About Katya
Katya Faris is a World Class bellydancer, instructor, choreographer and director that has been dancing in the traditions of the Middle East since she was a young girl of 11. More recently Katya has been co-producing an Arab music CD for bellydance in Detroit with music producer Nader Harb of Moda.fm, “Raqsat Katya”. Katya works closely with her Egyptian mentor, Ehab Gadalla, and several Arab American institutions for her educational programs. She is the preferred dancer amongst Middle Eastern venues, musicians, and families, and has danced in Chicago, Detroit, NYC, LA, Miami, London, Sweden, South Korea. Katya exclusively wears couture costumes made for her by Shahraman Palace Bellydance Costumes of Beirut, Lebanon.
She received her M.A. in Ethnomusicology from Indiana University, and produced the “Mosaic Dance Concert Series” at the John Waldron Art Center Auditorium in 2008, and at the Buskirk Chumley Theatre with the Bellydance Superstars in 2011. While she does bellydance shows for all types of events, she also does cultural education multi-media presentations on Middle Eastern folk dance and music for children of all ages, including several university presentations. Her vast knowledge of authentic dance techniques and musical forms is matched by her subtlety, grace, and personal charm. Katya currently is a course instructor with IUPUI in their Department of Continuing Education, and also teaches out of her home studio, the Mosaic Dance Academy. She began teaching as an Egyptian dance instructor in 2017 at the Gregory Hancock Dance Theatre Academy in Carmel, Indiana.
→ A Tapestry of Middle Eastern Dances – Masters Thesis
Hello, friends! It's been awhile. If you didn't know, I have retired from performing Middle Eastern Dance in 2019, but I still continue to publish music for dance. After my first CD with Moda Music in Detroit,... Read more
The art of producing
Sounds of the
Middle East
Katya Faris is a belly dance artist of
American descent, of both European
and Native American backgrounds, but
fell in love with the music from the
Middle East as a child when her sister
moved to Iran.
Learn More
The Art of Bellydance
Check out Katya’s featured videos or find and follow her on Youtube to watch them all!
Private Lessons
Katya teaches traditional classic bellydance, or "raqs sharqi", with a focus on musicality and improvisation. Dance and music are her passions, sign up to learn from her today!
SIGN UP FOR A LESSON
Workshops
Katya is known for her graciousness and musicality, and has complete command of the event when she dances. Find out for yourself, book Katya today!
Schedule Katya