Instructor Profile

Widely acclaimed dance teacher, performer and workshop instructor Safiya Nawaar, is the owner and artistic director of Arabesque World Dance in Lexington, Kentucky. This beautiful dancer brings the emotions of music to life through creative movement with a powerful yet delicate style, both on the stage and in the classroom. Her specialties include the traditional and folkloric dances from Lebanon, Egypt and Turkey.
Safiya is a classically trained dancer with many years of Ballet, Jazz, Lyrical and Theatrical dance as a solid foundation before getting involved in MENAHT dance, and has dedicated the last 24 years to learning, improving and sharing her knowledge of Middle Eastern and North African dance. She has studied extensively, traveling and taking workshops from dozens of world-renowned instructors in the art of Traditional, Folkloric and Fusion Belly Dance.
Safiya has a full-time career as a dance instructor, performer and show producer with hundreds of appearances annually at weddings, corporate events, cultural festivals and stage shows to name a few.
Her talented approach at introducing students to the many styles of dance that make up her repertoire, include an intuitive understanding of how to break down those dances to the most basic of movements helping students excel in the classroom, as well as on the stage.