Stars of Sakkara

You, too, can become a proud graduate, one of the Stars Sakkara Dance.

The Stars enjoy the following great benefits that endorse them as professionals in the world of Middle Eastern dance:

Professional listing that includes your photos, biography, and a link to your website
Opportunities to be a featured performer and instructor at upcoming Sakkara Dance events
Discounted rates for continuing education (workshops for new techniques, special themes in various types of Middle Eastern dance, and teacher training seminars)
Networking with other instructors to work together on creating workshops and events
Special discounts to Sakkara events held in-person or virtually anywhere in the world
Discounts for Sakkara Signature collection of dance attire
Diploma and personalized letter of recommendation that you can use whenever you apply for a teaching job

Current Stars

Andreana Gonzalez

Dancing since 1999, Andreana promotes classical and folkloric Middle Eastern Dance throughout Northwest Indiana. She says “I chose Sakkara Dance over other dance programs and certifications because I am familiar with Jasmin Jahal’s style of dance and teaching. The one thing that stands out about the program is the ‘formula’ given to learn how to teach. All I needed to do was follow certain steps in a particular order, put forth the effort and repeat. The course material is reinforced in several ways making it easy to learn, from video to articles to 1-1 feedback and coaching. It is a challenging course, but it’s easy to work with. My goals since graduating are to teach in my community, dance professionally, and then have my students perform. I advise dancers to take this course. Don’t be intimidated. Don’t overthink the assignments. Just have fun joining the Sakkara Dance Team.”

Madhushree Nayar

Madhu loves the joy and beauty found in the graceful movement of Middle Eastern dance. She wishes to inspire others of all ages to learn this dance form via online classes. Her specialty is classical oriental dance and traditional folkloric dances of the Middle East. She started her dance journey in 2010 and has been honored to perform in such prestigious locations as the Chicago Field Museum, Museum of Science and Industry, various multi-cultural festivals, schools and convention centers. Madhu recommends the Sakkara Dance program because it is a one-year comprehensive, structured training that specifically is dedicated towards practical skills required for teaching any style of Middle Eastern dance.

Kathryn Baker

Hailing from Peoria, Illinois, Katie first discovered joy in the American Tribal Style Improv. She then pursued further studies in classical Egyptian and Tribal Fusion. She believes that the belly dance community uniquely lifts up all dancers, regardless of background, age, body type, religion, gender, orientation, or any other personal beliefs or characteristics. Her goals include starting a tribal improv troupe in central Illinois. She chose Sakkara Dance “out of a deep respect for what Jasmin Jahal brings to the table, both from a knowledge perspective and from a teaching styles perspective. Sakkara Dance is offered online, including Zoom coaching calls throughout. It makes it much easier to be able to complete the coursework even while living at a great distance from the instructor. The course is laid out with a good mixture of video clips, reading sections and audio sections, and the content is very engaging. I know my foundations in the Sakkara program, as well as Jasmin’s wonderful counsel, will help set me up for success in my future dance endeavors.”

Nishi Roothaan

Nishi has been studying classical oriental and Middle Eastern folkloric style dance from for over 20 years. She is particularly fascinated by the physical technique, and the way the technique asks the dancer to relate to the music they hear. Her specialty is focusing on improving technique through careful observation and analysis of postural alignment and muscular activation for functional and safe movement. Currently teaching belly dance at UIC, Nishi hopes to expand her teaching into other educational institutions, shining a light on Belly dance as a form that is as worthy of academic study alongside classical ballet, modern, and classical west African dance (all of which Nishi has also studied as part of earning her Bachelor’s degree in Dance from Columbia College Chicago).

Even after studying with Jasmin Jahal for more than twenty years, Nishi still chose to do the Sakkara Dance course with the intention of mastering her knowledge of the dance. She particularly enjoyed the way the course pushed her to work on the aspects of the dance she had previously overlooked. She believes “the history of our dance is filled with people and places to learn about, the study of dance is never finished, and doing the Sakkara course gave me a framework on which to build my own future study. It is a guide to what every belly dancer must know, and to what to do to improve as both a teacher and a dancer for years to come.”