By Danielle Gomes
By Cindy Fertsch
“This career chose me. I didn’t choose it,” shares Soraya. Soraya is a professional ethnic belly dancer. She was born in the United States and is of Middle Eastern heritage. She began dancing before the age of 5 and enjoyed dancing at all the family celebrations.
Belly dancing is a sacred art form in Middle Eastern culture. Soraya performs at many Middle Eastern weddings and in the showrooms of the casinos in Atlantic City….
The Press of Atlantic City, New Jersey
“Casino Scene”
SORAYA AT TAJ MAHAL
Margate native Soraya will be bringing her belly dancing act to Trump Taj Mahal on Saturday, March 11, in support of Arabic singing star Amr Diab. Soraya, who holds a degree in anthropology from the Richard Stockton College of New Jersey, has performed for the late king of Morocco and enjoys bringing cutting edge, professional Egyptian belly dancing to weddings, concerts, corporate theme parties, fund raisers and hotel banquets.
“Showing the general public how great belly dancing can be when done with a strong attention to detail, technique and style is my main focus in life,” says Soraya. “This dance is something that I have been doing since I was 3 years old with my family. I have made it into a very rewarding career and enjoy performing for people that appreciate the art.”
In addition to dancing herself, Soraya also runs an entertainment agency based out of Margate called Soraya’s Mid-East Dance and Music Productions. The agency services professional, cutting edge and authentic ethnic talent.
Princeton University
“Party in the Desert”
Princeton University presented a magical evening straight out of the ‘Arabian Nights’ called: “Party in the Desert”. Princeton University wanted the entertainment to be as authentic, traditional and professional as it could be so they hired belly dance star Soraya and her band “Soraya and Middle Eastern Sounds” to provide the belly dancing and live musical entertainment. DJ Mike also presented a professional showcase as he spun everyone’s favorite popular music. Mike was not only a great DJ, but also was a talented and lively MC.
About 300 students attended and were treated to a wonderful Middle Eastern theme party extravaganza which not only featured the very best of belly dancing with Soraya and her live Egyptian band, but also foods from the Middle East and the Mediterranean. The food served was from Egypt, Lebanon, Morocco and Syria. The students and faculty were delighted by Soraya’s dynamic belly dancing style, technique and stage presence.
Soraya began the evening with a full belly dancing show of traditional “Raks Sharki” and then performed “Raks Assaya””, the Egyptian cane dance, to give the students a perfect blend and authentic perspective of what traditional belly dancing is mixed with Arabic folkloric styles as well. Her band accompanied her every move to perfection adding drama to the awe of the students and faculty. After the belly dance show, Soraya returned to the dance floor and instructed the students to form a large circle. Soraya got in the middle and taught her precise signature steps, how to shimmy with perfection, authentic Egyptian dance movements and transitions as the students followed her every step. Soraya also presented her Egyptian belly dance “drills” and sequences as the students mimicked her movements.
Princeton University’s “Party in the Desert” also presented other entertainment by Mark, a professional mentalist who wowed the students with his innate talents. There was also a tarot card reader telling fortunes, a sand art table and more…Everyone had a terrific time and look forward to the next one!
New York, NY
Soraya, international belly dance star is chosen as subject of famous artist!
This year is already proving to be an amazing year for the world renown International belly Dancing star. Besides national Television show producers calling her from California requesting that she star in her own TV show, the captivating Soraya was recently selected as the subject of a fine art painting. This brilliant work features Soraya performing live in concert on an Atlantic City Casino Showroom stage where she frequently entertains. Soraya is no stranger to the biggest and best mainstream venues in the US. Soraya continues to perform for thousands in Casino showrooms and this past September 2004, she brought her amazing artistry to Resorts Superstar Theater. Soraya also recently performed this past December at a black tie holiday gala for the Trump Taj Mahal Casino with many more great bookings.
This original work was shown in the New York’s most prestigious, upscale art Gallery. The artist reported that the painting of Soraya has recently been sold to a private collector for an undisclosed amount of money. A source at the gallery informed us that more paintings will be created in the near future featuring the world famous belly dance star.
