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Performing at the @newyorkbellydancefestival closi

Performing at the @newyorkbellydancefestival closing gala tonight, and this flyer was too lovely to not leave here on the timeline. ✨

Super excited to be sharing the stage with many brilliant friends and colleagues including the one and only @sadiebellydance, whom I have not seen since we made The Temptation of Bellydance DVD together, which feels like another lifetime! Who remembers that one?

A massive thank you to @sammydance for organizing this festival for NYC. 🫶✨ Can’t wait to see everyone!
Tickets and info at www.newyorkbellydancefestival.com

P.S. If you see me tonight and don’t recognize me, the state of the world plus spring made me cut my hair and get bangs, and according to a trusted source I now look like a Dynasty villainess. We’re all doing the best we can. It’s fine. Carry on. 🖤

2 classic wedding belly dance props and 1 very goo

2 classic wedding belly dance props and 1 very good uncle. ✨🕯️

Between shows I’ve been revisiting some of my favorite performances and Zack + Nourah’s stunning NYC area farm wedding deserves its moment. 💛

Wedding season books up fast and I have select 2026 & 2027 dates available. If you’re planning a wedding, private celebration, or special event and want something your guests will never stop talking about - DM to inquire or drop your date in the comments!

Videography: @broadsidevisuals

#bellydance #weddingentertainment #nycwedding #weddingbellydance #nycbellydancer

Just a snippet of the best thing that happened in

Just a snippet of the best thing that happened in February. Some slinky balady-ing with live keyboard to brighten your doomscroll. ✨

Sound on and wait for the #floorwork! 🐍

This joy — sandwiched between two massive snowstorms in an otherwise highly questionable month — gave me just enough momentum to make it to spring. We have collectively decided winter is over. The city has spoken 🙅🏻‍♀️

Always such a pleasure dancing with the incredible El Asdiqaa band at @djamnyc Arabic Night. Thank you to Kaeshi Chai for producing, and to musicians @chedidmaurice, Nabil Bekkali, Said Fahmy, and @zafertawil — and to my friend @themaamoun for the video. 🎶

Felt really dumb and dissonant to be posting sparkly dance content in the midst of….gestures broadly….so. Ya. But also — this costume is #SPRINGWEDDING ready and I needed to put it here for manifestation purposes. Thank you to the one and only Bella Costumes @ayseevinbuyukaltunay . 🥰

Check my stories for an announcement!

More soon. Be well. BRB. 🖤

✨ Happy Lunar New Year, Mardi Gras, Ramadan Kareem

✨ Happy Lunar New Year, Mardi Gras, Ramadan Kareem, and New Moon Solar Eclipse of fire to you! ✨
🌑🐎💜💚💛🌙🔥

Just a little sprinkling of the joy we shared through dance, music, art, and community at Sunday night’s @djamnyc Arabic Night. We had a night. 🔥

Huge thank you to @kaeshichai for producing and holding this special space. 💜 And to the incredible El Asdiqaa band. Much more to share with them soon.

Endless love to my performance course group who absolutely SLAYED:
@kathyyyie @tracesofphyo @ayano_umikaji @sumbul786 🤩😭

So grateful for my dance family for life (seen in the reel) and for sharing the stage with the beautiful artists of the night— including Amaria Selene, Soumaya MaRose, Kaeshi Chai, and all the stunning soloists. ❤️

Summoning spring in this exquisite new suit from Bella Costumes that arrived just in time- thank you so much @ayseevinbuyukaltunay !!! Love love love 🩵💜🩵💜

Pics featured by @michael.ortiz.artist 🤍

#joyasresistance
#bellydancelove
#yearofthewhores

(Jesus Awaits! lol, ya we randomly found a Bible in Times Square from my childhood church days in Baton Rouge. I carried it for a block, then passed it on to the universe. 😌)

Grateful to be part of love stories like this 🤍 Zi

Grateful to be part of love stories like this 🤍
Zizi’s words truly touched me- swipe to read the bride’s beautiful review →
Happy Valentine’s Day ❤️

Zizi + Eric’s Wedding Day 9-4-25
Shot by @mikezawadzkiphotography ✨

In case you missed it in the flood of nonstop news

In case you missed it in the flood of nonstop news — ✨THIS SUNDAY ✨ is a very special show, and I would love for you to join us!

It’s ARABIC NIGHT with the wonderful El Asdiqaa Band and a stunning lineup of bellydance artists and groups.

I mostly perform at private events these days, so this is a rare opportunity to catch me in a public show and to experience the art form the way it’s meant to be shared.

✨ If you’ve ever wanted to see me in my element this is it! ✨

Arabic Night: Live Music + Belly Dance
Presented by @djamnyc  Sunday, Feb 15 Doors 6:30pm | Show 7–9:30pm Secret Room NYC
707 8th Ave Tickets starting at $25 (link in bio and FB event)

Featuring El Asdiqaa Band +
Amaria Selene, Kaeshi Chai, Layla Isis, Soumaya MaRose and many more.

I will also be presenting a group piece with my beautiful performance course students that is 🔥🔥🔥.

Read the full lineup in pinned comment!

Come wish this gal a happy Valentine’s. I would love to see you there. ✨💕

How to look 10 times hotter in under 5 min! 🔥🔥🔥 👀👀

How to look 10 times hotter in under 5 min! 🔥🔥🔥
👀👀👀

This was so quick and super sexy. Call tonight and keep calling about all the things! The app @5calls made it so easy.
Defund and Abolish those lawless ballsack murderous turds 🧊
All power to the people! ❤️‍🔥

BRB with bellydance content. Xx

✨From the Class to the Club! Literally. This 4-we

✨From the Class to the Club! Literally.
This 4-week Arabic Pop performance course is about taking choreography and turning it into confident, engaging, real-world performance. We’ll work with the Arabic Pop hits everyone’s dancing to right now, and focus on presence, musicality, audience connection, and movement that translates into a real-life performance space.

Tuesdays | Jan 20–Feb 10 Triskelion Arts | Greenpoint Live performance at Djam NYC | Feb 15
@djamnyc
Investment: $225
Only 2 spots left. Registration closes Friday. DM to join or ask questions ✨

More details at the pinned post on my page!

VIDEOS featured are from:
my last performance course at The Secret Room with dancers: @tracesofphyo, @emiliabellydancer, @vivimar_c_val , @soulswhirling, @kathyyyie, @elanasidorina, @nyra_solene_arts @bellydancer_pelin

And classes from my time teaching at the wonderful @jbelly_school_of_raq - check out their ongoing programs as well if you are interested in ongoing regular classes!

Let’s #dancethroughdystopia #bellydanceclassesnyc #bellydanceperformancecourse #bellydanceteacher nycbellydanceteacher

Welp. 2026… dude, I have questions. I don’t even

Welp. 2026… dude, I have questions.

I don’t even know. My brain has no space until I make some room. Did a phone dump to try to clear it, so here’s some random behind the scenes chaos and sparkle from the last two weeks of 2025. Extra dose of NYC realness. 😉 (Angelos!!!!)

Holiday gig season really did me y’all—22 back-to-back shows straight through New Year’s Eve, with only a couple collapse days in between.

First days of 2026- organizing and posting my upcoming performance course starting 1/20. !  Then I promptly disappeared lol. Honestly, how do you do life at a time like this?!

I’ve got 2 spots left in my From Class to Club: Arabic Pop Performance Course starting 1/20. Details are in the pinned post. Early bird ends Tuesday—don’t wait if you’re thinking about it!!
 Small intermediate to advanced-level group, lots of individual attention, joyful choreography as an antidote to… you know, dystopian times. 💃💃💃

Heart: broken, personally and collectively Brain: crowded and chaotic Body: dysregulated and anxious af

BRB with more content and fuller course details.

Thank you to my dear friend @themaamoun for being my assistant on one of these insane gig nights and getting some captures for me! Luxury! Dance bbs and sisters tagged, love yous ❤️😘😘

Love & light 💛✨

✨Happy New Year! Come and dance with me!✨ From Cla

✨Happy New Year! Come and dance with me!✨
From Class to Club: Arabic Pop Performance Course with Layla Isis

A 4-week series designed to bridge the gap between studio training and real-world performance!

In this course, we’ll work with a medley of Arabic Pop hits—what we’re all loving and dancing to right now—and turn it into a dynamic, stage-ready performance.

Expect choreography that is fast-paced, exciting, sassy, and fun, with combos you can immediately take from the classroom and apply to gigs, showcases, or nights out dancing. 🔥

Learn Layla’s signature approach to performance:
✨Theatrical & captivating ✨Fluid and natural movement ✨Strong musicality ✨Genuine audience connection

Beyond choreography, we’ll focus on performance skills, technique, and stage presence. Classes are detail-oriented, informative, and yes… we laugh a lot. 🤠Expect lots of real-world wisdom from 20 years of full-time professional gigging, and feel-good vibes all around. So needed!!

Level:
This course is targeted for intermediate level dancers. It’s also open to advanced beginners and professionals who want to deepen performance quality, musicality, and real-world application.

💫Class Dates & Times Tuesdays | 7:00–8:45pm Jan 20, 27 | Feb 3, 10
Location Triskelion Arts 106 Calyer St, Greenpoint, Brooklyn

💫Performance Opportunity Djam NYC Arabic Night Feb 15 | Secret Room • Additional dress rehearsal TBD • Tech run-through day-of-show • 4:30pm arrival

💫Investment $195 early bird (by 1/12) $225 after

DM me to register or ask questions!! Payment via Zelle, Venmo, or PayPal

Can’t wait to see you in the studio!!!

•Slides 1, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8 photos by @michael.ortiz.artist
•Slides 2, 6 from my courses at the wonderful @jbelly_school_of_raq
•Slides 3, 5, 7 with my students from my last performance course for @djamnyc. Pics are tagged 💕

POV: the week finally stopped. Ahh, December as

POV: the week finally stopped.

Ahh, December as a gigging dancer — killer. It’s Sunday, and I have 36 hours to dissociate before the chaos starts all over again. Luckily, Jon Hamm can stay here as my brain has left the building.

So silly, but this shift in my feed was inevitable. All artists now double as content creators, working twice as hard to stay relevant while the evil corporatocracy enslaves us. Yay.

Thank you to my wonderful clients and dance bestie @flutteringby13 for an excellent run of gigs this week. Will most post more in stories.

Happy holy days all❄️✨💫🎄🕎☪️
Remember: you don’t need new shit. No one does.

#bellydancernyc #holidaypartyseason #lightson

First holiday gig of the season on Thursdsy and I

First holiday gig of the season on Thursdsy and I thought it would be fun to bring you along! ✨

Thanks for spending the day with me — from morning stretches to makeup & costume magic, stage sparkle, and behind the scenes. Love my work so much! 💛Grateful to start the season dancing and bringing joy.
💃💃💃
And now off to do it all over again tonight!

Now booking holiday parties, private events, and celebrations.✨
DM for rates + availability.
Happy December! 😘
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#bellydancernyc #grwm holidaypartyseason

Got a post-turkey jelly belly? Shimmy with me to s

Got a post-turkey jelly belly? Shimmy with me to shake it off and catch some feel good vibes if you need em. Sound on to hear me fumble through naming each bellydance move 🤪😎

I don’t usually share content like this—let me know if you want more Bellydance tutorials or behind the scenes stuff with me. Comment “mawr” if yes!

I’m sitting on a mountain of glamorous gig footage I haven’t shared- showing up only in that way hasn’t felt fully authentic lately. There’s a clear metamorphosis happening, and I’m trying to lean in, listen, and trust the process.

I’m so grateful I’m able to do that.

I’m grateful that dancing allows me to support myself, my future dreams, my dance space and home, and all the nourishment my body asks for. I’m grateful for this body that has endured so much and is still full of life, and has more to say and offer when she’s ready.

Thank you for watching and listening! I hope you’ve been blessed today to feel grateful for nourishment, safety, and love—things so many people don’t have right now.

💛🧡🤎✌️

#bellydancereels #bellydancernyc #bellydancetutorial

I’ve been busy and keeping quiet about it! ✨ Final

I’ve been busy and keeping quiet about it! ✨
Finally found a moment to sift through the mountain of dance footage from the past couple months — here’s a little highlight reel from summer wedding season 2025 (Part 1).

Some sweet moments of celebration from late summer into early fall. Grateful to my wonderful clients and couples for inviting me to be part of their special days. 💛

Now booking for the holiday season and 2026 — DM to inquire!

We NEED joy, art, connection more than ever. 💕💃
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#weddingbellydancer #weddingentertainment #bellydancernyc #nycbellydancer #weddingbellydancernyc #bellydance #hirebellydancers #weddingprofessional #arabicweddingnewyork #egyptianwedding #lebanesewedding #turkishwedding #luxuryeventplanner #eventplanner #evententertainment #weddingseason #engagementseason #holidayseason #bellydanceprofessional

I guess we’re celebrating my aliveness today. 🎂 ☺️

I guess we’re celebrating my aliveness today. 🎂 ☺️Birthdays hit differently the older I get — for one, wasn’t it just my birthday?? Time keeps shrinking with each year and it’s honestly alarming!

Some seasons demand more of us. And by more I think mean less.

There’s this gradual (and then suddenly not-so-gradual) unraveling of a carefully built identity that’s held me together for… forever. But as we know, the body keeps the score, and eventually she comes around to collect on all those deferred payments — so much quicker than you think!

They keep telling me it’s a privilege to get older though. Mmkay! 🫠

Anyway — here’s a little summer phone dump:

I fostered a special needs rescue pup and gave it my ALL. He didn’t end up being cut out for the chaos of city life, but he did turn me into a morning person. Thanks, Rudy. 🐾💞

I worked A TON — so many fun events and weddings. I posted almost none of it so now I’m drowning in hoarded dance content (see last slide). 💃

And I made it to the beach a couple of times. I spent all my money on vet bills and new costumes so…🤷🏻‍♀️

Thank you Bella @ayseevinbuyukaltunay for all my new sparkle suits and to my dream dance sisters & colleagues (tagged) & clients 💞

Meanwhile, we live in a world that is objectively very very very unwell. Continuing with biz as usual feels impossible. Witnessing this much innocent suffering should be unbearable. Watching our rights, freedoms, and PEOPLE disappear in front of us should make us angry, anxious AF and unwilling to accept it.

It’s not a war, it’s a g-cide.
Human rights are for everyone
Fck ICE & Free 🇵🇸

For my birthday: please consider sending a donation (or even just a follow) to these humanitarian aid orgs:
@pal.humanity
@pcrf
@wckitchen
&
@msrachelforlittles (cause some people really need help with their morals and what actually matters, for real tho)

If you know anyone outside the city who might be a good match for Rudy, let me know and I’ll connect you with the rescue. 🐕

Sending all my Virgo love, and thanks to everyone for your birthday wishes! I’m gonna try to stay off my phone the rest of the day and will pop in later to read msgs! 🥳💝🥰♍️💫💛

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When the capture turns into a Renaissance painting

When the capture turns into a Renaissance painting…
🌻✨🌻✨
So grateful to have spent yesterday celebrating love and our dear @old.robes as she prepares for her nuptials! A perfect Virgo new moon summer day upstate with beautiful friends.

It’s been a minute since Ive gotten to experience @ljcaspar ‘s creepy doll collection, appropriately matrimonial themed for the occasion. 👰🏻‍♀️👏👏👏. Also really enjoyed Natasha’s #twerkingrobbiani shot glasses.
Love you gals too much.

It’s been quite a summer- taking in a special needs rescue pup (and not doing much else 🙃). Looking forward to sharing more life + gig updates soon—welcome, Virgo season! ♍️ ✨✨✨ finally, a much needed boost for this double Virgo!!!

Thank you @ivyswimwear for inviting me to bring so

Thank you @ivyswimwear for inviting me to bring some extra sparkle to @ny.swimweek After Party at @virginhotelsnyc !!❤️‍🔥

Shoutout to @milotheeonly who SLAYYYED— the perfectly timed Turkish drop to the floor?! Ate. No crumbs. 🤌💋 #audienceparticipation #goals

✨🌟🤩🌟✨

Like so many of us sharing and promoting our art and work here, I’ve been retreating and reexamining how to show up and what it means to be present in this very sick world with so much live-streamed inhumane cruelty broadcast 24/7.

Grateful for spaces like these that still welcome beauty, connection, and joy.

Ive been practicing leaning into discomfort and approaching things with a beginners mind- being open to learning and changing my mind about something, even if it feels threatening to a closely held identity or belief. Imagine the shift that could happen if we all practiced this, even just a little bit. ❤️

#bellydancer #life #art #work #bellydancernyc #newyork #nyc #eventperformer #nyswimweek #laylaisis

Vintage vibes to go with this balancing candle tra

Vintage vibes to go with this balancing candle tray dance for you. 🖤 With the OG of Egyptian heartthrobs, Farid Al-Atrash as soundtrack giving all the romance and elegance…🫠❤️‍🔥

Another from Laiba & Wasib’s stunning reception at @thelegacycastle last month.💍

#bellydance #bellydancernyc #candletraydance #balancing #elegantbellydance #vintagevibes #rakssharki #danza #arabicdance #egyptian #weddingbellydancer #weddingentertainment #vintagebellydance

✨Laiba & Wasib 💍💍 6.15.25✨ A few snippets of danc

✨Laiba & Wasib 💍💍 6.15.25✨

A few snippets of dancing with guests in celebration, the very best part. ❤️‍🔥 Congrats to these beautiful newlyweds and huge thanks to mother of the bride @farah.shafqat for inviting me.

Here for this coordinated silver lace and soft pink look with my favorite costume of the season. ✨😍

👰 Bride: @laibasheikh_
📸 Photographer: @eventscapturephotography
🏛️ Venue: @thelegacycastle
💃 Bellydancer: @laylaisis
👗 Costume: @ayseevinbuyukaltunay

📆Now booking late summer and fall dates.

🥳I specialize in weddings, engagements, hennas, showers, birthdays, corporate galas, cultural events or just because days. :) Reach out if you’re planning something special and want to make it unforgettable!

💃Supporting performing artists has been proven to make you a hottie. I don’t make the rules! 🔥

#weddinginspiration #njwedding #nycwedding
#weddingentertainmentnyc #uniqueweddingideas
#weddingbellydancer #summerwedding #weddingseason2025 #bellydancernyc
#middleeasternwedding #pakistaniwedding
#bride #bellydancer #nyceventplanner #weddingpro

Hello July. 🌹 Not entirely sure what happened to J

Hello July. 🌹
Not entirely sure what happened to June, but here we are. Consider this your June photo dump and let’s review. 🤳🧐

June was packed full of the best gigs and yet I didn’t manage a single weekend recap. Life has been a real mixed bag of beauty and burnout lately.

Carrying on as though all is fine in a world this sick and upside down? Impossible. None of this is normal. If you’re feeling disoriented and heavy- same!

But here we are, carrying on. Check in on each other. Refuse to be divided! Refuse to forget our collective power!

While plotting my escape plan from late-stage capitalism 😅 I’m also here, self-promoting—because a girl’s gotta eat and pay rent.

If you’re planning something joyful—reach out! A party or wedding with an expert bellydancer bringing beauty and sparkle just hits different, trust me. ✨

Endless thanks to my amazing clients for keeping me dancing 💃💫

Just 20 slides from June’s weddings, birthdays, showers, father’s day and just-because-days of celebration.

Leave a comment if you make it to the end- I mean sometimes you gotta walk into a bar in Terre Roche’s fringe jacket from the 80s carrying a roll of ritz crackers and trout dip and it should be seen, just sayin.

Dancing to amazing live music with Carmine, Scott and Casey was the highlight for me. I’ll post more from that night and my June weddings after I recover from making this post. 🙃

Thank you Bella @ayseevinbuyukaltunay for my new red suit I got to break in last weekend! 🍒🥰

✌️😘
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#bellydancernyc #bellydancerforhire #bellydanceartist #eventperformer #nycwedding #nyceventplanner #evententertainment #eventseason #junewedding #weddingseason2025 #supportartists #artispolitical #dancerlife

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Contact:

laylaisisdancer@gmail.com

Phone: 917-691-9793

For more information about booking Layla Isis, visit the HIRE page

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Credits:

Logo Design and Wordpress coding:
Robin Shumays
Main image photos:
Katrin Albert, Henry Shoots

© Copyright Layla Isis | Belly Dance Artist · NYC

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