Sahara Dance

Sahara Dance DC's Center for Middle Eastern Dance
Boutique studio dedicated to creating community celebrating the joy and beauty of belly dance. Come shimmy!
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Sahara Dance, Washington DC’s Center for Middle Eastern Dance, is a boutique dance studio dedicated to celebrating the joy and beauty of belly dance. Founded in 2004, Sahara Dance offers over 75 weekly belly dance classes at three locations in DC and Maryland. The studio is home to 20 faculty members, 16 resident performance companies, and over 700 belly dancers. Seeking to elevate belly dance as

a performance art and to create a community for belly dancers, Sahara Dance produces several annual theater productions. Our shows and classes highlight both traditional and experimental styles of belly dance and Arab folk dance. Come shimmy with us!

2026 to 2027 is our year of featuring Marta Korzun at Sahara Dance! We were grateful to first meet her for an intensive...
06/18/2026

2026 to 2027 is our year of featuring Marta Korzun at Sahara Dance! We were grateful to first meet her for an intensive at the end of February 2026, and are looking forward to a second set of workshops at our Washington DC studio this August 2026. In addition, Marta is headlining our Heart of Belly Dance Retreat in Costa Rica in May 2027.

We sat down with Marta to explore what makes a dancer truly memorable, why musicality and emotion matter as much as technique, and how improvisation can transform the way dancers connect with both music and audience. Read our blog to learn more about Marta’s unique perspective!

Marta Korzun: On Musicality, Emotion, and the Art of Connection!
https://saharadance.com/meet-marta-korzun-on-musicality-emotion-and-the-art-of-connection/

Next up: Come Dance with Me Workshop with Jennifer Part 2! June 20, 1:30 – 3:30 pmIntegrate conditioning, functional mov...
06/15/2026

Next up: Come Dance with Me Workshop with Jennifer Part 2!

June 20, 1:30 – 3:30 pm

Integrate conditioning, functional movement principles, and intricate footwork to cultivate precision, control, and expanded versatility in your dance.

Focused on strengthening the body and refining transitional clarity, dancers will move through progressive exercises and across-the-floor studies that deepen rhythmic complexity and illuminate how technical integrity fuels dynamic, expressive performance requiring coordination, timing, and full-body integration.

Designed for Intermediate and Advanced dancers committed to growth and refinement.

https://saharadance.com/product/come-dance-with-me-workshop-with-jennifer-part-2-june-20-130-330-pm/

What a special weekend with one of our favorite Master instructors - !!! 💓 We enjoyed a shaabi dance party featuring al...
06/15/2026

What a special weekend with one of our favorite Master instructors - !!! 💓 We enjoyed a shaabi dance party featuring all the latest hits from Cairo, a baladi intensive including technique, lecture, combos and improvisation, and a (sold out!) saidi intensive focusing in on both technique and an advanced choreography with assaya. Every time we have the opportunity to study with we are deeply appreciative of her depth of knowledge and cultural awareness to help bridge the gap between our Western students and authentic Egyptian dance. We were able to learn interesting insights and enjoyed hearing her stories from years of experience living and working in Cairo. Her anatomical knowledge from Pilates training helps break down technique with greater muscle and body awareness that can help unlock difficult movements for students. She also has a great sense of humor and the ability to make learning fun and approachable for students of all ability levels! We look forward to hosting her again soon! Thank you and all the students that participated!! 💗🥰

Yalla!! Our Beyond Raqs Sharqi weekend with the fabulous starts tonight!! Sunday’s Saidi workshop is SOLD OUT. There ar...
06/12/2026

Yalla!! Our Beyond Raqs Sharqi weekend with the fabulous starts tonight!! Sunday’s Saidi workshop is SOLD OUT. There are two spaces remaining in tonight’s Shaabi and tomorrow’s Baladi workshops - if there are any last minute joiners make sure to grab your spot now! Can’t wait to see everyone at the studio! 🩵🩵🩵

https://saharadance.com/workshops/

Post cards from our Costa Rican dance paradise 🌱 This could be you next May 1-8, 2027 at our Heart of Belly Dance Retrea...
06/11/2026

Post cards from our Costa Rican dance paradise 🌱 This could be you next May 1-8, 2027 at our Heart of Belly Dance Retreat with !!!

💃🏻 🧘🏻‍♀️ Belly dance with Master Instructor Marta Korzun and yoga classes with .official
🏝️ Immersion in gorgeous nature at the pool and beach
🥗🍉 Delicious healthy meals all included
🏄🏾‍♀️ Opportunity for adventurous excursions such as surfing, horseback riding and ziplining
💆🏻‍♀️ Opportunity for spa services, treatments and massages
👯‍♀️ New friendships and community

Treat yourself next year to join us! More information on room options and pricing here:
https://saharadance.com/retreats/heart-of-belly-dance-2027/

Check out this special live music workshop we have scheduled for later this month! The Language of Dancing to Live Music...
06/09/2026

Check out this special live music workshop we have scheduled for later this month! The Language of Dancing to Live Music Workshop with Florencia and Alonso Villa Vargas 🪘 Saturday, June 27 | 2:30-5:30 PM

Did You Know?

Many dancers spend years learning choreography without ever having the opportunity to dance directly with a live musician. Learning to communicate with a drummer in real time can dramatically deepen musicality, improvisation skills, and stage confidence.

Join Florencia and guest musician Alonso Villa Vargas for a special workshop exploring the dynamic relationship between dancer and musician.

Together, you’ll learn how to recognize rhythmic structure, respond to musical changes in the moment, and develop greater confidence dancing with live accompaniment.

Whether you’re new to dancing with live music or looking to deepen your artistic expression, this workshop offers practical tools that can immediately enhance both performance and improvisation.

Come ready to listen, move, experiment, and connect.

Reserve your spot today with and

https://saharadance.com/product/the-language-of-dancing-to-live-music-workshop-with-florencia-and-alonso-villa-vargas-june-27-230-530-pm/

Our beginner dancers are diligently working on their summer choreography and excited for our Summer Caravan show August ...
06/08/2026

Our beginner dancers are diligently working on their summer choreography and excited for our Summer Caravan show August 23rd! 💓 Make sure to say hi if you see our new friends around the studio.

Curious to try out belly dance for the first time? A new 8 week series of technique classes will begin June 27th and continue to August 22nd! Check out our class schedule:
https://saharadance.com/classes/

Registration is now open for Sahara Dance’s 8-week Beginner 1 and brush-up classes!Whether you’re continuing your traini...
06/05/2026

Registration is now open for Sahara Dance’s 8-week Beginner 1 and brush-up classes!

Whether you’re continuing your training, exploring a new style, or returning after a break, this session offers opportunities for dancers to deepen technique, musicality, and artistic expression.

Browse the full schedule and reserve your spot early as some classes fill quickly.

https://saharadance.com/classes/

Egyptian Music Foundations Workshop with - June 6, 1:30-3:30 pmThe beauty of belly dance is the expression of sound thr...
06/02/2026

Egyptian Music Foundations Workshop with - June 6, 1:30-3:30 pm

The beauty of belly dance is the expression of sound through movement, so a deeper understanding of music can take your dance to the next level. This workshop will use lecture and listening exercises to guide students through the fundamentals of Egyptian music – the instrumentation, ensembles, key elements of song structure, and genres that all belly dancers should know. Bring a notebook, all levels are welcome, no previous knowledge necessary!

https://saharadance.com/product/egyptian-music-foundations-workshop-with-gretchen-june-6-130-330-pm/

Starting tonight! Intermediate Finger Cymbals – Technique & Folkloric Fusion with Crystal, June 1-22, Mondays 6:30-7:30 ...
06/01/2026

Starting tonight! Intermediate Finger Cymbals – Technique & Folkloric Fusion with Crystal, June 1-22, Mondays 6:30-7:30 pm

This 4 week Monday series is designed for dancers with prior finger cymbal experience with Crystal. The classes will focus on refining finger cymbal technique while building speed and precision. Dancers will explore layering and combining rhythmic patterns with modern belly dance movement and folkloric fusion steps to enhance their dance repertoire.

Join us:
https://saharadance.com/product/intermediate-finger-cymbals-technique-folkloric-fusion-with-crystal-june-1-22-630-730-pm/

Address

4433 Wisconsin Avenue NW
Washington D.C., DC
20016

Opening Hours

Monday 6pm - 9:30pm
Tuesday 6pm - 9:30pm
Wednesday 6pm - 9:30pm
Thursday 6pm - 9:30pm
Saturday 10:30am - 3:30pm

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