Heather D. Ward

Heather D. Ward is a Middle Eastern dance instructor, performer, and researcher based in St. Louis, Missouri, USA. Since 2009, she has been conducting pioneering research into the history and development of Egyptian belly dance. Her investigations into the transition from awalim and ghawazi dance styles to classical raqs sharqi at the turn of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries led to the publication of her first book, "Egyptian Belly Dance in Transition: The Raqs Sharqi Revolution, 1890-1930," in 2018. Her latest book, "Raqs in the City: The Belly Dance Landscape of Cairo," explores the historical interconnection between dance, dancers, and the city of Cairo and is slated for publication in 2024.