Egyptian Sun Productions

Nikki Traylor-Knowles

If you ever heard that bellydance "raqs," you were probably talking to Nikki Traylor-Knowles.  Nikki acquired an extensive training in tap and jazz before beginning bellydance in 1997 in Albuquerque, New Mexico.  Three years later, Nikki co-founded Egyptian Sun Productions with Dori Witt at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, MD.

Nikki attended workshops in Turkish, Egyptian, and American Tribal styles, with teachers such as Rhea and Piper Hunt, Suhaila Salimpour, Caroline Nerricio, and Suzanna del Vecchio.  She's performed at a wide variety of venues such as the Marrakesh Restaurant in Washington, D.C., Rakkasah East in New Jersey, and Fatima's, The Red Maple, and The Ottobar in Baltimore, Md.  Nikki is famous for her "fabulous" abdominal work, zills, and Turkish drops.  Outside of the dance scene, she holds an M.S. in Biology from Johns Hopkins University, and is a huge fan of Coca-Cola, Yoko Ono, and dangerously delicious pies.