Disco Iskandar Middle Eastern Dance Company

Disco Iskandar is a dynamic and versatile company specializing in a variety of belly dance styles as well as Arab and Egyptian folkloric dances. Our repertory is large and diverse and consistently growing to include more styles.
Categorized by region, our folkloric offerings include the following:
Egypt – Raqs al Assaya (saidi cane dance), Melaya Leff (Eskandarani dance), Shamadan, Baladi
Levant/Arabian Peninsula – Dabka (Palestinian & Lebanese), Iraqi Dom (Kawleeya)
Iran – Bandari

Our belly dance offerings include the following:
Styles – American Cabaret, Egyptian, Tribal Fusion, Turkish Oryantal
Props – Sword, shisha shamadan (hookahs that balance on the head), silk veil, finger cymbals, Isis wings, cane

Our standard event format (weddings, corporate events, graduations, bat mitzvahs, etc) is a 30-minute show featuring a variety of styles and costumes to suit the theme of the event and cultural heritage of the client, featuring three to eight dancers. Shows can be extended (or shortened) by 10-minute increments, and/or broken up into multiple sets. We also provide soloists and duos upon request.
Additionally, we offer ambient dance services by the hour.
Our standard show concludes with one to two songs to dance with the audience and provide a photo opportunity for the guests.
Members of the company also provide variety act services including solo fire performance.

Every show is a spectacular array of styles, props, and beautiful costumes, and every one of our dancers exemplifies professionalism and polish.

History
Founded in Fall 2022 with an original cast of five members, Disco Iskandar now includes 20+ dancers around the United States, with chapters in California, Texas, and Florida, and continues to expand. Disco Iskandar made its debut as a touring company in January 2023, performing full-length, self-produced shows in cities across the Southeast. In June of the same year, Disco Iskandar embarked on its second tour, this time performing in venues up and down the West Coast. The company’s Los Angeles chapter went on to produce a monthly show at Alamo Drafthouse Cinema in Downtown LA and a quarterly residency at a Hollywood speakeasy, along with regular performances around Southern California, before fully relocating to Orlando. The director, select members of the company, and all its choreographic contributors have traveled to and studied dance in Egypt and Lebanon. Disco Iskandar strives to maintain a high level of artistic and cultural integrity within a program that is fabulous, unforgettable, and richly diverse in style. The name is inspired by director Veronica’s love of disco, and a 1980’s British documentary in which the narrator described the city Alexandria (Iskandariah in Arabic) as “the Vegas of the ancient Middle East.”

Mission
Disco Iskandar celebrates friendship, community, and the rich tapestry of Middle Eastern culture through its joyous performances. The company invites audiences to fall in love with these diverse dance and music styles by offering vibrant choreographies and improvisations with an element of education. Seeking to be a force for justice, Disco Iskandar highlights folkloric dances from cultures underrepresented in the West, while remaining life-long students in a perpetual state of learning about these richly complex communities. It is the company’s belief that those who borrow from cultures of the Middle East carry a debt-- they contribute to the world the most beautiful art, music, and cuisine that have enhanced our lives in a profoundly meaningful way. Through entertainment offering a blend of contemporary belly dance and folkloric styles, Disco Iskandar seeks to evoke joy, curiosity, and wonder in the audience.

Disco Iskandar requires a performance space free of debris and with adequate room for the requested number of dancers and props. We require a dressing area close to the performance space to allow for smooth quick changes. We provide the music on our own device and ask that the client have a sound system in place that is auxiliary cord or Bluetooth capable. (Auxiliary preferred).

We kindly ask that catered events (as well as restaurant gigs) provide a vendor meal and drink for each dancer.

The company is available for all types of events including weddings, corporate events, bachelorette parties, music videos, film, theatrical productions, cultural events, assisted living/retirement home events, bat mitzvahs, birthdays, graduations, theme parties, political events, television, henna parties, sangeets, fundraisers, parades, and so forth. No bachelor parties.