Zara Dance – Manchester 2025!

Learn, dance and party with Cairo trendsetter Zara, 8-9th March in Manchester UK

After her amazing workshops in Manchester in 2023, Zara is back this year to bring us another dose of her inspirational teaching and the hottest Cairo-style bellydance!

🔥 Experience Zara’s empowering teaching – bringing out the best in dancers of all levels
🔥 Develop your dance through TECHNIQUE and FEELING, not pre-packaged choreographies
🔥 Learn Zara’s signature mahraganat & shaabi style, with vital insights into history and social context
🔥 Dive into the emotional intensity of TARAB music and dance, with Zara’s unique approach
… And much more!

The weekend schedule

Meet your teacher: Zara Dance!

Zara Dance is a much loved international belly dancer based in Cairo, Egypt and also London, UK. She is a dynamic dancer who is half Egyptian and half English, and uses her unique life experiences to bridge between cultures in her teaching.

Zara has lived as a full-time bellydancer in Cairo for around 10 years now, and in that time she has worked at every kind of venue in Egypt – from cabarets and discos, to Nile cruises, to the fanciest of 5-star hotels, she’s seen it all… And she’s going to be telling us all about the insights she’s gained from her wild career so far!

This will be the second time Zara has taught in Manchester – I was determined to bring here back again after her first visit here in 2023, because I was so inspired by her approach to teaching, and her passionate advocacy for working-class Egyptian culture and native Egyptian dancers.

She is a massively empowering and supportive teacher, and I know her classes will transform your dancing – especially her incredible Tarab workshop (if you only come to one class, make it this one!!!).

Full workshop descriptions

Egyptian bellydancers: a disappearing act? – 90 minute lecture – ONLINE option available

Seeing less and less Egyptian dancers in Egypt?

Zara invites you to an important talk discussing cultural, political, economic & social issues facing Egyptian bellydancers.

We will together look at how foreign privilege, the growing importance of social media, the challenges facing feminist movements in the Arab world & various events in the Middle East have affected the dance industry.

In addition to this, we will analyze how these issues have lead to the growing domination of Western & Foreign dancers in Egypt, bringing up the important question: What does the future hold for “Egyptian” Bellydance?

Book “Egyptian bellydancers: a disappearing act?” in person

Book “Egyptian bellydancers: a disappearing act?” ONLINE

Mahraganat Fun Choreography – 2 hour Dance Workshop – all levels

Description: Oh yes Zara is going to be teaching you a fun exhilarating Mahragnat choreography: full of fun fresh moves from Cairo.

Come and learn this fresh new style of dance that now dominates the Cairo scene. Zara will take you on a journey of not just learning mahragnat but of understanding it. Where it has come from, why is it so popular, what does it mean…

Get with the times and get moving, with all the newest moves and techniques, straight from the streets and stages of Egypt! Zara is waiting for you!

Not only will you learn a great choreo you will also have the chance to perform it alongside Zara at our Saturday night party!

Book “Fun Mahraganat Choreography” workshop

Tarab – 2 hour Dance Workshop – all levels

Description: One of Zara’s most popular workshops: delve into the captivating belly dance concept of TARAB.

Known as the entrancing state performers experience, it is arguably the essence of bellydance.

Through carefully crafted exercises, Zara shares her years of performance experience to immerse you in the principles of Tarab, guiding you towards reaching this unparalleled state of connection.

You will walk away from this workshop with supercharged audience interaction skills and the know how to confidently let go and express yourself fully through dance.

Tarab is a transformative experience, and understanding it is transformative to your dance.

Stop boring, vacuous performances of just stepping out the moves, and go deeper into the dance like never before!

Book “Tarab” workshop

Badass Baladi, Zara Style – 2 hour Dance Workshop – improvers and above

Description: Discover the essence of a TRUE Baladi! Are you ready to master one of the most captivating solo performances a bellydancer can showcase? Join us for an enlightening workshop where we dissect the elements of a traditional Baladi tableau.

You’ll learn how to express a deep, grounded taqsim, culminating in a dynamic finale that puts you in the driver’s seat.

This workshop focuses on Technique, Expression, Understanding, and enhancing your improvisation skills. Don’t miss this opportunity to elevate your dance!

Book “Badass Baladi, Zara Style!” workshop

Alexandrian Melaya Leff – 2 hour Dance Workshop – improvers and above

Description: Come and learn this fun, playful dance style, inspired by the people of the seaside town of Alexandria.

In this workshop you will learn to dance with the Melaya, a popular Piece of clothing from the 1930-1960’s. Plus learn what the history is behind this folkloric dance style and how to enchant your audience with and embody that seaside charm!

This workshop will cover technique, history and a short choreography.

Book “Alexandrian Melaya Leff” workshop

If you already own a melaya leff please bring it, but if you don’t, you can also use a rectangular chiffon veil or a heavy rectangular scarf or shawl. We will have some scarves available to borrow. OR, buy a melaya leff from Zara’s Zouk (get 10% off with the code RACHAELBOREK)

Book your place for the weekend now