Astara

-Photo by Arthur Roberg Astara started dancing as soon as she could walk. She is classically trained in ballet-- having studied with Willam Christensen of Ballet West since she was 10, as well as members of the Kirov Ballet in California. Astara has also studied tap, modern, folk dancing, and intuitive movement, which she taught for several years. She left the dance world to raise a family, but was inspired to start moving again after seeing Moshara Rabia dance at a belly dance festival twelve years ago. At age 50, she decided to start belly dancing and hasn't stopped since. Astara has studied with Sulisha, Thia, Alexandra, and Aziz. She was a member of Arabian Eyes Dance Troupe, under the direction of Sulisha, and for the past several years, she has danced with Baraka, under the direction of Aziz and Raffa. She brings her knowledge of ballet and her love of dance and movement to the stage in a combination of elegant fluid motion and a mature understanding of being a woman. In her own words, "I am so delighted to know that I can continue to dance after age 50, and that there is a place for all women to express their inner beauty and connection to the Divine Feminine. The expression of Middle Eastern dance for me is a timeless representation of all that is wondrous and mysterious about being female. I plan to dance as long as I can stand up and walk. Ruth St. Dennis danced well into her eighties, so I have many years to go."