Ra'eesah Ra'naa discovered her love for Mid-East Dance in 1995. She first came in contact with the art of "belly dancing" when she lived in Hamburg, Germany, and took lessons from a local instructor at a community college. Ra'eesah continued her training as dancer with the TanzOase (Dance Oasis Bellydance Academy) in Hamburg, Germany, where she also became a member of the studio's own dance company. In 2001, Ra'eesah moved to the States and settled in her hometown of Greenville, SC. She was taken under the wings of Moroccan native dancer, Fadjwa, who recognized Ra'eesah's potential as student and performer. Ra'eesah became part of Fadjwa's troupe, Sharouk. In 2002, Ra'eesah made her US dancing debut at a master seminar with Egyptian dance legend, instructor, and choreographer Mamoud Reda in Greensboro, NC. Ra'eesah relocated to NC with her family in 2003. Striving for perfection and in the hope to connect with the local dance scene, Ra'eesah met Sharifa Asmar, a prominent instructor and performer in the southeast. While living in North Carolina, Ra'eesah not only continued to perfect her dancing but also performed on numerous occasions and continued her education at workshops and seminars throughout the southeast. She has had the priviledge of studying under such master instructors as Margo Abdo O'Dell, Zahra Zuhair, Morocco, Jamila Salimpour and Suhaila Salimpour. Over the years, Ra'eesah has developed a very special interest in the classical Middle Eastern dance forms of Raqs Sharqi and the folkloric dances of the Middle East and North Africa. The long ago golden days of the Egyptian silver screen, along with the classical
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