Founded in 1987 by Yasmina Ramzy, the YRA Academy (formerly Arabesque) has an Egyptian and Syrian lineage that attracts students from around the globe.
Teaching Philosophy - The Yasi Way
Raqs Sharqi is Arabic for West Asian/North African (Middle Eastern) Dance, which includes many styles. The term Belly Dance is a Western commercial label referring to only one style.
Perform: Action Learning
Learn: Classes & Mentoring
Explore: Educational Content
Commitment To Community
Through Justice, Equity, Diversity & Inclusion
The main impetus to open Arabesque Academy in 1987 was to shine a light on the dance and music arts of Middle Eastern cultures in an effort to correct misrepresentation, appropriation and orientalism.
Since then, there have been many generations of the dance school and music and dance company with an outreach to 70 cities around the world under the name Arabesque, and more recently, Yasmina Ramzy Arts.
The office staff, dancers, musicians and students have always been a reflection of Toronto’s cultural diversity. Arabesque was referred to by media and the public as the United Nations of dance companies.
Yasmina Ramzy often responds to those that are seeking more representation by creating Allspice Dance Company celebrating mature ages, Earthshaker Dance Company celebrating diversity of size and Righteous Rogues of Raqs Sharqi challenging gender stereotypes. As Well, Yasmina facilitated discussion and debate at her conferences concerning such topics as Arab Women in Dance, Men in Bellydance, Cultural Appropriation, Aging In Dance, etc.
Although YRA diversity happened organically, a conscious awareness through education is now being implemented to address possible inequalities that were previously overlooked. It is an ongoing effort that YRA strives to embed into all of its activities.
This includes recognizing that the studio and most of YRA working areas take place on traditional Indigenous territory across what is now called Ontario. YRA wish to gives thanks and honour all the original peoples starting with the Anishinaabe, and the Wendat, and including, in more recent times, the Haudenosaunee, Métis and Inuit people who have been living on these lands since time immemorial.
In September 2020 Yasmina Ramzy founded and is the chairperson of the Justice, Equity, Diversity & Inclusion (JEDI) Committee of Dance Ontario.
