Mosaic Dance Theater Company:

      Samara (Artistic Director for Dance, Choreographer) began dancing professionally in her teens, and has become one of the most celebrated and sought after Arabic dancers of today.  A protégé of the late master Ibrahim Farrah, she performed with his internationally acclaimed Near East Dance Group in some of the most prestigious concert arenas in the US, including Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, the Kennedy Center, New York’s Town Hall, Theatre of the Riverside Church, and the Spoleto Festival.  In addition, she has performed with some of the most famous singing stars of the Middle East.  Samara was a 1998 inductee into the American Academy of Middle Eastern Dance Hall of Fame.  Samara is engaged regularly as a soloist in Middle Eastern nightclubs and special events in New York City and throughout the US.  She is a popular seminar leader, conducting dance workshops across the US and abroad, and is on the dance faculty of the Alvin Ailey Dance Theater Extension.  As special guest artist, she has performed in Mexico, the Caribbean, Paris, London, China, Japan, West Africa, Jordan, Greece, Turkey, Russia, and throughout the Middle East.  Samara has appeared on television,  including the MTV Awards where she danced with Christina Aguilera.  A trained actress, she has appeared on the New York stage.  Recent  choreographic credits include Mosaic’s The Fisherman and The Djinni (2006), Visions of the Near East (2005), Celebration (2003); the New York world premier of Banat el Emir or The Dancing Princesses, in which she also performed; and Caravan to Cairo, critically acclaimed in its presentation at the NY International Fringe Festival, which tours to schools as part of arts-in education programming.  As a professional model, she worked in the US and in Europe in runway, print and fashion.
 

      Morgiana Celeste Varricchio, (Producing Artistic Director) in her dual identity as Middle Eastern dancer and classically trained actor, has performed internationally, in New York, and at regional and stock theaters throughout the US, including such venues as Lincoln Center, Brooklyn Museum, Paper Mill Playhouse, Dallas Theater Center, Caramoor Center for Music and the Arts, Nashville Institute for the Arts, the New York International Fringe Festival, and the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in Scotland, as well as in schools, concerts, clubs, and restaurants, at festivals, corporate and private functions, and special events and in Middle Eastern venues throughout the northeast.   Her theater credits include: Pippin (Berthe), The Night of the Iguana (Maxine), Stop the World--I Want to Get Off! (Evie, Anya, Ilse & Ginnie), The Rivals (Mrs. Malaprop), The Skin of Our Teeth (Sabina), Our Town (Mrs. Gibbs), Something’s Afoot (Lettie).  A long-time student of Samara’s,  Morgiana  also teaches classes and workshops in Middle Eastern dance, and conducts workshops for storytelling and story theater. She has worked as production assistant for several Broadway productions and as artistic consultant for late film star Anthony Quinn.  She has produced and performed in (and in some cases written the adaptation for): Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves (Lincoln Center, NYC); Caravan to Cairo; Gypsy Tales (NY International Fringe Festival; Arts Horizons); Ovid’s Metamorphoses (Edinburgh Festival Fringe); Banat el Emir (Greenwich Street Theatre, NYC), and for Mosaic: A Celebration of Middle Eastern and Mediterranean Dance (2003), Visions of the Near East (2005), and The Fisherman and The Djinni (2006). Ms. Varricchio holds an MFA from Trinity University,  and a BA from Lehigh University.  She is a company member of 12 Miles West Theatre Company.  
 

      Adriana Rosa has taught and performed Middle Eastern dance for over 20 years. She was a featured member of L’Orient Danse Troupe and has performed in a variety of venues including carnivals, festivals, theatres, restaurants, and television in the US and the Caribbean.  Also a student and performer of Hawaiian dance, Adriana holds a BA from Hunter College and an MA from Columbia University.

      Nina Brewton has an extensive background in dance. She was awarded a two-year full time dance scholarship from the Clark Center for Performing Arts where she trained intensively in Ballet, Jazz, Modern and Dunham (African) dance. Additionally, she has studied Polynesian dance for many years, touring professionally with three companies. Nina studies Middle Eastern dance with Samara, and has performed at special events, in theatrical productions and Middle Eastern restaurants in the New York area.





 

      Nahoko Sugiyama began her studies in Middle Eastern Dance in Tokyo, Japan, where she also performed professionally at special events and restaurants.  She moved to NYC and has trained with Samara and other well-known teachers. She is making her debut with Mosaic Dance Theater Company. She appears at Middle Eastern restaurants, nightclubs and events mainly in New York City area.






 

      Romy, the newest apprentice with Mosaic, was born and raised in New York City. During her teenage years she studied Ballet, Jazz, Tap, and Argentine Tango. She fell in love with and began to study Middle Eastern dance after viewing a beautiful oriental dancer on the public access television show World Dance New York. Romy has studied with several talented dancers within the New York City area, and currently studies Middle Eastern Dance with Samara.  She also takes acting classes at the City College of New York.
 

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