MiaNaja al Sephira has been dancing most of her life. She teaches Egyptian Cabaret and Lebanese style dance as well as teaching and performing Double Veil, Sword, Cane, Tray, and other folkloric forms. She has studied Flamenco, Ballet, Modern (Humphrey-Weidman technique), African and Jazz. She has studied with many well known teachers, most recently with Ava Fleming, Aziza, Fahtiem, as well as Suhaila Salimpour and Amaya of New Mexico, both of whom she is Level One Certified, and trains locally with Lotus Niraja and Nadirah Nasreen.
MiaNaja started performing at age 12 with the Columbia Dance Theatre directed by Anne Allen and co-directed by John Kinderman Taylor. She has performed with the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra at the Merriwether Post Pavilion, Community College of Baltimore and at the Columbia City Fair with modern dance pioneer, the late Charles Weidman. In college, MiaNaja danced at the opening and dedication of Grey Columns, a historic site in Tuskegee, Alabama, sponsored by the National Parks Service. She also has performed as an understudy of both roles created by Nell Carter and Armelia McQueen, in the production of Ain't Misbehavin at Petrucci's Dinner Theatre in Laurel, Maryland.
Other instructors MiaNaja has studied under include Morocco, Bert Balladine, Nadia Hamdi, Somra al Nubia, Leila Haddad, Raquia Hassan, Fifi Abdou, Angelika Nemeth, Jalilah, Jamila al Wahid, Leyla Jouvana, Mesmera, Kemal, Rhea of Greece, Yousry Sharif, Jim Boz, Amir Thaleb, Jamileh, and locally with Artemis Mourat, Faten Salama, and Malika Negwa.
She has regularly performed at the Fells Point Fun Festival, and Amaya's Shake and Bake Dance Festival in NM. She also has performed at the Maryland Renaissance Festival, has performed and is the official Mistress of Ceremonies for Babylon Breeze Productions events. Her restaurant appearances include: Taste of Morocco, The Casablanca, The Five Seasons, The Nile Cafe and Colony South Decoy Lounge. She also conducts workshops and dance events in the MD/DC/VA area as well as programs at Nursing Homes, health fairs, Sorority and Fraternal events and presents educational programs at schools in Howard, Montgomery and Prince Georges County. She has been featured on WMAR-TV-2, Fox 45 and WJZ-13 as well as The Howard County Times, Columbia Flier, Columbia Magazine, and the Maryland State Bar Bulletin. She has been published in WAMEDA newsletter and Baltimore Bellydance newsletter.
When she is not teaching dance or performing, MiaNaja works as an educator, fashion and image consultant and attorney in the Washington-Baltimore Metro area. MiaNaja has a Masters Degree in Curriculum and Instruction and holds an Advanced Professional Certificate from the Maryland State Board of Education.
For bookings or classes please contact her at 410-964-1546 or email at MiaNaja@yahoo.com.
