ZULEIKHA

Zuleikha, international Storydancer, and educator was trained in music, movement and mysticism by Master teachers of eastern and western lineages, which inspired her to become an ambassador for Unity in artistic and spiritual expression. Zuleikha has been invited to bring her special art of awareness through the sacred text of movement to conferences and retreats with noted spiritual leaders of many traditions: Sufis, Rabbis, Sheikhs, Christian Theologians, Buddhist Roshis, Vedic Masters and Tibetan Lamas. She has taught and trained Nurses, Doctors, Psychologists and Teachers on the wholeness of being human, integrating body, mind and spirit in the art of self-care.

“Through her artistry, she raises the integration of body, mind, and spirit to a new level. Her style and her teaching inspire individuals to achieve levels they were not aware they could reach. In Zuleikha, art and healing unite.” Larry Dossey, MD, Author of Reinventing Medicine and the Power of Premonitions

As a performer, Zuleikha has been described as“a singular figure on the horizon of sacred theater and dance (Edinburgh Guide). She has collaborated with the renownedpoet and translator of Rumi’s poetry, Coleman Barks, across America in the Rumi Concert, along with award-winning world musicians. As a solo performer, her soul-stirring concerts weave together stories and myths of world cultures in praise of Life. She has composed and recorded many songs based on the poetry of mystics from many traditions, as well as her own words.

For Zuleikha, Art, Life, the Sacred, and Service to Humanity are all One. From this unique perspective, Zuleikha was inspired to create The Storydancer Project, an international artistic health resource organization whose mission is working to promote self-care, resilience, body awareness and empowerment in girls, women, children and families in need through the innovative use of movement, exercise, music and story. The Storydancer Project serves in the USA and internationally, and with the help of its partnering organizations, has been able to reach thousands of children, women, and families.

Zuleikha has dedicated her life to bringing the energy of well-being into places where there is great need. Her ‘Core Wellness’ programs have been used within many streams of society, including orphans of tsunamis, daughters of sex workers, women in crisis, children and families with cancer and debilitating disease, and women and girls living inside of fundamentalist Muslim villages where there has not been space or regard for the body as a vehicle for simple health and well-being. She has always shared with them the natural joy of being human. It is from this doorway that she works with people of all ages and states of being.

Zuleikha is the recipient of the prestigious Humanitarian Award from Pediatric Nursing Journal for her global work with women and children; and the 2010 recipient of the Images and Voices of Hope Media Award for “infusing the art of dance with the gifts of healing, understanding and love of life, through her outstanding work in the world promoting positive personal and social change.” www.storydancer.com