Born in Amman-Jordan, Lana came to the United States at age sixteen to attend the United World College in New Mexico. It was there that she first experienced creative expression as means of personal discovery, cross cultural communication, and healing.

Interested in Art therapy, she moved on to a B.A. in Psychology, graduating Cum Laude from the George Washington University in DC. She minored in Fine Arts and took acting classes. Her passion for performance led her to New York City where she spent two years acting, translating, and doing voice-over/narration. She moved to Manhattan just days before the towers fell, and become increasingly aware of her identity as an Arab Woman in the United States. Type casting, the issue of jihad, and the Israeli Palestinian conflict characterized her experience.

The problem of 'the other' and the desire to make new meaning led her to Consciousness Studies at John F. Kennedy University in California. She wrote an interdisciplinary Master's thesis on the jinn in language, mythology, and modern day relevance. She continued her research and wrote articles for publications on the realm of dreams and imagination.

Her research and study inspired her to create performance, solo and ensemble. She lectured and led experiential workshops in both the US and Jordan, utilizing symbols/archetypes, breathing exercises, belly dance basics, and guided visualization. She presented her work in a variety of settings, including the de Young Museum in San Francisco, the United World College in New Mexico, and at annual conferences of the Association for the Study of Dreams.

Tired of academic writing, Lana has moved to creative non-fiction, she's working on her first book and performing parts of it in a one-person play: ArabWomanTalking.

Included in the samples and links pages are some of her work experiences.