International Belly Dance Star Soraya just received the prestigious MIDDLE EASTERN DANCE LEADERS SOCIETY AWARD 2010 which recognizes and celebrates unique world dance artists.The great Amara al-Amir (Tapestry of Dance) in New York City and North Carolina awarded the coveted "MEDLS" award to Soraya of New Jersey. Amara personally chose Soraya to receive this wonderful award because of her professionalism, dedication, influence, numerous accomplishments in the field, global inspiration in the art of belly dancing, academic studies, entrepreneurial leadership, continued successes and for acting as a creative conduit for others as a guide in the craft of authentic belly dancing.
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This
prolific young star of Belly Dance is U.S. born of Middle Eastern heritage
and has been dancing since the age of five with her family at countless
celebrations, etc. Since then she has continued to mesmerize audiences
with her innovative and breathtaking performances. Her art has taken her
all over the United States and abroad. Soraya has performed in some of
the world's most prestigious venues, concert stadiums and casino showrooms.
She covers the East & West coasts dancing in upscale shows and concerts,
black tie affairs, international-cultural events, Hollywood entertainment
industry parties, promotional events, large corporate "Arabian Nights"
theme parties, high-end international show tours, special events and top
Arabic dance "showcases" She also performs in company trade
shows and conventions, colleges and universities, select art museums,
casino showrooms for audiences of thousands, elegant Arabic weddings,
etc. Soraya's exotic beauty is only matched by the hypnotic mystery of
her incredible dance performances. This glamorous international entertainer
has successfully changed the image of belly dance into a respected art
form. She holds a B. A degree in anthropology and sociology with an emphasis in Middle Eastern studies. She has performed and lectured on the history and ethnomusicology of the Arab world for the Borders Books and Music chain all over the East coast offering an educational, artistic and exciting dance and music show and workshop to give people a closer look into the true soul and spirit of authentic Egyptian belly dance. It was one of Borders' most attended events with Soraya giving standing room only encores and "back by popular demand" performances. She successfully blends together the field of academics and an ancient art with a modern twist. Soraya has been referred to as: "A modern day Cleopatra who projects the true essence of Egyptian dance with depth, glamour and passion." Her reputation of being an artist who truly understands and feels every nuance in the music as well as her own personal goal of preserving the dances' intrinsic honor results in having to be very selective with her clientele. The most memorable concert that she have ever done was performing as an invited guest of the late King Hassan and the royal family in Morocco. She recently produced a critically acclaimed Egyptian dance and music tour for the elite of India starring in select five star hotels.
Recently, Soraya performed pre-show at a special corporate promotion in a Moroccan theme Casbah tent at the Sony Entertainment "E-Center" on the Camden/Philadelphia's waterfront for such mainstream American rock bands as: Yes, Kansas, The Pretender's, Joni Mitchell, The Counting Crows, Live, Creed, Kid Rock, The B-52's, The Psychedelic Furs, Neil Young, Mary J. Blige, Bob Dylan and The Go-Go's. The many national televison shows that she has to her credit include: Hard Copy, Entertainment Tonight, CNN's "Showbiz Today," A Current Affair, The UPN Television Network, Access Hollywood, etc. Soraya has performed for such corporate clients as: Sun Microsystems, Princetec, Ford, The R.J. Reynolds Company, etc. She performs her wildly popular Egyptian belly dance concerts and workshop "Soraya, The Jewel of the Nile Show", on proper Arabic dance technique, the correct execution of Oriental dance movements and choreographies demonstrating the steps and combinations at many respected Ivy league Universities and colleges which includes: The Richard Stockton College of NJ, Rutgers University, Princeton University, NYU, The Thomas Jefferson University Hospital, The University of Pennsylvania, Drexel University, Raritan Valley College, Middlesex County College, etc. She starred as the bejeweled magical "Genie"/belly dancer in a national television commercial promoting the Trump Taj Mahal Casino Resort. Her print work, publicity and modeling credits includes being featured in numerous magazine and newspaper articles throughout the US and overseas such as: Italian Vogue Magazine, Dance Magazine, The L.A. Times, New York Times, The Princeton Packet, The Times of India, The Newark Star Ledger, Health and Fitness Magazine, The Times of Tel-Aviv, The Courier News, The Asbury Park Press, The Courier Post of Cherry Hill, NJ, York, PA Dispatch, The Princeton News Eagle, The Philadelphia Inquirer, Philadelphia Daily News, Philadelphia City Paper, Philadelphia Weekly, The Atlantic City Press, The Whoot! Entertainment Weekly (Thank you for everything..Lew Steiner and Alissa Wolf!), The Times of Trenton, The Beirut Times, AL-Mannassah Arabic Newspaper of Egypt and New York City, Al-Ahram of Egypt, Cairo Today and many more.
Her incomparably amazing, dramatic and dynamic stage
presence and dance style has made her one of the most sought-after ethnic
entertainers today. Her beautiful, graceful, delicate yet powerful style
is unmatched by any other, imitated but never duplicated. The multifaceted
Soraya performs all styles with her wide range of ethnic dances from all
over the Arab world, the Near East and the Mediterranean from the classical
Raks Al Sharqi, (The Dance of the Orient/Cabaret), the earthy Raks Al
Beledi (Fellahin), the folkloric
dances of Raks Assaya (Saaidi, the cane dance from the countryside of
Upper Egypt), Spanish/Moorish/Andalusian Flamenco, Beduoin Gypsy, Hegalla,
Tunisian, Moroccan, Lebanese Debki, Gulf, etc. She has danced in over
eight Atlantic City casino showrooms and has toured and/or performed with
many famous Middle Eastern singing stars, composers and arrangers such
as: Warda Al Jazzaria, Kadham Al Sahir, Ragheb Alameh, Assi El Hellani,
Wael K Foury, Walid, Nadia Addoul, Melham Barakat, Hassan Hakmoun, Rafic
Al-Aridy, Amr Diab, Hany Shaker, Samir Sphere, Nawahl Al Zoughby, Tony
Hanna, Diana Haddad, Wael K Foury, Najwa Karam, Maestro Hany Mehanna,
Wadi El Safy, Samira Saeed and George Wassouf, etc.
As an entrepreneur, she has also recently produced a popular eight-volume set of authentic belly dancing videos that are selling tremendously to rave reviews and receiving worldwide acclaim. They are entitled: "Soraya's Night at the Casbah/Folkloric Cocktail", "The Dance of Egypt", "Soraya El Malika (The Dance of the Queen), "Soraya Live in Concert at the Tropicana Casino Showroom and Soraya Live in Concert at the Trump Taj Mahal Casino Showroom", " The Cairo Collection", "Soraya Live at Resort's Int'l Casino Showroom and " The Gift of the Nile Show", and many more on her video page please click here:
Unlike other dancers her style is a tightly choreographed and intense Egyptian stage technique that is very classy and elegant. Soraya is known the world over to offer her audiences the best image of Oriental dance. Her creative and avant-garde shows engulf all that have the opportunity to view her impeccable art and she has an innate ability to keep her audiences' spellbound. Her vast knowledge and range of complex Arabian musical compositions results in an uncanny ability to understand, internalize and interpret time signatures, rhythm and tempo changes with her natural feel for the soul of Oriental music. Her dancing is a direct mirror of the music as she unfolds it into a story, making sense of what she hears and how the music speaks to her without missing a single beat. The ease in which she glides, isolates and shimmies across a stage using a fluidity of movement that is very unique and only Soraya. She arrives completely self-contained and uses only the hottest "cutting edge" music that is carefully selected to compliment her strong and energetic performances.
Soraya's virtuosity is apparent in her artistic excellence
and fabulous command of the stage. She has successfully pioneered Arabian
dance in the United States to the highest level and her style has become
the forerunner in Middle Eastern and Mediterranean dance today. She has
her own band and singers called: "Soraya and Middle Eastern Sounds".
All of her costumes are custom made exclusively in Cairo, Egypt by the
famous Madame Abla, "Egypt's designer to the stars." Soraya
feels it is so important for the general public to see this dance art
done correctly and with powerful theatrical grace so that audiences can
finally experience Middle Eastern dance that way it should be
seen in the best light possible. She is self-taught, although she has
worked on some select choreographies with the late Ibrahim "Bobby"
Farrah (Lebanon), Madame Mona El Sai'd (Egypt) and Madame Raqia Hassan
of the Mahmoud Reda Troupe and the folkloric troupe "The Banat Mazin"
(Upper Egypt), who are the descendants of ancient Egyptian Gypsy families
called the Ghawazee. Soraya's signature style-technique is 100% Arabic
and is not the "Americanized" version, that has given this dance
a bad name in the U.S. Since this is the art of her culture, she strives
for authenticity, integrity, dynamic and exquisite performances of the
highest caliber possible for the true art of real authentic belly dancing.
Soraya, the quintessential Oriental
Dance Star
for the best in authentic Middle Eastern
Entertainment!
Authors Note:
Soraya produces, directs and choreographs a professional performance troupe. As a booking agent, she provides an eclectic array of fabulous and talented performers to not only the Trump Taj Mahal, but to most of the Atlantic City casinos and five star hotels, venues and corporations. She offers singers, back-up dancers, variety & specialty acts and orchestras, etc. Soraya is always looking for talent on an on going basis. Please send all press kits and video to her address.