|  Raised
in Nova Scotia, Canada, Laura's true passions have always lay in the exotic east.
Her mother an expressive vocalist and her father a musician and artist of many
talents, rhythm and the urge to dance came naturally. Laura's diverse training
includes over nine years of Belly Dance, as well as a sampling of Latin, Hip Hop
and Odissi, a style of Indian classical dance born in the temples of Orissa. It
was love at first sight when Laura saw bellydance in a local theatre production.
She began taking lessons immediately and before long was eagerly
performing in variety shows, festivals and parades. She was later accepted into
Halifax's Belindance Belly Dance Troupe where she studied and performed regularly
for two years. After finishing her Bachelor of Fine Arts from NSCAD University,
Laura traveled to the Far and Middle East to explore this dance form, spending
time in Turkey with Turkish master of Oriental dance Sema Yildiz, and in Bhubaneswar,
India where she studied Odissi at Jyoti Kala Mandir School of Indian Classical
Arts under Guru Padma Cheran Dehury. After returning, Laura moved to Toronto to
study with Canada's pioneer of Egyptian dance, Yasmina Ramzy of Arabesque. She
is currently dancing with the Arabesque Dance Company, Canada's leading Middle
Eastern dance and music ensemble. Laura continues to dedicate
her time to studying and taking workshops with with renowned teachers such as
Montreal's Hadia, Belly Dance Superstars Aziza, Zoe, Rachel Brice, and Ansuya,
Bellyqueen Dance Theatre, the legendary Suhaila Salimpour, Cairo stars Aida Nour,
Randa Kamel and Sahra Saeeda, The phenomenal Tito and Amir Thaleb, and the exquisite
Hannan Sultan. Performance highlights include dancing in Istanbul, Turkey at Club
Playshow, and in Pushkar, India at the Old Ranji Temple. 
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In
Nova Scotia she has performed at many venues including The Marquee Club, The Khyber
Center for the Arts and weekly at Anatolia Turkish Cuisine. With Monique Ryan
as burlesque duo Kali's Courtesans (now Caberet Serpentine), Laura performed in
the Black Rose Cabaret Vaudeville show and regularly with the wildly popular Halifax
Burlesque Society. Monique and Laura recently put on the hugely successful "Cabaret
Serpentine" show in Halifax. She has appeared twice on Breakfast Television, and
with Belindance Belly Dance Troupe in Fringe Festival hits "Caravan to Cairo"
and "Desert Dance". As a member of Arabesque Dance Company Laura performed in
the large scale production "Asala" and continues to dance in many festivals and
events. In Toronto Laura has been the featured dancer at Gypsy Co-op, Ambrosia,
Aladdin's, Mawaal, Shiraz, Prestige, Langolino, Christina's, Myth and more. A
sought-after performer at weddings, parties, and events, you can also find Laura
teaching classes at Arabesque and Aradia Fitness.
  
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