Apsara Afsanesara — Aleksandra Kilczewska

Apsara Afsanesara, born Aleksandra Kilczewska, is a Polish dancer known for specialising in dance traditions from Persia and the wider Silk Road region. Her movement background also includes ballet, modern, jazz, contemporary dance and Tribal-style belly dance. She became one of the relatively few European teachers to build a broad repertoire involving Persian, Uzbek, Tajik, Afghan, Azerbaijani and Uyghur-inspired forms. Apsara's work therefore extends considerably beyond conventional Raqs Sharqi. She has contributed to greater visibility for Central Asian and Persian movement traditions within communities that might otherwise encounter them only through loosely defined “Oriental Fusion.” Her profile should be carefully cross-linked with separate Raqs Atlas regional-style pages so that culturally distinct dances are not collapsed into a single belly-dance category.