Meet the team: Delya & Zaher Assaf
1 dancer + 1 musician = one fantastic cultural experience!
Delya
Fond of dancing from an early age, Delya naturally fell in love with music.
She trained with teachers in her area in different dance styles (modern jazz, rock, dance show, oriental, african dance...). She followed workshops, professional training and private tuitions. She is still training today with some of the best dance teachers.
Thanks to her multiple influences, her training and her experience, in June 2009, she won the Third Prize at the prestigious Raks Sharqi Contest in Berlin organised by Beata and Horacio Cifuentes as well as the 'Audience Prize' in the contest organised by Farida Seidi as a tribute to Nagwa Fouad and Raqia Hassan.
Delya is now performing and teaching in Zurich (Switzerland) and France, and is also regularly asked by other dancers to create choreographies for them in her unique style.
Zaher Assaf
The musician, singer and composer Zaher Assaf comes from Damascus, Syria. He studied classical and oriental music at the Music Academy of the Syrian University in Damascus with the most renowned teachers. During his studies he was a member of the Syrian National Philharmonic Orchestra and other ensembles. Over the course of his career, he worked with many famous artists in the Arabic world, Wadiaa el Safy among others. He also established his reputation as a music teacher for violin, oud (Arabic lute) and percussion. All these experiences made him an extraordinary musician, singer and composer. Zaher Assaf has been living in Europe since 1994. He spent some years in Germany and then relocated to Switzerland, where he has been living for the past years. He has been very active both as a solo artist and with various ensembles, such as his own group « El Farah » (which means joy in Arabic). In Zurich, he is a very sought-after music teacher for violin, oud and percussion. His passion for music drives him constantly to try out new things and to create new musical compositions.
