Thank you for checking out my website! My name is Zoë DeRose (she/they) and I am a dance artist based in Los Angeles, California. I am a lifelong performer with an eclectic creative background fueled by an insatiable appetite for the arts. Since 2017 I have focused on studying popular dances stemming from Southwest Asian/North African traditions (colloquially known as “belly dance”) as well as folkloric dances, beginning at Dance Life studio in Madison, Wisconsin, under Arielle Juliette. Upon migrating back to my native Southern California I trained at DanceGardenLA until its 2022 closure and through this studio found mentors in Kamala Almanzar and Laura Leyl. In order to advance my studies I regularly attend workshops given by source dancers both locally in Southern California and across the country, including Özgen, Zara of Cairo, Aziza of Cairo, Mohamed Ghareb, Helena Vlahos, and Roxxanne Shelaby.

I have training in American Cabaret, dabke , raqs al-assaya, raqs sharqi, Turkish oryantal tansi, Turkish Romani folkloric dance, West Coast fusion styles, and Western styles of dance such as ballet and hip-hop - though my specialties lie in AmCab, raqs sharqi, Turkish oryantal, and Turkish Roman. However, it is my decades of experience as a classically-trained musician that make me a dynamic performer. Musicality is paramount to my art and informs all of my choices on stage, from skilled zilling to steamy floorwork. I love all music of the Middle Eastern/SWANA diaspora, though I do have a particular fondness for Ahmed Fouad Hassan, Mustafa Kandıralı, and Burhan Öçal.

My art is expressly political. A body that moves while existing in late-stage capitalism will always be political. I am proudly queer and in recovery for an eating disorder and mental illness. Dance has brought me in touch with my body and my community and has expanded my view of the world. I am committed to the liberation of all marginalized people.

I perform regularly throughout the Los Angeles area as a soloist and troupe member. I am proud to have performed with Alev Dansı, AmCab Revolution, Disco Iskandar, Seraphim Arabesque Ensemble, and Troupe Al Manzar. I am also a community organizer as the director of LA Raqs, an advocacy organization dedicated to promoting Middle Eastern dance in Southern California. I consider myself a forever student and maintain a consistent schedule of class, workshop, and intensive attendance.