Amera's Palace

About Sahara

Sahara - Oriental Lebanese bellydancer

Sahara, from Lebanese origin, has been a professional Middle Eastern dancer for 5 years. She is part owner of amera’s palace belly dance boutique in Australia and has gained a reputation as one of Sydney’s top performers dancing for high profile celebrities, exclusive events, and nightclubs and restaurants. She is currently the only Lebanese dancer working in Arabic nightclubs in Sydney. Her father was amongst some of the finest Arabic musicians to work in Sydney’s nightclubs in the late seventies through to the nineties, working with top entertainers in the industry. Her childhood was filled with music and dance; she became a born performer from earlier on in her life. Professional training with master teacher, Amera Eid, gave her the direction to launch her career in the bellydance spotlight.

Sahara reminisces:
"I discovered the magic of belly dance at a very young age. Most of my childhood memories are when amera was the bellydancer for a band my father managed called "Side by side with Amera". To this day, I have vivid memories of Amera and the band practising in the old Marrickville residence in Sydney, which I grew up. In fact my memory is so clear that I distinctly remember watching Amera perform at my uncle George’s 21st birthday in her blue and gold badlah! I became more and more fascinated with the dance, and found myself the centre of attention at various Arabic functions. It was then I realised that this is something that I should pursue."

Since then her life has been a whirlwind of performances and teaching that has taken her as far abroad as Mexico and the USA. In 2002 she travelled to Lebanon and Mexico to visit family. Sahara found herself returning to Mexico in late 2003 - 2004 living in the city of Juarez for 9 months.

"There I found myself teaching and dancing, there was no formal school to learn there, and people kept asking me where they could learn which prompted me to open up the only bellydance class in the city of Juarez which is on the border of el Paso Texas. Since I have returned to Mexico teaching workshops on Turkish, Egyptian and Lebanese style bellydance. This is where my fame in Juarez was exposed to famous Mexican TV channel ‘Televisa’ and the famous newspaper ‘el Diario’. After my return to Sydney in 2004, I have begun to perform regularly with Shiva Sydney’s premier male bellydancer."

Sahara’s style is energetic, her performance skills dynamic and culturally appropriate.
Her teaching skills are unique and fun, capturing the spirit of the dance in its true essence.

"My goal for the future of bellydance is active awareness of the dance and respect for the culture in which it represents."