26

Las Vegas native Maharasha the Male Bellydancer began dancing informally at the age of six. He has studied Hip Hop, Traditional African Dance, and even Thai dancing.

Between 1997 and 2000, thanks to his African dance training, he took naturally to Middle Eastern Dance. His passion and desire to move led him to become an avid and committed street performer performing on natural stages of hilltops and bridges at local parks and sidewalks rather than man-made venues. Fear of ridicule prevented him from taking the giant leap onto a real stage and being recognized publically for his love of bellydance. Until 2005.

Eager to not allow societal boundaries limit his artistic expression, he began taking classes in 2005 at the Clark County Library under the 30+ years experience of Ms Linn Smith (YaShara), dressed in full Egyptian regalia and dripping in costume jewelry as if to be Egyptian royalty. He became hooked. Seeking more formal training, he began studying with Heather Corrall (Ashtalea) and Kersti Dennis (Amira).

Maharasha quickly excelled to the performing level, became a member of YaShara’s Shifting Sands Belly Dance troupe and currently teaches Middle Eastern dance at a Central Las Vegas location.

Presently, Maharasha also plans to begin teaching public and private workshops geared towards dancers of plus size and men.

He gives much attention to feeling the music rather than counting steps and is best known for his earth-shaking shimmies. He can be seen performing belly dance every other Tuesday night with Shifting Sands at the Clark County Library. For the most recent schedule, visit the CALENDAR section of his Yahoo Group(link below) and join the Group if you would like a friendly reminder e-mailed to you the day before each class or performance and/or to view his homemade video clips!

groups.yahoo.com/group/maharasha/

If you have any questions, feel free to contact Maharasha by calling 702/440-7580 any time or e-mail maharasha702@yahoo.com.