Aalim Dance Academy is proud to present Scissortail Raqs with Mercedes Nieto in Oklahoma City on September 25-27, 2026!  Workshop, performance, and registration details TBA.

Mercedes Nieto is an internationally acclaimed Middle-Eastern dance artist from a Hungarian-Spanish family, based in Budapest. World famous of her delicate, elegant, yet passionate dance style, which is innovative and unique.

She has spent a decade touring around the World: since 2009 she had been teaching and performing in more than 50 countries worldwide.

While traveling and sharing her knowledge, passion and unique vision for belly dancing around the globe, she kept organizing the internationally highly acclaimed CAIRO! Fest Budapest. The festival attracts hundreds of dedicated dancers to Hungary every spring since 2007.

Mercedes is producing Middle-Eastern music especially for oriental dancers since 2012: creating music in Cairo, Egypt, in collaboration with some of the best musicians and composers the scene has to offer. She has released five albums that gained wide international success among dancers. The fifth one “El Hawa” has just been released.

Meanwhile currently focusing on her international career, festival and music productions, Mercedes is still teaching regular classes in Budapest in her dance studio called the “Nimfeum”, whenever she’s in town - creating annual shows with her students, organizing charity galas as well as managing her professional oriental dance group “The Nymph Oriental Dance Company”.

During the pandemic times she has started the RAQSoul project: a series of online workshops and weekly classes for dedicated dancers to stay connected and inspired - this has now transformed into an online membership platform for dedicated dance artists.