To inquire about Lilla Varese's booking availability, special appearances or her weekly performance schedule at the Caspian in Irvine, contact Lilla at (714) 357-9655 or email lilla@lilladance.com

CLASSES / PERFORMANCES

Lilla's love of dance, along with her training and perhaps her smattering of Arabic ancestry combine to make her an authentic, refined Middle Eastern dancer. Lilla's modern Egyptian style is elegant and fluid. Her stage presence is charismatic, joyful and inspired.

Lilla is proficient with finger cymbals, as well as a variety of props including veil, cane, and balancing. Lilla is also trained in a variety of other Middle Eastern dance styles including folkloric, Persian, Turkish and gypsy/tribal, as well as in flamenco and classical Indian dance. Her breadth of experience makes her an eclectic, versatile and polished performer.

Lilla has been dancing and performing since the age of five, but began to devote all of her energy to Middle Eastern dance starting in 1992, when she began dancing with the Neri Senti Gypsies after having an epiphany that Middle Eastern dance was her calling. While continuing to perform with the Neri Senti troupe in venues all over California, Lilla backtracked and began to study intensively with some of Southern California's most illustrious instructors as well as taking numerous workshops with visiting international luminaries, striving to develop and perfect her personal style as an Oriental dancer. In 1993 Lilla also began to perform regularly with Angelika's Arabian Dance Ensemble, and in 1996 became a member of Sahra Kent's Ya Amar dance company.

Starting in 1994 Lilla began to enjoy a burgeoning career as a soloist, appearing regularly in venues such as Hassan's Lebanese Café in Newport Beach and the Aegean Café in Laguna Beach, California. Lilla has performed in numerous dance concerts, festivals, and special events throughout Orange and Los Angeles counties, ranging from Middle Eastern cultural events to a wrap party for the Red Hot Chili Peppers. Lilla has been a regular dancer at the Caspian Persian restaurant in Irvine since 1995.

Lilla holds a Master's Degree in Clinical Psychology and sees dance as a healing, transformational art. She teaches beginning and intermediate belly dance classes in Newport Beach and Costa Mesa, California. Classes for beginners focus on basic steps, technique, isolations, finger cymbals, transitions and choreographies. Intermediate classes further emphasize improvisational skills, developing expressiveness, staging, costuming and performance. In her classes Lilla strives to create both a fun, high-energy atmosphere as well as providing education in Middle Eastern dance history and culture, current issues and developments in Middle Eastern dance and cultivation of respect and reverence for the dance form.

PERFORMANCES

Lilla is available as a solo entertainer for special events, celebrations, weddings, festivals, etc. primarily in the Orange County, California area, and has a wide variety of professional cabaret and ethnic costumes. Lilla can also provide additional dancers if a duet or troupe show is desired. Shows are tailored to the entertainment needs of the client/ event.