Ana Otero.

BIOGRAPHY

As long as Ana can remember, dance has always been a part of Ana’s life. At the age of three she started studying classical ballet, Spanish Dance and Flamenco, and she studied Dance at the Conservatorio de Danza in Madrid, Spain. Before she went to Miami to study Dance at Florida International University, she met Gloria Alba, a Middle Eastern Dancer who had lived and danced in Egypt for 4 years. She took lessons with Gloria for 18 months and fell in love with Oriental Dance.

Ana Started studying other dance genres at Florida International University: jazz, modern, Isadora Dance, Contemporary, Laban Technique. She mostly felt a connection with Ethnic dance forms. At university she met Miriam Eli and enrolled in her Middle Eastern Dance class at Florida International University. Ana Considers Miriam as her soul teacher because not only did she learn the beautiful and complicated technique of this dance from her, but also its history. Miriam also taught her the importance of folklore in the Arab world. In Miami she later studied with Tamalin Dallal, Jihan Jamal and Asia.After University (BA in Spanish Literature and Dance and a Masters in Theatre and Dance) she went back to Madrid, Spain, to pursue a 4 year Dance Degree in Shokry Mohammed´s (Egypt) Middle Eastern Dance School (Escuela de Danza Oriental Pirámides). There she studied Classical Egyptian, Raqs Sharki, as well as Lebanese and Turkish styles. She also studied a variety of folklore dances (Raks Assaya, Khalijee, Dabke...). When she graduated from dance she started teaching at Escuela de Baile El Horno and continued taking lessons with Cristiane Azem, Eva Chacón, Julia Salmerón, Gloria ALba and Tatiana. Ana is trained in Flamenco, Ballet, Middle Eastern Dance, Modern, Contemporary and Dance Therapy.

Internationally Ana has taken workshops with Mahmoud Reda, Rakia Hassan, Nabil Mabrouk, Fátima Fontes, Myriam Szabo, Souhaila Salimpour, Tito and Ansuya, Bettinal Castano, Manuela Reyes, Belen Maya, Faruk Mustafa, Mona Mustafa, Nasra, Freiz, Sameh el Dessouki, Ashraf Hassan.

In 2004 Ana went Turkey to study Turkish dance and to different Middle Eastern Countries to work.

In 2006 she moved to Seville, Spain, where she was based for two years, teaching workshops and performing.

Ana is also a yoga instructor and incorporates yoga in her warm up and relaxation at the end of the class. Ana believes that through dance not only do we acquire a sense of wholeness and happiness, but we also become more aware of our bodies.

Yoga Experience: Ana has been practising yoga since the age of 11. When she was 17 years old she received her first certification with Swami Sivananda and lived in the Sivananda Ashram in Zaragoza, Spain, for three months. She later received the European Association of Yoga Degree (3 year degree). Ana Teaches a variety of styles: Hatha, Iyengar,Ashtanga, Jivamukti (a mix of these 3), Vinyasa and Kundalini.

Ana has been based in Cairo for 1 year (2008-2009) where she was a dance teacher at Cairo American College. She has completed her PHD in dance and has just moved to Kuwait where she works as a Theatre and Dance teacher. Ana also performs regularly with Aly Khattab (Cairo) and his musicians.