About

Providing professional, award-winning belly dance entertainment and instruction throughout the Pacific Northwest and beyond. ​Lara is an engaging, soulful entertainer and a gifted belly dance artist who energizes her audiences. Her devotion to the dance, love of her audiences, and exquisite artistry make her a beloved dancer, entertainer, choreographer and teacher.

Lara began her studies at the age of 3 with tap and ballet. In her teens, she discovered her mom's belly dance costuming and thus, inspired by and accompanied by her mom, she began her own belly dance journey. She immediately fell in love with the glamour, fun and camaraderie of the dance. As she moved through life with this dance at her side, she fell in love with its ability to fully embody, transmit and to elevate the feminine divine. Belly dance was just the gateway, though, which opened the door to Raqs Sharqi and broader studies of other contemporary and folkloric dances of the Arabic world. Since her first explorations, Lara has studied under many nationally and internationally acclaimed dance artists of origin and dance artists of renown. Additionally, she has gained invaluable coaching from her collaborations with local dancers in Seattle WA and Las Vegas NV.

Lara is a multi-award-winning artist, who now teaches beginning and mixed-level dance at Levity Loft in downtown Olympia WA in person and online, throughout the Puget Sound and beyond. She is available for private and special occasion group lessons. She is also available for workshops and special event performances. You can find her at festivals, competitions, and dance seminars throughout the country and in particular in the Pacific Northwest. 

She is always updating her dance knowledge, seeking out expert instruction from industry leaders. And she is devoted to continued cultural studies, enhancing her abilities to dance, teach and choreograph. 

Styles Lara specializes in are Egyptian Raqs Sharqi, Khaliji, dances of Iraq, American Cabaret Belly Dance and Fan Veil Fusion.