Shadia (Christine Tohme) has been teaching and performing Middle Eastern dance for more than 30 years. She learned German folk dance from her mother, and Azerbaijani folk dance from her father, and later married a Lebanese musician with whom she performed in Baalbeck Folklorique, a cooperative Boston dance troupe that promoted the dance and costumes of Egypt, Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, and the Arab Emirates. She is a founding member of Mirsa Near East Folk Ensemble, The Cedars Folklora, and other dance companies.