I am a dancer and a scholar, a teacher and a learner.  I live on Vancouver Island between the mountains and the sea, in the city of Nanaimo.

I am a grandchild of immigrants, foreigners who arrived in Canada from Lebanon and from Scotland. In our globalizing world, I work in a boundary zone between disciplines and cultural geographies. My dance projects, like my academic research and writing, explore relations between North America and the Middle East.

As a Dancer, I create and perform solo and collaborative works in theatres, shows and festivals.  I’m available to provide light-hearted entertainment for special events, parties and weddings on Vancouver Island and in BC’s Lower Mainland.

As a Teacher, I have developed unique and effective approaches to Arab, Turkish, and belly dance teaching that go beyond technique and choreography to explore ideas, expression, history and cultural background, while building confidence among dancers and students of all levels.  I teach regular dance workshops and retreats in B.C. and Mexico, and will travel to teach in communities across Canada.  I also teach anthropology courses at Vancouver Island University.

As a Scholar, my recent research and writing projects focus on Middle Eastern dance and diaspora, cross-cultural education, qualitative research and collaboration.

I hope you will find the ideas, inspirations, and resources on this website useful.

Lynette Harper, Ph.D.