About
Raksanna Belly Dance offers weekly belly dance classes at beginner, intermediate, and advanced levels, along with private single classes and private class packs. The program also includes workshops, theatrical belly dance shows such as Confessions of a Belly Dancer, The Fourth Pyramid: The Lift and Legacy of Om Kalthoum, When Women Ruled the World: Journey thru Egypt, the TABU revue show, and dance company and ensemble performances through groups like Raksanna’s Dance Ensemble, Raksanna’s Near East Dance Ensemble, and Raksanna’s Desert Flames.
• Schedule: Weekly classes
Raksanna is internationally recognized and respected as an Oriental dancer, educator, choreographer, producer, and director, with performing and teaching experience across the United States, Canada, Austria, Germany, Belgium, Great Britain, Ireland, Scotland, France, Egypt, and Israel. Her training includes numerous years of study with twice-a-year trips to Egypt to learn from dancers, teachers, choreographers, and musicians, and as of 2022 she has stayed in Egypt more than 45 times. She holds a Master of Science in Management with a concentration in International Marketing, a Bachelor of Science in Marketing, and a Bachelor of Science in Social Sciences, and she completed her undergraduate and graduate studies with honors and was named on the President’s List. She serves as artist in residence at the Eola Community Center in Aurora, IL, and directs Raksanna’s Dance Ensemble, Raksanna’s Near East Dance Ensemble (NEDE), and Raksanna’s Desert Flames, a professional dance troupe. The program has nearly two decades of training and experience, with Raksanna Productions Inc. copyrighted from 2003–2024, and she states that she has dedicated her life to promoting this art form with elegance, sophistication, and beauty.
Raksanna Belly Dance offers a full curriculum from beginner through advanced and professional levels, with a pathway from beginner to performer and performance opportunities throughout the year. Classes are taught by an award-winning dancer and choreographer who is internationally recognized for an authentic, powerful, and exciting style with a background in Oriental and Egyptian folklore dance, and who is regularly featured as an instructor and performer in North America, Europe, and the Middle East. All faculty members are hand-picked and fully trained through Raksanna’s intensive Middle Eastern Belly Dance Apprenticeship program, and the program notes small class sizes and teacher-to-student ratios. The program includes a dance company option for dancers interested in sisterhood, performing, and fun, and uses Raksanna Mirage, a Mirage CD album of original belly dance music created exclusively for Raksanna by Yassir Jamal/Yassir Jimal.
Theatrical and stage offerings include the TABU revue, described as a bold, seductive, and thought-provoking sexy revue that explores the seven sins and virtues through dance, drama, and storytelling, as well as productions such as Confessions of a Belly Dancer, which is also the title of Raksanna’s officially published original work. She was the first American artist to be featured at Randa Kamel’s RAQS OF COURSE dance festival in Cairo and has been a featured instructor at Raqia Hassan’s AHLAN WA SAHLAN festival four years in a row. Her credentials and awards include being named in the Cambridge List of Who’s Who in 2010, earning 2nd Runner Up with Raksanna & the Desert Flames in Stellar Advantage’s International Professional Troupe Competition in 2010, and receiving nominations from Zaghareet magazine for Instructor of the Year in 2007 and 2008 and Favorite Cabaret Dancer of the Year in 2007 and 2008. The program was named “Best of Aurora” by the U.S. Local Business Association in 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, and 2012, and she placed 2nd in the Queen of Raks Sharqi competition in 2007.
Community involvement includes her role as artist in residence at the Eola Community Center in Aurora, IL, and work as a featured presenter at universities, colleges, public schools, and cultural events and festivals. Testimonials from participants describe learning more in a short time with Raksanna than in longer sessions elsewhere, enjoying fun and challenging classes, and noting that instruction from Raksanna and her faculty is described as high caliber and down-to-earth. Families and students mention enjoying productions such as Confessions of a Belly Dancer and the Hip’s Don’t Die Murder Mystery, describe classes as welcoming to different ages and experience levels, and report personal experiences such as feeling supported, having fun, and appreciating the community of dancers.
Last updated February 5, 2026.
• Schedule: Weekly classes
Raksanna is internationally recognized and respected as an Oriental dancer, educator, choreographer, producer, and director, with performing and teaching experience across the United States, Canada, Austria, Germany, Belgium, Great Britain, Ireland, Scotland, France, Egypt, and Israel. Her training includes numerous years of study with twice-a-year trips to Egypt to learn from dancers, teachers, choreographers, and musicians, and as of 2022 she has stayed in Egypt more than 45 times. She holds a Master of Science in Management with a concentration in International Marketing, a Bachelor of Science in Marketing, and a Bachelor of Science in Social Sciences, and she completed her undergraduate and graduate studies with honors and was named on the President’s List. She serves as artist in residence at the Eola Community Center in Aurora, IL, and directs Raksanna’s Dance Ensemble, Raksanna’s Near East Dance Ensemble (NEDE), and Raksanna’s Desert Flames, a professional dance troupe. The program has nearly two decades of training and experience, with Raksanna Productions Inc. copyrighted from 2003–2024, and she states that she has dedicated her life to promoting this art form with elegance, sophistication, and beauty.
Raksanna Belly Dance offers a full curriculum from beginner through advanced and professional levels, with a pathway from beginner to performer and performance opportunities throughout the year. Classes are taught by an award-winning dancer and choreographer who is internationally recognized for an authentic, powerful, and exciting style with a background in Oriental and Egyptian folklore dance, and who is regularly featured as an instructor and performer in North America, Europe, and the Middle East. All faculty members are hand-picked and fully trained through Raksanna’s intensive Middle Eastern Belly Dance Apprenticeship program, and the program notes small class sizes and teacher-to-student ratios. The program includes a dance company option for dancers interested in sisterhood, performing, and fun, and uses Raksanna Mirage, a Mirage CD album of original belly dance music created exclusively for Raksanna by Yassir Jamal/Yassir Jimal.
Theatrical and stage offerings include the TABU revue, described as a bold, seductive, and thought-provoking sexy revue that explores the seven sins and virtues through dance, drama, and storytelling, as well as productions such as Confessions of a Belly Dancer, which is also the title of Raksanna’s officially published original work. She was the first American artist to be featured at Randa Kamel’s RAQS OF COURSE dance festival in Cairo and has been a featured instructor at Raqia Hassan’s AHLAN WA SAHLAN festival four years in a row. Her credentials and awards include being named in the Cambridge List of Who’s Who in 2010, earning 2nd Runner Up with Raksanna & the Desert Flames in Stellar Advantage’s International Professional Troupe Competition in 2010, and receiving nominations from Zaghareet magazine for Instructor of the Year in 2007 and 2008 and Favorite Cabaret Dancer of the Year in 2007 and 2008. The program was named “Best of Aurora” by the U.S. Local Business Association in 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, and 2012, and she placed 2nd in the Queen of Raks Sharqi competition in 2007.
Community involvement includes her role as artist in residence at the Eola Community Center in Aurora, IL, and work as a featured presenter at universities, colleges, public schools, and cultural events and festivals. Testimonials from participants describe learning more in a short time with Raksanna than in longer sessions elsewhere, enjoying fun and challenging classes, and noting that instruction from Raksanna and her faculty is described as high caliber and down-to-earth. Families and students mention enjoying productions such as Confessions of a Belly Dancer and the Hip’s Don’t Die Murder Mystery, describe classes as welcoming to different ages and experience levels, and report personal experiences such as feeling supported, having fun, and appreciating the community of dancers.
Last updated February 5, 2026.
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