Belly Dance Classes in Lacey, Olympia, Online & Beyond

"She is fabulous! My granddaughter took lessons from Lara and to our shock, she won best talent at a huge national competition in Florida and was featured in a magazine!”

~ Twila, Scottsdale AZ

Beginning Belly Dance

WHAT: Learn the foundations of belly dance in a fun, safe environment!! All bodies, ages, identities and abilities welcome.

WHEN: Tuesdays, 7:35pm - Studio West

Wednesdays, 6:30pm - Kinetic Dance Academy

WHERE: Studio West in West Olympia, Register Here!

Kinetic Dance Academy in Lacey, Washington Register Here!

Intermediate Raqs Sharqi

Find your flow! Advance your skills to the next level with the support of award-winning dancer Lara Victoria. Further your technique with drills. Enhance your dance as you learn about the nuances of Arabic music, dance with zills, veil, and traditional Raqs Sharqi props. Study iconic belly dancers of origin. Discover different dance opportunities for solo dancers.

Class culminates with a solo dance opportunity!

Pre-requisite: Beginning Belly Dance & instructor permission. Curriculum runs in 6-month series. Students are welcome to sign up any time. All bodies, ages, identities and abilities welcome. Classes run Wednesdays, 7:30 to 8:20 pm at Kinetic Dance Academy in Lacey, Washington. Buy a Class Pass Here

Intermediate Class Music List!
Three belly dancers perform at a bellydance event. They are wearing blue, green & purple skirts with gold coin bedlahs. Lara Victoria is the first bellydancer in the lineup. She teaches in Olympia Washington.

Intermediate Raqs Sharqi Group Performance

Join a group of fun, focused dancers! Learn choreography for a variety of Southwest Asia & North Africa (SWANA) dances. Choreographies drawn from Egyptian Raqs Sharqi and folkloric styles, the Levant, the Maghreb, Saudi Arabia and Iraq. Learn to navigate the nuances of group performance. Year-round opportunities to participate in local performances and beyond.

Prerequisites: Beginning & intermediate raqs sharqi; must be concurrently enrolled in technique with Lara Victoria or approved course. All bodies, ages, identities and abilities welcome! Classes run Wednesdays, 8:30 to 9:20 pm at Kinetic Dance Academy in Lacey, Washington. Purchase Class Pass Here!

Private Lessons

Past students have engaged in individual coaching with me in order to:

  • Prepare for performances, competitions, state and regional pageants, burlesque performance development, or personal enrichment

  • Review performance footage together to gain insights into what to improve and how

  • Run through choreography for insights into what to improve and how

  • Enlist assistance developing a choreography for a project

  • Commission me to develop choreography for their project

  • Gain further clarity in a particular area of SWANA dances

Coaching can be held in person or via Zoom. Contact me to schedule your sessions! Purchase a Lesson Here

Workshops Offered

Workshop students posing for end-of-class photo. There are 7 students. Lara is front and center. Everyone is holding their fan veils out in a pose. Some fans are held to the left, some to the right, some overhead, and some low. The fans are colorful.

Workshop Topics: Egyptian Combos, Golden Era Combos, Fan Veil, Veil, Saidi, Shaabi, Mahraganat, Khaliji, Kawliya Fusion, Kawliya Hacha’a. Stage Presence, Poetics of Performance.

Highlights: 

  • Kawliya Fusion ~ Emerald Sanctuary Bellydance Retreat (2022) & Portland OR Workshop ~ host Heather Louise (2020)

  • Stage Presence ~ Olympia WA ~ Mas Uda Dance, Kashani (2018)

  • Fan Veil Choreography ~ Victoria BC ~ host Sacred Centre Dance, Nath Keo (2016)

  • Saidi ~ Olympia WA ~ Mas Uda Dance, Kashani (2014) 

  • Fan Veil Basics ~ Tacoma WA ~ Hasani Hafla, Hasani (2012) & Charleston NC ~ host Palmetto Oasis, Nadia Pomedt (2010)

  • Elegant Arms ~ Burien WA ~ Abyssinian Twins, Kellie Basin (2008)

Click here to message me with your workshop requests.

Lara teaches Iraqi kawliya dance to intermediate students in Portland Oregon.
About 22 students pose for a photo at the end of a Saidi cane dance workshop. Lara poses front and center with a Saidi cane.

"Taking your veil class, I learned that you can use your veils to connect, sensuality and lyricism, to create an intense emotional connection, rather than use them as a prop and a distraction. I thank you!"

             ~ Lauren, Port Angeles WA