Information: Samira Tamer, teacher of Middle Eastern dance

Samira Hadad Tamer was born and raised in Connecticut to parents who emigrated from Lebanon. In addition to English, she fluently speaks Arabic and Turkish.

Samira has danced ever sinced she learned to walk, learning Lebanese-style dancing from her family and relatives. She performed on stage at age six.

She moved to Los Angeles, California, at the age of 19 to complete her college education at the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA), majoring in art.

Samira was a principal dancer with the AMAN Folk Ensemble (aka, AMAN International Music and Dance Company) of Los Angeles, California, for 18 years, specializing in performing dances from Lebanon, Turkey, Egypt, Iran, and North Africa, among others.

She toured Lebanon on a research trip during 1963 and lived in Turkey for eight months. She is married to Ergun Tamer, a saz and kanoun player, who also was with the AMAN Folk Ensemble.

Samira specializes in teaching Lebanese line dances, as well as Lebanese-style belly dancing. She has taught master classes at the Middle East Music and Dance Camp and at Café AMAN.

Dances Samira has taught include Dabke Ba'albakia, a Lebanese dance, and an immigrant dabke that all the emigrants danced at their haflis (parties) in the United States.