YaShara

YaShara begain taking lesson in 1973 with Marliza Pons in Las Vegas. Her first performance was for the Jerry Lewis Telethon doing a veil routine.

After working with Marliza for a couple of years, YaShara continued her training with Leona of the Middle Eastern Dance Studio and Jasmine Gamal of the A-Z Dance Studio. With these teachers, YaShara had numerous performances at various venues including: Caesar's Palace, Aladdin, Tropicana, Union Plaza, Grecian Gardens, Omar Khayyam Night Club, the International Food Festival for the Egyptian-American Club, Wayne Newton's Birthday Party, and many conventions and community events.

During this time with A-Z Dance Studio YaShara also started teaching beginning dance to many eager students. Her love for dancing and teaching flourished and she studied her dancing as much as possible, including many trips to seminars and workshops all over the country.

Currently YaShara is no longer associated with any dance studios. She teaches a free class twice a month at the Clark County Library on Flamingo and performs with a small troupe called Al-Ateeka which performs at the Las Vegas Renaissance Festival annually. She is also the President of Shifting Sands Bellydance which is a non-profit group of performers which represents those with an interest in the dance & it's history. This group is open to anyone.

YaShara considers her style to be "interpretive-fusion tribal" although she teaches a variety of styles, zills, and basic doumbec. She loves to help others learn and to pass her knowledge on to her students while acknowledging the great teachers that YaShara learned from. She feels proud and excited for her students when she sees them catching on to steps, combinations, & choreography. She also loves seeing students perform and become excited about this dance form themselves.

For any questions, please call her at 702-451-7483