Qualifications: Middle Eastern Dancer model and actress.

Personal History: Leila has been modeling and dancing professionally since the age of 16. She began her oriental dance career in Seattle’s Arab, Persian and Egyptian nightclubs which exposed her to a mixture of pan-Arab music and dance styles. Leila gained popularity dancing for weddings, festivals and nightclubs along the West Coast of the United States as a soloist and also as a member of a four member dance troupe with a mission to expose non-Arabic audiences to the beauty and subtleties of Middle Eastern dance.

In 2002 Leila moved to Cairo, Egypt and secured a contract with the prestigious Sheraton Cairo. Within months, Leila took a second contract with Oberi Hotel’s Nile Pharon and began to expand her show to include folkloric numbers with dancers and a larger orchestra. She was also dancing for wedding in Cairo and Alexandria. The 2003 Egyptian Government’s ban on foreigner dancers briefly stopped Leila from performing in Cairo, but she continued to be based there while teaching and performing outside of Egypt.

As Leila’s dance career developed so did a career as a model and actress. Leila began appearing in music videos and televisions commercials, working with some of Egypt’s top directors and big name singers. Her dancing in clips and commercials caught the attention of Muzzika music video station who cast Leila in a series of live, televised concerts featuring superstar singers. She danced live, in front of thousands of people with the performances being replayed daily on music television to millions. Leila’s cinema debut came in director Mohsen Ahkmed’s feature film “Abu Araby Wasal,” where she played alongside comic great Hany Ramzy and received wonderful reviews.

Leila has become the fastest rising star in Egypt’s oriental dance world and her work in television, live concerts, and cinema has made her a recognizable personality. She is currently dancing under contract in Semerameese/Intercontinental’s glamorous Al Rashid nightclub, in Oberi Nile Pharon and in Marryland in Heliopolis. She continues to be one of the most sought after performers for weddings in both Cairo and Alexandria.

Leila teaches in seminars around the world and in Egypt for private classes and festivals. She has produced a CD, “Helwa” of Egyptian dance music and a video “Bint al Balad” of her Cairo stage show.