Nile Breeze Dance Company specializes in Middle Eastern belly dance and folkloric dances of North Africa and the Middle East. By melding their varied styles, backgrounds, and skills, the Nile Breeze Dancers create living and breathing art. Nile Breeze performs at a variety of educational, community and private events each year. Additionally, they regularly host their own events. several members of Nile Breeze also direct a student performing group, the Middle Eastern Dance Enthusiasts (MEDE), an SIUC registered student organization.

About Tedi

Tedi sets the stage on fire with her exhuberant vintage Oriental style, lightening fast finger cymbals, complex and graceful veil work, and flirtatious interaction with audiences. Her 28-year dance journey began in 1980 at the Arabian Nights Dance Studio in Carbondale under the tutelage of Mariah (Cindy Smith) and Kishma (Kitty Hitt). Even though her introduction to the dance was as an exercise partner for a friend, the dance quickly blossomed into a life long passion. "Learning to move and dance this way in response to the music felt so right. It felt like coming home."

She has performed extensively throughout the midwest as a member of the Arabian Nights Dancers (1980-1984), the Marrakesh Dancers (1984-86), the Little Egypt Dancers (1986-92), and currently is a co-director of Nile Breeze. Major influences on the early part of her dance development were Cassandra (Minneapolis), Aziz (Salt Lake City) and Suzanna Del Vecchio (Denver) in person and Soheir Zaki (Egypt) on film. The most recent influences on her dance development have been many and varied, but include Yousry Sharif and his proteges and most especially her fellow members of Nile Breeze Dance Company. Tedi is absolutely delighted to once again be a member of a vibrant and talented performing dance troupe.

About Sedonia

Sedonia is known for her smooth, graceful style, intricate hip work, radiant stage presence, and nuanced connection to the music. Her dedication to maintaining the cultural integrity of the dance has garnered her admiration from international and American audiences alike.

Sedonia been studying and performing traditional Middle Eastern dance for over thirteen years. Her speciality is Egyptian belly dance, as well as the Egyptian folkloric dances from which this style evolved. She began her journey into this dance in the unlikely niche of Logan, UT, and since then has studied with many instructors throughout the U.S. She considers herself an eternal student of the dance and continues her training regularly through private instruction, master classes, and intensives. Ballet and Alexander Technique training have supplemented her Middle Eastern dance education.

Sedonia recounts that she was initially drawn to the glittery costumes, but continued her study after falling deeply in love not only with the dance but with Middle Eastern music.

"Of all dance forms I have ever seen, only belly dance channels the music so completely that the music seems to emanate from the dancer's body...It is beautiful, feminine, expressive, earthy. I love this dance!" Sedonia

About Shiira Sahar

With her powerful, articulate hip work, fluid undulations, and smoldering stage presence, Shiira Sahar is a vision to behold. She began her journey in the dance over nine years ago on a whim, taking a community center dance class with some friends, and fell in love with the motion and the music. A number of instructors have had a major influence on her, including: Fatima of Morocco, Jasmin Jahal of Chicago, Diana Wolf of St. Louis, and her troupmates Sedonia and Tedi of Carbondale, IL. Shiira's training has focused on classical and modern Egyptian style danceand includes studying the vidiographies of the great Egyptian dancers Mona El Saiid, Najwa Fouwd, Samia Gamal, and Dina. Shiira loves to dance to the musical stylings of classical musicians Oum Kalthoum and Farid Al Atrashe, as well as pop musicians Hakim and Amr Diab.

About Lisa

Lisa combines firey energy and dramamatic stage presence with seemingly effortless poise. Her grace is matched only by her strong connection to the music -- no doubt enhanced by her extensive musical training. She excels at veilwork and finger cymbals, which she uses extensively in her improvisational style.

Lisa has been studying Middle Eastern Dance for over nine years. She began her foray into the dance on a dare, and was promptly entranced by the music and movement of Egyptian and American-style Middle Eastern dance forms. First a member of Raghsidad out of Lawrence, KS, and now a member of Nile Breeze, Lisa’s major influences have been Zada Al Gaziyeh (Lawrence, KS), Cynthia (Kansas City), Lydia (Lawrence, KS), and now her troupe mates Sedonia and Tedi. Other instructional influences have been Cassandra, Yousri Sharif, and Amel Tafsout. Lisa also draws from the videographies of historical greats in Egyptian dance, including Fifi Abdou, Mona El Saiid, Samia Gamal, and Sohair Zaki, continuing to study past and present dancers to expand her knowledge of historical and contemporary Middle Eastern culture, music, and dance.

About Emari

One of Nile Breezes newest members, Emari bring to the group a strong background in traditional belly dance as well as tribal fusion, a dramatic world fusion form that draws heavily on Middle Eastern movement as well as from a diversity of other eastern and western dance forms. Her official bio is coming soon!

About Laura

One of Nile Breeze's newest members, Laura brings to the group strong backgrounds in dance, choreographing, and music. She has been dancing and performing since the age of four, though her love of dancing stemmed from birth. Most of her experience has been with tap and ballet, but has also delved into jazz, modern, hip-hop, and salsa. Laura has been studying and performing traditional Middle Eastern dance for approximately two years. She was always intrigued by not only the style of movement in Middle Eastern dance, but also the music, the costumes, and the accoutrements. Laura initially began taking classes with Tedi and Sedonia when she came to SIUC for graduate school, and eventually ended up performing for a year with MEDE, the SIUC performing group. She looks forward to expanding her exploration of Middle Eastern dance.