Elena Lentini is acknowledged as one of the
leading innovators in the development of modern Oriental dance in the United States. As a soloist in the Ibrahim Farrah Near
East Dance Group, and with her own companies, she has performed in many major American concert halls, including Carnegie Hall,
Lincoln Center, The Brooklyn Academy of Music, Yale Repertory Theater, and the Kennedy Center. Continued below...
For three
decades, while teaching and performing in the United States, Europe, the Middle East, Africa and Australia, Elena has immersed
herself in the rituals and character of the traditional Middle East, yet through her starkly individual sensibility, Elena
reveals new depths in this ancient form. The introspection and poetic movement identified with her unique and powerful dance
is traced to man's inner life - a spiritual being, breathing humanity and spirit. "Elena has captured the Middle Eastern
qulity of movement even into the very tips of her fingers." (Bessie Schonberg, dance historian)
The atmosphere in Elena's classes is gentle and encouraging,
yet dynamic and exciting. Patiently she leads novice dancers and challenges seasoned professionals.
