Esraa Warda
Algerian-American dancer
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Esraa Warda is an Algerian-American dance performer and educator who specializes in traditional Algerian dance forms Raï, Chaoui, and Assimi.
Esraa Warda | |
|---|---|
| Born | Brooklyn, New York City, U.S. |
| Citizenship | Algerian, American |
| Education | City College of New York |
| Alma mater | City College of New York |
| Occupations | Dancer, educator, cultural curator |
| Years active | 2010s–present |
| Known for | Preservation and performance of traditional Algerian dance forms |
| Notable work | Promotion of Raï, Chaoui and Assimi dance traditions |
| Awards | BBC 100 Women (2022) |
Biography
Warda was born and raised in Brooklyn, New York City,[1][2] and is a member of the global Algerian diaspora.[3]
Warda has worked as a co-director of a traditional Arts program at an Arab-American Center in New York.[4] She works to preserve the slowly declining visibility of marginalised Algerian arts, culture and dance.[2] She is a mentee of Algerian musician Cheikha Rabia[5] and women elders in her family.[4] She has also collaborated on music with Salim Beltitane.[2]
Warda has been featured on the PBS show Bare Feet With Mickela Mallozzi, where she spoke about the movement and history of Algerian Raï dance.[6] She also performed internationally, including at the Le Guess Who? Festival in Utrecht, Netherlands,[2] in England and in Cuba.[5]
In 2024, Warda received the Artist Grant from the New York State Council of the Arts.[6] In 2025–2025, she is a Heritage Ambassador Fellow at the Brooklyn Public Library and a Guest Curator at the Center for the Arts at Virginia Tech, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University.[6]
She was named a BBC 100 Woman in 2022.[5]