At the age of fifteen, Eva Laloum discovered her passion for oriental dance, also known as "belly dancing", when she watched an oriental dancer for the first time in her life at an Arab wedding. Ever since then she has been fascinated by this most womanly of all dances. In 1986 Eva moved to Jerusalem where she completed a degree in Middle Eastern Studies and Art History. Parallel to her studies at university, she became a student of renowned teachers for oriental dance, including Amoura (Israel/ Vienna). She was soon asked to perform in gigs all over Israel. In 1991 Eva set out for a two-year spell in Cairo where she took intensive classes in advanced Arabic language. Likewise, Eva studied oriental dance extensively with well-known professionals from Cairo, such as Nadia Hamdi, Ibrahim Akif and Ibtisam al-Masri ("Madame Busi"). In remote neighbourhoods of Cairo, she experienced the "Zar", a pre-Islamic ceremony to expel spirits. She also became acquainted with the dancers of the Mazin clan, the last of the legendary "Ghawazi" gypsies, in southern Egypt. Eva has travelled throughout the Middle East and has frequently worked as an interpreter and translator for correspondents of the international press. Since 1993 Eva has been living in Munich. She is a qualified teacher and performer of oriental dance for festivals, cultural as well as private events and continues to work as an interpreter. Her reputation has further been increased due to her various contributions to magazines and lectures, which focus on Middle Eastern subjects.