The Mirana Middle Eastern Dance Company will perform at University of the Ozarks on Thursday, Feb. 8, as part of the University’s 2023-24 Walton Arts & Ideas Series.
The event will begin at 7 p.m. in the Seay Theatre, located in the Walton Fine Arts Center on the Clarksville campus. The event is open to the public and admission is free.
Founded by Marion “Mirana” Thompson in 1974, the Mirana Middle Eastern Dance Company was the first to bring this art form to the state of Arkansas. Thompson’s love and respect for the style of dance inspired her to pursue new opportunities for Middle Eastern dance to be showcased in the most prestigious theaters and performances in Arkansas. She steered away from using the term “belly dance,” saying Middle Eastern dance was too vast and culturally rich that it should not be reduced to what we now commonly know as belly dance. She fought to keep the integrity of this art form to her very last breath during her battle against cancer (May 1993). Thompson appointed Shannon Sahr to keep her mission alive, to keep Middle Eastern Dance relevant, and to continue developing her troupe into one of the highest professional level dance groups in Arkansas.
A member of The Arkansas Arts on Tour, the company is recognized nationally and known to provide quality dance performances that are unique but maintain the traditional elegance of its origin.
One of the principal dancers for the company is U of O alumna Giselle Alfaro, a native of El Salvador who graduated from Ozarks in 2005 with a degree in economics. Alfaro is the owner of Giselle Theatrical Dance, or GTDance, a nonprofit organization in Little Rock, Ark., whose mission is to “solve the lack of opportunities for cultural exchanges between artists, audiences, teachers and students.”
Alfaro began dancing when she was in her early teens in her home country of El Salvador and quickly fell in love with the art form. Her love for dancing continued to blossomed after she received an international scholarship to attend Ozarks.
“When I moved to the U.S. to attend University of the Ozarks, I decided I wanted to teach my friends dance and yoga,” she said. “So, for a couple of semesters I offered free classes to my friends and participated in the student talent shows as well. After graduating from U of O and moving to Little Rock, I was determined to further my knowledge in dance, so I joined The Mirana Middle Eastern Dance Company and soon I became a principal dancer at the company. I started auditioning for international dance shows and furthered my studies with renowned oriental instructors. This led me to travel to Mexico, El Salvador, Argentina, Ecuador, Spain, Italy, Greece, Germany, Australia, as well all over the U.S.”
Topics: WAIS