Biography for Aleah (Lea Marlin)
I was born in Columbus, Georgia, to Ward and Mary Jane Lutz. My father was a Colonel in the United States Army. As you can imagine, I lived in various locations all over the country and the world, including, California, New York, Washington, Alabama, Kansas and Germany.
Germany was very inspiring, with trips to see castles along the Rhine river and ski trips to the Alps and even cruising the canals of Holland via boat for a week.
Washington State with its majestic scenery and Kansas with its desolate starkness on the prairie and Alabama with its lush forests. Not to mention all the different people I’ve met along the way, that have been and continue to be a constant source of inspiration and an appreciation for living life to its fullest.
The arts were always appreciated in our family. My Grandmother was an artist and studied in New York. My Mother was a pianist and a singer. My sister studied flute performance in school and teaches music for elementary school. My older sister did theatre in school. So, art and music were a common thread through our family.
I studied Interior Design at the University of Alabama Tuscaloosa and graduated in 1990. I was an Artist for Aerojet, a company that was building the rocket motors for the space shuttle. I married Bruce Marlin, who himself was a musician and a sound engineer. We have two children, John and Lucye, who enjoy art as well.
In fact, after 9/11 my son drew a picture of the twin towers with a flurry of angels rising above the buildings. I saw the significance in his illustration, immediately took it to the Ennis Daily News, it was printed the next day and the Associated Press picked it up. It was on CNN’s website, and was printed on the front page of a section of the Miami Herald.
I have been living in Ennis for about 9 years. My husband works for Atlas Sound, located in Ennis, TX.
I have been painting murals for years now with my friend Bonnie Harper. We have painted all the elementary school libraries in Ennis. Together we have painted numerous murals for businesses and restaurants. Byblos Lebanese restaurant located in Ft. Worth commissioned a huge painting on canvas 7’ by 14’. The largest mural to date was just recently for Atlas Sound’s showroom spanning around 15 feet high by about 30 feet long.
I am also a professional bellydancer, specializing in Egyptian Raks Sharqi (modern Egyptian dance). I have studied personally and privately with Egypt’s top dancers and instructors. I perform all over the DFW area for many different restaurants, venues and charity events. My love of the dance with its ancient roots and elaborate costumes has inspired the latest series of paintings. Beautiful Arabic eyes and inspired faces as well as a visit to a recent King Tut exhibit have further fueled my exotic and fantasized artful interpretations!
Much to my delight and pleasure, I have teamed up with Connie Jordan and Jordan Galleries in displaying recent works! Many thanks to Connie and her inspirational book: “RePaint your Life: Create a Life in Art.” It has truly changed my life!
Aleah is a professional middle eastern dancer, specializing in Egyptian Raks Sharqi (modern Egyptian dance). She has studied locally and intensively with master teachers, Vashti and Tambra, and has had the opportunity to study personally and privately with Egypt’s top dancers and instructors. (Mahmoud Reda, Farida Fahmy, Badia, Raqia Hassan.) Here in the states she has studied with John Compton, Shareen El Safey, Nourhan Sharif, Leila, Katia of Boston, Karen Barbee, Shanna, Elena, Princess Farhana, Jim Boz and others.
Aleah has been dancing professionally for several years now and can be seen performing at Al-Amir restaurants in Dallas and Addison and Byblos in Fort Worth. She has the high energy of the Lebanese style paired with the emotive elegance of the Classical Egyptian style. Her love for this dance comes through with every performance.
