Bal Anat—the longest-running belly dance company in the world—will present an evening of traditional, folkloric, and fantasy belly dance, celebrating 50 years. The groundbreaking and globally-influential company was created in 1968 by Jamila Salimpour, who drew from her experience as a performer with the Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus. The London show on 6 April will be Bal Anat’s exclusive and first ever UK performance supported and partially funded by the Arts Council of England.

Under the direction of master choreographer and dancer Suhaila Salimpour, the evening’s performance will include dance tableaux from the Middle East, North Africa, the Anatolian Peninsula, and Persia. The company includes more than 50 performers, hailing from across the UK, Russia, Asia, USA, South America and Europe.

The performance will coincide with workshops taught by Suhaila Salimpour, at the Stratford Circus Art s Centre Dance Studio