Since 2006, Estudio Sahar® has been dedicated to the training of Bellydance artists through a serious and academic approach that integrates technique, musicality, and cultural context. In 2026, it was formally established as a Civil Association, consolidating an institutional trajectory devoted to education, research, and cultural outreach.
In addition, we have developed sustained cultural outreach initiatives in prominent venues across Buenos Aires’ cultural landscape, bringing Arab dance and music closer to new audiences.
Since its beginnings, Estudio Sahar® has developed a sustained educational approach that combines practical training and theoretical study. Through classes and teacher-training programs, the institution offers instruction in Bellydance, Bellydance History, and ethno-identity (folkloric) dances, as well as courses on Arab culture covering history, literature, and religion.
In this regard, the institution has been a pioneer in Argentina in incorporating a cultural and theoretical-academic approach as a central component of Bellydance education, integrating historical context, terminology, and critical analysis of sources into its methodology. This educational approach is complemented by conferences and advanced training courses with national and international specialists, as well as an online platform that allows students from across Argentina and abroad to access the programs, expanding the reach of the educational project beyond Buenos Aires.
Since 2012, Asia Festival® has been the festival of dance and music of Asia and North Africa organized by Estudio Sahar®. Its mission is to promote the appreciation of cultural heritage, respect, and fraternity within cultural diversity, bringing these artistic expressions closer to increasingly broader audiences within Buenos Aires’ cultural landscape.
Throughout its history, the festival has been presented at prominent venues —such as the Library of the National Congress of Argentina and the National Library of Argentina— and has been selected twice by the Mecenazgo cultural promotion program of the Ministry of Culture of the City of Buenos Aires. It has also received the Cultural Interest Declaration from the Ministry of Culture of Argentina.
With a free admission policy, Asia Festival® attracts a large audience every year and maintains a high-quality artistic program in collaboration with cultural and governmental institutions.
Throughout its history, Asia Festival® has been held at universities, museums, and prominent cultural venues across Buenos Aires.
These venues have supported its mission and expanded the festival’s reach:
Museo Nacional de Arte Oriental
Biblioteca del Congreso de la Nación
Universidad del Salvador
Biblioteca Nacional
Manzana de las Luces
Museo Etnográfico
Director of Asociación Civil Estudio Sahar® and creator of Asia Festival®. Her work integrates research, teaching, and cultural management, with an academic approach applied to the promotion of dance and music within institutional settings.
She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Oriental Studies (USAL) and completed a Diploma in Social and Political Anthropology and a Postgraduate Program in Cultural Management at FLACSO, as well as the Contemporary Middle East Program at UCA. At Universidad del Salvador, she teaches the courses Arabic Literature. In the artistic field, she trained in Bellydance through the teacher-training programs of Yamila Masur and Shahdana, and further developed her skills with renowned artists such as Saida and Ekaterina Oleinikova.
At the same time, she expanded her training in ethno-identity (folkloric) dances with teachers such as Joana Gea, Charafe Ennaji, Nesma, and Miriam Peretz, participating in specialized training programs and study trips in Morocco, Egypt, and Spain.
Marina Barrionuevo is the director of Estudio Sahar®, a leading institution in Argentina with regional reach, dedicated to the teaching and research of Bellydance and Ethno-identity Dances.
She is the author of the collection Historia General del Bellydance, a pioneering work in Spanish that systematizes historical research on this dance through academic standards, and the Manual de Fundamentos Teóricos para la Danza Árabe (released this year), conceived as a training resource and study guide. She also served as an advisor to musician Mario Kirlis in the writing of his book Historia de la Música Árabe (2019), for which she also wrote the foreword. In addition, she hosts the podcast Asia en Buenos Aires, broadcast by the Library of the National Congress of Argentina, dedicated to promoting Asian art and culture within the local context.
Her work brings together historical research, dance, and cultural management, consolidating an educational proposal with a rigorous and academic approach.