The Gilded Serpent presents...
Noora Aphrodite
New York City
At a time when belly dance was still a mystery behind the veil and when the center of Egyptian dance outside of Egypt was New York City, Noora danced to packed clubs, enchanted audiences worldwide and left them with a captivating and unforgettable experience!
One of the most popular and respected dancers during the club years of the 1980’s and 90’s; Noora has been in the New York and worldwide dance scene for over 25 years. She was a house dancer and a favorite model in advertising for many of the top clubs in New York and New Jersey. Accomplished, passionate and an adventurer, she has performed in some of the top international stages of the Ivory Coast, Nigeria, Japan, Latin America, and Europe and with some of the top names in the Arabic entertainment business such Adawiya, Ragheb Alema, Trifonas, Simon Shaheen and Gamal Gomaa to name a few. Noora was also a regular for over 15 years at the famous Atlantic Antics Street Festival in Brooklyn, NY.
She is an inspiration to many and has been described as sultry, graceful, elegant and a natural born dancer. Her training began with Serena Wilson where she quickly became a member of the Serena Dance Theater and Ibrahim Farrah with whom she had the pleasure to perform with as well. She continued her Oriental dance studies with Yousry Sharif, Ahmed Hussein and Ramzi El Edlibi and modern dance at the Martha Graham School.
Experienced on the stage not only as a solo performer, but as part of the Serena Dance Theater where she honed her skills in theatrical dance productions. Noora continues the tradition having produced shows both in NYC and Miami. She was the creator of Supplemented Silence, a multimedia show, in collaboration with The Middle Eastern Dance Exchange in Miami, Le Desert Rouge and the highly successful Divas of the Golden Age I and II shows in NYC which received media coverage on the Good Day New York Show, NY1 and was on the Hot list of Am New York newspaper as well. She also produces showcases for her student dance troupe The Desert Divas at various venues throughout NYC.
Noora currently teaches at Serena Studios where she teaches the Serena Technique with emphasis on Classical Belly dance. She coaches privately and teaches monthly workshops with specific focus on technique, choreography and lots of attention to improvisation under her own The Magic of Improv Workshops. Her style of teaching is nurturing and precise with special attention on developing the students inner confidence, breaking old habits and create beautiful new ones.
She is the creator of Decotach, designer of innovative belly dance wear and The Make a Costume Seminars. Noora is also an actress with a list of credits in stage; improvisation, radio, print, television, and film work and is currently a member of unique group of actors that help train the doctors of tomorrow. She is an advocate for animal rights as well.
Web site:nooradance.com
Articles on Gilded Serpent by or about Noora
- 9-22-2016 Life was a Cabaret, My Memorable New York Club Years: Part 1-The Ibis
I sometimes think how fortunate I was to have been a dancer in the 80s and 90s. We were the last generation to enjoy the club years, in the tradition not unlike that of the 1950s through the 70s. Our music was live with some of the finest musicians and singers around, who played and sang songs that touched your heart and made you jump with joy; and dancers that flavored their shows with their own inimitable style. - 3-10-2017 Life was a Cabaret, My Memorable New York Club Years: Part 2 – The Darvish, Cedars of Lebanon, and Other Clubs
If ever there was a rival for the Ibis for the best in Middle Eastern entertainment, it was the Darvish. If the Ibis was a jewel box, then the Darvish was a diamond with rough edges. Located on 8th Street in the West Village, Champaign!this little hole in the wall was difficult to find. - 4-24-2017 Life was a Cabaret, My Memorable New York Club Years: Part 3- Beyond Manhattan
New York City was “club city” back in the early 1980’s, besides the Middle Eastern night clubs you had entertainment from around the world. Flamenco was alive at the Chateau Madrid, and you could see a Hawaiian revue at the Hawaii Kai on West 50th Street. When Ibis closed for the second renovation, all the dancers went scrambling around looking for another steady place to dance in. One club in particular where I got 6 nights a week of work was at Le Palais in Brooklyn.
