recently became interested in Middle Eastern Dance which has become a passion for her. Last year she graduated from the Orange County High School of the Performing Arts. Presently she is working towards a degree in World Dance. She performs ay several restaurants in Orange County and LA. Ursula is absolutely thrilled to be part of this major production.