Two years of hard work, lots of feedback from judges and shaking her hips during the only Middle Eastern dance competition in the Midwest has finally paid off for one Ames woman.

Iowa State Workspace Instructor and Ames resident Lisa Rich-McKelvey, also known as Shiara in the dance community, won this year’s Middle Eastern Dance in North America competition.

This year’s competition was held on Aug. 22 in Saint Louis and was sponsored by the Desert Moon Dance Academy of St. Louis. The contest is open to anyone who has been dancing for at least five years.

Dancers who compete in the contest are judged on their dance skills, as well as their musical interpretation, entertainment quality and their appearance.

“I’m so pleased that I won this year,” Shiara says. “I’ve attended this event for the past two years and placed second each time.”

Each year she left the competition with added experience and recommendations on how to improve as a dancer.

“Participating at the [competition] has helped me grow tremendously as a performer,” Shiara says. “I’ve received wonderful feedback from the judges and recommendations on how I could improve as a dancer.”

When she came back to the competition this year, she was well-prepared and won the competition.

“This year, it all just came together perfectly,” Shiara says. “I’m very proud of my accomplishments.”

Shiara has been performing, studying and practicing the art of Middle Eastern Dance since 1993. Originally, she wanted to learn a dance style that didn’t require a partner, so she signed up for a Middle Eastern dance class with a female friend.

“It was different than anything I had ever been exposed to,” Shiara says. “From the moment I took my first Middle Eastern dance class, I knew in my heart that this was my calling.”

Shiara says most people believe Middle Eastern dance looks easy to do, but is actually much harder and more complex, which makes it great exercise.

“I love this dance,” Shiara says. “It is an integral part of who I am and it is my pleasure to have others find enjoyment through my expressions.”

Shiara is also a self-described “sci-fi nut,” which is how she decided upon her dance name. The daughter of the characters Worf and Deanna Troy on an alternate reality episode of “Start Trek: The Next Generation,” was named Shiara, which struck her as a good stage name.

“I thought it was a beautiful name,” Shiara says. “I had gone through baby name books and read articles for ideas, then I heard that and thought it was perfect.”

Shiara has been the Middle Eastern dance instructor at the Workspace in the Memorial Union for the past five years.

She says the best way to learn the unique dance style is to take an entry-level course from a professional.

“If you want to get into dance, then take a class with an instructor,” Shiara says. “It is extremely helpful.”