Jasmine

Jasmine started dancing at 2 ½ years old with her Mom as her teacher. At 3 years of age she started her formal training. Occasionally, her parents, on Friday evenings, would take her to Joe's Bar, on the corner from where they lived in Brooklyn, to dance on the shuffle board to entertain the patrons.  She did most of her performing on a mahogany board, made by her father, during the card playing night with friends and relatives. 

At the ripe old age of 7 she won the Ted Mack Amateur Hour in New York (sort of like Star Search).  This brought solo performances at the Fountain Blue in Florida and the Riviera in Las Vegas as well as others.

In 1972, she started taking belly dancing classes. Her first professional belly dancing teacher was Leona Drayton (name at the time and was the winner of Belly Dancer of the Year in the Bay area) and also Roman Bert Balledin and Mary Ellen Donald on Doumbec. 

In 1975 she opened her dance studio in Las Vegas and has continued ever since.  She toured Europe and the Middle East in 1980, 1986 and 1988, with many dancers and continues to travel to teach, dance and take instruction.  Over the years she continued to study with the best like M. Reda from Egypt, Jamila Salimpor in San Francisco, Horacio Fuentes of Germany, Ibrahim Farrah of New York (now deceased) and many more. Yasmine does not want to offend anyone by failing to mention their names, but the list includes over 100 professional dancers and teachers including those in Egypt, Turkey and the like.  She always wanted a studio for ethnic dance and today she has succeeded. Her studio offers Belly Dance, Irish Dance, Polynesian (Tahitian, Hawaiian, Poi Balls and etc.) as well as Hip Hop, Tap, Ballet, Pointe, Ballroom, Creative Movement and Self Defense. 

Jasmine has a thriving studio and personally teaches belly dance, beginner, and intermediate and advanced, Arabic drum, Tap dancing all levels, Creative Movement and Ballet.  She is the Director and Choreographer of the Al As Har Belly Dancers and the Golden Tappers.  Private classes are available as well as seminars and performances for special events.

Jasmine can be reached at atozdance@aol.com or visit her web site at http://www.atozdance.com/