MIRAMAR
MIRAMAR
Middle Eastern Dancer
Egyptian, Lebanese, Greek, Turkish & American Styles
DEDICATED TO THE PRESERVATION OF TRADITIONAL & CONTEMPORARY MIDDLE EASTERN & ARABIC DANCES
Specialties include Sword, Double Veil, Double Cane
Traditional Performances include
Raks al Shamadan, Raks al Assaya (cane),
Raks Sharqi, Saidi, Hagallah, & Turkish Rom
Favorite props include: Sword, Cane & Double Cane, Veil(s), Cape, Zylls, Feather Fans, Glasses, Pot of Flames, Candelabra
MEMBER: Shenandoah Arts Council, Winchester, Virginia
FORMER MEMBER: American Academy of Middle Eastern Dance, Washington Area Mid-East Dance Assoc.
OWNER & INSTRUCTOR: Miramar’s Danse Arabesque & the BellyBoutique. Classes in Cross Junction, Winchester, and Stephens City, VA and Inwood, WV
TROUPE DIRECTOR & PRINCIPAL DANCER: Miramar’s Jewel’s Arabesque
Miramar has been studying and researching Middle Eastern Dance for approximately twenty years and has been teaching since 1987. She has performed in over 1000 venues including: Athenian Restaurant (Winchester), Bavarian Inn (4 Star Restaurant, WV), Timothy’s Restaurant (Fairfax), Pita Inn (Charlottesville) and the Astor Restaurant (D.C.) Highlights of her dance career include performing with the Silk Road Dance Company for one and one-half years under the direction of Laurel Victoria Gray, entertaining troupes at a D.C. Desert Storm Welcome Home Party and performing at Sandal’s Resort in Nassau, Bahamas. Miramar has written dance articles and reviews that have been published in Jareeda Magazine (USA), Chandra’s Mid-East Dance News (USA), Sahda (Vancouver B.C. Canada) and Sodabladet (Stockholm, Sweden). Lectures and demonstrations include "A Little Noon Music Concert Series" at the Handley Library and featured First Night Winchester performer. Miramar has performed on five local television programs and has been the subject of eleven newspaper articles which included photographs. She has done field research in Middle Eastern Dance in both Turkey and Egypt.
Miramar completed the Bachelor of Science Degree program at Shepherd College in 1991 with a Marketing major and Economics minor. She completed her Masters of Science Degree in Arts Administration from Shenandoah University, Winchester, Virginia in 2005 and received the 2005 Research Excellence Award for her thesis: A Criteria-Based Evaluation Study of the Code of Conduct for the Middle Eastern Culture and Dance Association.
Selected Commentaries
"Miramar, always impressive and fun - and WOW what a sumptuous costume (and it looked super on her!) Who else could carry off that delicious orange?"Keylan Qazzaz reviewing Artemis Annual Dance Recital 1998 on the Med-Dance List, May 5, 1998.
"Miramar did a beautiful cabaret sword dance to "Sultanas Palace." An all around excellent performer, Miramar’s grace and beauty shine through in her dance." Sara Hunt, Habibi, Vol. 17, No. 3., p 57.
"I had the most wonderful experience observing one of Miramar's classes. Those of you who know me know how much joy I get from dance. It has always saddened me to realize how many people there are in the world who's immediate reaction to dance is one of fear, trepidation and shame. How many times have you heard, "Oh, I can't dance," or said it yourself? One evening, I was at the studio attending a ballroom class that conflicted with one of Miramar's classes. I walked back to the studio where Miramar was teaching and peeked into a class that had met maybe twice before. Here was group of women who, a week or so before, had little or no dance experience. Miramar had provided each woman with a huge, colorful, flowing veil; had shown them some basic veil dance moves and then had put on some middle eastern music and told the women to dance freely, using the moves she had shown or whatever they felt inspired to do with the veil. These women were twirling joyfully around the room, like a bunch of playful and free-spirited kindergarteners. The swirl of colors and the joy the women obviously felt brought an instant smile to my face that returns every time I think of that vision. How I wish everyone could experience that blissful feeling as they allow their bodies to move to music." (Julie K., January 2006 e-mail communication)
"She (Miramar) is known for her range of style and boundless energy." Joy of Motion Dance Center, Summer Workshop Brochure 99
"Teacher is lifting the veil of misconception from belly dancing . . . For Dottie Letchford of Winchester, Middle Eastern dance has given her inner expression. Ms. Albright (Miramar) has instilled a sense of confidence that she never had before she says." The Winchester Star, August 28, 1998
“And not to be outdone, Miramar’s grace and passion lit up the restaurant in her Greek-style dance, enchanting everyone.” Dawn McCaslin, East Meets West (Again) at Tribal Odyssey Hafla II, review for WAMEDA, Jan/Feb 2003
“Miramar opened the program with a dramatic Shamadan routine. She balanced a candelabra on her head while performing the traditional Egyptian wedding dance.” Susan Salpini, WAMEDA. Vol. 24, No. 6, Nov/Dec 2003.
“Oriental dance lessons were a consolation prize I gave myself when I couldn’t find a samba teacher. Miramar’s studio was my only option in Winchester, VA, so it was “belly dancing” by default. But as so often happens when we least expect it, making that call to Miramar’s Mid East Dance Studio (now Miramar’s Danse Arabesque) changed my life. I’ve told Miramar many times that I probably wouldn’t have made it past that first six weeks of lessons with any other teacher. In a class of about a dozen people I was easily the last graceful and slowest to learn movements, must less choreographies, but Miramar finds a way to praise and encourage you even as she’s having to come up with yet another way to break down for you how to do a camel. She has a knack for working with you at your level, whether you want to turn pro or just stop tripping so much (my own personal goal). At 75 minutes, our classes are long enough to allow for socializing, checking out each others’ new costume pieces and earrings, and discussing when to schedule our next hafla (we have plenty of parties) without cutting into serious dance time. The information Miramar gives us about the dance and Middle Eastern culture appeals to my bookworm side, and the fact that she is so supportive of her students and of other teachers, promoting their workshops and shows, appeals to me as a feminist. Miramar radiates niceness; the atmosphere in class is welcoming and relaxed, and classmates quickly become friends. She takes her art seriously, but not herself. When it has been a long day and she loses her train of thought, having what one student dubbed a “Miramar moment,” she announces, “I need some protein” and digs into the jar of peanut butter she keeps on hand for just such emergencies. A constant challenge is maintaining the proper temperature in the studio, especially for the class I’m in, since some of us joke that we can’t tell if it’s hot or just hot flashes. Even when menopause is a distant memory, as long as Miramar is teaching, I’ll be taking lessons. Some of her students have gone to teaching; others perform beautifully. As for me, thanks to Miramar’s patience, I long ago surpassed my original goal. After only 18 months of oriental dance lessons, I was with my brother Bill one evening, walking all over D.C., when he looked over at me and said, “I just noticed you haven’t tripped at all today—those belly dance lessons must be working!” Susan Loving, WAMEDA, Jan/Feb 2005.
Available for Family Gatherings, Weddings, Birthdays,
Retirement Dinners, Anniversaries, Dance Workshops,
Lectures and Presentations