Nyla Crystal began her obsession with belly dance while earning her
B.S. in biotechnology at UC Davis. Her background of ballet, tap dance
and cheerleading, combined with the graceful, feminine and emotional
aspects of Middle Eastern dance result in her unique style of belly
dance. She has won multiple belly dance awards in solo, duet and
troupe categories. Performance highlights include belly dancing in
shows with Cirque du Soleil's Zumanity, Turkish pop star Sertab Erener
and Demir Demirkan, and the Grammy nominated Brothers of the Baladi.
She has performed for international corporations including Cirque du
Soleil's cast of Alegria, Nordstrom, SanDisk, and Herbalife as well as
belly dance shows in Japan, Iceland and Germany. Between performing at
parties, weddings and corporate events all over Sacramento and San
Francisco, directing Kanz al Sahara and co-directing Troupe Scimitar,
Nyla is working on a Ph.D. in biochemistry at UC Davis where she is
researching the molecular pathways of estrogen receptor positive
breast cancer.