Tamalyn Dallal-Harris

Dancer, ethnographic filmmaker, and author residing in New Orleans, Tamalyn Dallal-Harris has enjoyed a celebrated 50-year dance career dedicated to the performance and instruction of Middle Eastern dance. Recognized globally as a master instructor, she is also an accomplished documentarian capturing the essence of global dance cultures, and a creative storyteller currently expanding into narrative screenplay  writing. Her body of work includes three documentary films on dance and culture, and four books, ranging from travel narratives to dance instruction and an illustrated children's book. 

Notable Works: 

Documentary films 

  • Ethiopia Dances for Joy (2013)
  • Zanzibar Dance, Trance and Devotion (2011)
  • 40 Days and 1001 Nights (2006)

Books

  • They Told Me I Couldn't, A young woman's multicultural adventures in Colombia (1998)
  • Bellydancing for Fitness (2004)
  • 40 Days and 1001 Nights, One Woman's Dance Through Life in the Islamic World (2007)
  • The Bellydancing Kitties of Constantinople, a children's book (2019)