This is a special series ‘Student Voices’ where I share my conversations with the members of the Iana Dance Club about life, dance and training. Some of participants are belly dance beginners, some are professionals, but all of us have one thing in common: we all remain being students of dance. :)

Enjoy this inspiring conversation with Shani Brown where she shares her belly dance transformations with us:

Belly Dance Transformations:

"A lot of the time it’s difficult to prioritize for ourselves, and to prioritize our dance because there are so many things that we have to do… But if we have assignments and goals to reach for the week/month, that really helps to prioritize our training."

"I think it’s so nice to record yourself right from the beginning of your dance journey, so that 1 month/ 2 months or even a year later you can look back and realize: “Omg, I have improved!”. Video recording is a wonderful tool."

"I think I’m mature enough to know that progress isn’t instant, but I know it will come. There is always room for growth, so we just keep going."

"Belly dance brings me that need to continue to challenge myself, to learn, to grow. Something I can’t find anywhere else."_Shani

Read More

Victoria Teel is an award winning belly dance performer and instructor. In 2010, she was chosen along with 24 other dancers to participate in the world’s first ever belly dance reality show, Project Belly Dance. She placed among the top six contestants, earning her spot in the Final 6 instructional DVD released in March 2011. Soon after Project Belly Dance, Victoria joined Miles Copeland's Bellydance Superstars in Japan for the tour of Bombay Bellywood.

Victoria is also the creator of the Teel Fan Method, a dance technique using fans and fan veils incorporating influences from Asian dances. Today, Victoria is based in the USA and offers online classes. She currently tours the world teaching workshops and performing.

In this episode you will learn about:

• Participation at the reality TV show Project Belly Dance

• Experience of joining Belly Dance Superstars

• The story of falling in love with fan-veils

• Victoria’s approach to her own training

• The importance of learning with different teachers

Read More

This is a special series ‘Student Voices’ where I share my conversations with the members of the Iana Dance Club about life, dance and training. Some of participants are belly dance beginners, some are professionals, but all of us have one thing in common: we all remain being students of dance. :)

Enjoy this inspiring conversation with Sandra Van Baaren where she shares her belly dance transformations with us:

Belly Dance Transformations:

"What helped a lot in my training was video taping myself. Often I’d look in a mirror and think that I’ve gotten a move, but after seeing a video I would realize that I needed to do a lot more of work."

"Sometimes you will stop trying again just because learning process lost the fun quality of it. You need to overcome a frustration of not getting a movement right away."

"My current focus is getting more creative with my own dance."

"Also, I’ve added ballet classes along with belly dance training, and I like the difference it made in my body."

"Dance helps me to balance the type of work I do on a daily basis."

"Belly dance is so beautiful! It brings a lot of joy, creativity and magic into my world." _Sandra

Read More

Born in Berlin, Germany, Beata Cifuentes started dancing at the age of six. Already as a child she attended her weekly ballet lessons with great persistence. Her decision to interrupt medical studies, as well as an intensive three-year course at Berlin’s Academy for Performing Arts, led her to discover oriental dance. She was fascinated by Arabic music when she heard the legendary singer Um Kalthoum – this was the start of a life-long passion for oriental dancing. After serious research, studies and travels to the Middle East, Beata founded the first-of-its-kind school for oriental dance in Berlin. She currently co-directs the Dance Academy Cifuentes in Beelitz, performs and teaches internationally, and is an inspiration to dancers world-wide.

In this episode you will learn about:

• Teaching mistakes Beata did in the beginning of her career

• Transition from ballet to the belly dance world

• Incorporating ballet class structure into oriental dance

• The love story of Beata and Horacio

• Crazy situations of collaborating with various composers on music CDs

Read More

This is a special series ‘Student Voices’ where I share my conversations with the members of the Iana Dance Club about life, dance and training. Some of participants are belly dance beginners, some are professionals, but all of us have one thing in common: we all remain being students of dance. :)

Enjoy this inspiring conversation with Wendy where she shares her belly dance transformations with us:

Belly Dance Transformations:

"I needed to exercise, but I couldn’t make myself going to gym on a regular basis. Dance on contrary is just something that is fun. Every time there is music on, I feel that I have to move."

"I’m naturally a very clumsy person, I’m usually covered in bruises because I keep bumping into things, so me being able to coordinate all these different movements together is a victory."

"I never thought I would be able to learn a choreography over just one month, because I have terrible memory. I’m so proud of myself now."

"When you learn a choreography, it’s nice to share it with the audience, but I’ve determined that it’s not something that I NEED in order to be happy."

"I’m enjoying just how I improve my movements, exploring the ability to learn things that I thought were too hard for me." _Wendy

Read More

Warda is a professional national and international award-winning bellydancer. She has traveled to Egypt over thirty times to research and train and has won awards by top Egyptian professionals for her dancing. Warda is the director of the Shahrazad Dance Company , and has written ‘The Origins and History of Bellydance’, along with Egyptian Professor Dr. Hassan Khalil. She is a mentor and teacher of a number of prize winning dancers.

In this episode you will learn about:

• Traveling lifestyle as a part of military community

• Bringing innovation to dance

• The origins of the belly dance art form

• What is the proper name of our dance style

• The importance of critical thinking

Read More

This is a special series ‘Student Voices’ where I share my conversations with the members of the Iana Dance Club about life, dance and training. Some of participants are belly dance beginners, some are professionals, but all of us have one thing in common: we all remain being students of dance. :)

Enjoy this inspiring conversation with Lilia where she shares her belly dance transformations with us:

"I’m battling perfectionism constantly."

"In my mind ‘professional’ means ‘perfect’ which is not true."

"I have several performances and competitions that I skipped because I though I wasn’t ready, that they would not be perfect. It’s a constant battle."

"Sometimes when you want it to be perfect, you do nothing, because you are afraid it won’t be perfect."

"I don’t even know what is ‘perfect’. That’s the irony of it."

"Now I’m trying to practice smarter rather than harder."

"Belly dance gives the freedom to express my feelings. It gives me storytelling techniques with the body." _Lilia

Read More

We often make grand plans but fail on showing up and performing them. Or sometimes we do show up but don't put 100% of our energy into the task. This relates to dance training too, especially if we are talking about practicing on your own. How to be more accountable and stop finding excuses of being too busy, or too tired, or simply postponing for later?

Read More

This is a special series ‘Student Voices’ where I share my conversations with the members of the Iana Dance Club about life, dance and training. Some of participants are belly dance beginners, some are professionals, but all of us have one thing in common: we all remain being students of dance. :)

Enjoy this inspiring conversation with Tita where she shares her belly dance transformations with us:

‘’I feel that I’m growing, and it’s wonderful to be 59 and still experience the growth in your body."

"I started doing belly dance to help with my cognition, to feel more feminine on my body. I’m learning to be not just to be a worker, but to have individuality and to express myself."

"My training is changing with my body. Some days I just sit and watch videos, or listen to the music and mark moves in my head."

"I’m happy if dance just belongs to me [without showing it to anyone else]. But I like sharing and bringing joy to people too."

"What keeps people away from even trying to attend the class is that fear of feeling lost."_ Lina Marie

Read More

Amar Lammar was born in Mexico City. Since a young age she showed interest in art, especially dance. At the age of six years old she began her studies of Polynesian dances followed by a short period of ballet together with Mexican folklore. At the age of 11 she got into Afro-Caribbean rhythms but finally discovered and pursued her studies of oriental dance at the age of 13.

Her international career began in 2003 with her first contracts in India for the Sheraton hotel group. After this first successful contract, she expanded her career and performed in several countries including Bahrein, Syria, Lebanon, Tunis and the Netherlands. For 12 years she has resided in the UAE performing full time at some of the most prestigious hotels in Abu Dhabi and Dubai including Marriot, Millenium, Rotana, Burj Al Arab, Atlantis the Palm and Emirates Palace. Now based in South Africa, Amar continues dancing and improving. Her main goal is to teach Oriental Dance based on her experiences in the Middle East and the knowledge she acquired during all these years.

In this episode you will learn about:

• Reasons why she quit daily shows in Dubai and moved to South Africa

• Connecting with dancers, client and students in a new country

• Preparing classes for beginning students

• Teaching livestream classes vs prerecorded videos

• Motivation to practice without any performance goals

Read More

This is a special series ‘Student Voices’ where I share my conversations with the members of the Iana Dance Club about life, dance and training. Some of participants are belly dance beginners, some are professionals, but all of us have one thing in common: we all remain being students of dance. :)

Enjoy this inspiring conversation with Tita where she shares her belly dance transformations with us:

Before:

• My body was stuck doing nothing my whole life. I had to learn to move every muscle, especially my hips.

• It’s difficult to follow the choreo with ‘rights’ and ‘lefts’.

• Finding my flow was very difficult. I’m good with capturing all accents in my mind, but my body isn’t, lol.

Now:

• Belly dance helped me to exercise consistently.

• It also inspired me to take care and move my body even more diving into other disciplines.

• My self-confidence improved. I found that I am beautiful.

‘These days I found a new way of enjoying dance. I’m not dancing for someone, but I’m dancing for myself.’

"Two girls started dancing because they saw my very first performance. That was so inspiring. Since then I think: Ok, I’m not perfect, but I CAN do it!"_ Tita

Read More

Semsemah has created a unique, innovative and modern belly dance style and became one of the most famous dancers of her generation. She knew how to develop a modern style while preserving the Egyptian soul. Artistic director of the Sesame Association, she regularly organizes events related to oriental dance (tours to Cairo, shows, training, festivals). She hosts the annual show "Bent El Balad" bringing together her students and renowned artists such as Aladin El Kholy, Gamal Seif, Hind, Salma, Hakim, Taly, Kareem Gad, Zomzom. Semsemah also co-organized the Eshtah ya Eshta oriental dance festival with the renowned oriental dancer Taly, bringing together artists from France and Egypt (Wael Mansour and Mohamed Kazafy). Today, SEMSEMAH is regularly invited to dance and teach internationally (Italy, Venezuela, Ukraine, Russia, Mexico, Germany, Ireland, Spain, Russia, Switzerland, Serbia, Estonia and France).

In this episode you will learn about:

• Algerian culture and belly dance

• How Semsemah defines the term ‘professional dancer’

• Her learning process with Yousri Sharif

• Tips on how to develop individual style

• Teaching classes online vs in-person

Read More

This is a special series ‘Student Voices’ where I share my conversations with the members of the Iana Dance Club about life, dance and training. Some of participants are belly dance beginners, some are professionals, but all of us have one thing in common: we all remain being students of dance. :)

Enjoy this inspiring conversation with Aleesa where she shares her belly dance transformations with us:

‘’I used to think that belly dance was silly, but 20 years later belly dance is a huge part of my life.’’

‘’Dance provides a nice contrast [to my profession] where I can express my femininity, creativity. It also allows me to move, to connect with people all around the world.’’

During her 22 years of belly dance exploration, Aleesa has made a couple of breaks from dancing to question the authenticity of her love to dance, but every time she came back to it.

"For me belly dance is as much about community, as about dance and music itself."_Aleesa

Read More

Nataša Kočar is a certified oriental dance teacher and choreographer, and the co-founder and head of the KUOD Bayani dance company, She has a degree in geography and sociology from Ljubljana’s Faculty of Arts. Her dance education started at the age of 12 at one of Slovenia’s top dance schools, including 2 years of overall dance training and 4 years of jazz ballet).

At the beginning of the new millennium, Nataša discovered her love for oriental music. She has attended more than 200 workshops with different teachers from Egypt, Europe, and America. From 2004 onwards, Nataša has been teaching 7-9 classes per week and she has around 70 regular students each year. She organizes workshops and events and have passionately produced and co-produced 10 theatre dance shows (in Slovenia and abroad).

In this episode you will learn about:

• Developing a teaching career in dance

• Nataša’s passion for folklore styles

• Differences between teaching adults and children

• How Nataša came up with the idea to write a book

• The process of publishing the book.

Read More

This is a special series ‘Student Voices’ where I share my conversations with the members of the Iana Dance Club about life, dance and training. Some of participants are belly dance beginners, some are professionals, but all of us have one thing in common: we all remain being students of dance. :)

Enjoy this inspiring conversation with Dimitra where she shares her belly dance transformations with us:

Before:

• Resisted to attend a class because of the fear of embarrassment in a group of unknown people.

• Didn’t know how to practice on her own. Had unrealistic expectations regarding how her dance should look like.

• ‘When we were learning new movement and I couldn’t do it right away, it was blocking me. I was not able to move at all.’

Now: 'With time I realized that it’s ok if I don’t get something right away. I must do those mistakes, and that’s how I will learn. Seeing the progress in my dance was the moment of feeling almost unstoppable.'’

"Belly dance makes me feel free and connected to the feminine flow. It became a big and integral part of my routine. I see it as a self-love ritual."_Dimitra

Read More

Leila was one of the most popular working dancers in Cairo for 13 years. While in Egypt she performed for parties, dignitaries, and weddings in Egypt and throughout Europe and the Arabian Gulf. She also danced continuously for Nile cruises, in the best hotels and concerts on television. Leila is also a well-known actress and model and is a recognizable personality throughout the Middle East being involved in hundreds of TV shows, music videos, TV commercials and films.

Leila has produced some of the best-loved dance CDs today (the only dancer to utilize a "live sound" in her productions). She was the founder of Camp Negum, a yearly live music dance festival in Egypt for 8 years. She has taught workshops around the world and after moving to the states in 2015, she continues to teach online and in person focusing on the connection between the music, culture and self expression behind the dance. Her writings about dance and culture are utilized by scholars and dancers around the world.

In this episode you will learn about:

• Taking classes with Raqia Hassan

• Beginning of Leila’s career in Egypt

• Tough lessons she learnt in Egypt

• Dance career during pregnancy

• Leila’s approach to teaching, and her thoughts about competitions.

Read More

Gitza is a Mexican dancer, internationally renowned teacher, choreographer and artistic director, who started practicing Middle-Eastern dances in 2006. She is currently the director of the Gitza dance school, and the Raqs Sahira dance company. Her vision for belly dance is influenced by psychology and dance therapy. With these disciplines, she has developed tools for teaching dance in a creative and experimental way, always investigating personal experience as the main engine for creation and interpretation.

In this episode you will learn about:

• The concept of the dance movement therapy

• How the classes on dance movement therapy work

• Incorporating dance movement therapy into belly dance classes

• Common phycological patterns among belly dance students

• Pregnancy experience as a belly dancer.

Read More

This is a special series ‘Student Voices’ where I share my conversations with the members of the Iana Dance Club about life, dance and training. Some of participants are belly dance beginners, some are professionals, but all of us have one thing in common: we all remain being students of dance. :)

Enjoy this inspiring conversation with Jacinda (aka Aliya Dalal) where she shares her belly dance transformations with us:

‘’Dance helped me to overcome my body image and eating disorders. It taught me to love my body not for how it looks like, but for what it can do. It felt very liberating.’’

‘’I realized that I can’t compartmentalize. If I want to have emotions in dance, I have to have emotions in life.’’

‘’Many of us are afraid to express emotions because we are afraid that it will overtake us. But dance helped me to get in touch with my emotions.’’

‘’I became fascinated with the potential for this dance to heal for women with trauma.’’

"This dance saved my life in so many ways. It saved my health. It helped me to overcome my eating disorders. I helped me to see value in myself, not just as a dancer and artists, but also as a human being. It helped me to connect with the world. It helped me to become a more open person. It helped me to be in touch with my emotions, which allowed me to be supportive of others in their emotions."_Jacinda

Read More

This is a special series ‘Student Voices’ where I share my conversations with the members of the Iana Dance Club about life, dance and training. Some of participants are belly dance beginners, some are professionals, but all of us have one thing in common: we all remain being students of dance. :)

Enjoy this inspiring conversation with Pratima Nagaraj where she shares her belly dance transformations with us:

Before: I used to have lots of judgements about my body, and I used to be very insecure person.

I thought I could never dance because I had two left feet.

Now: I didn’t realize first that belly dance would boost my confidence.

Being ok with all my imperfections became easier.

It took away judgements and brought confidence in my body.

Gave me confidence that I CAN dance!

It made me feel sensual.

I see the difference in my mood when I don’t dance for week or two.

"Belly dance is a form of doing something purely for myself. Why not to prioritize something that makes you happy?"_Pratima Nagaraj

Read More

Raquy Danziger is a world-famous American musician, teacher and composer based in Istanbul. She has released thirteen albums, five darbuka method books, and two volumes of her original compositions. Her educational offerings are available through her online darbuka school: Darbukaschool.com. More than a thousand students are currently enrolled in her courses.

Raquy specializes in the split hand technique, which is a fast and elaborate Turkish drumming style. She also plays the mystical twelve- string King Kemenche Tarhu, a rare and exotic bowed instrument.⁣⁣ She has also performed in Egypt as a soloist with The Egyptian "King of Tabla" - Said El Artist, and his drumming orchestra in the great concert halls of Egypt. She has performed at the Lincoln Center, CRR concert hall in Istanbul, and in many festivals. In 2005, she was the recipient of the Meet the Composer grant. Raquy has appeared on Good Morning Egypt, Leila Kebira, O TV, the Culture Channel, Turkish Television, Arabs Got Talent, and has been interviewed on Al Jazeera.

In this episode you will learn about:

• Drummer as a lead musician or as an accompanist

• Raquy’s drumming experience in Egypt

• Learning the Turkish style of drumming

• Her special notation system for drummers

• Tips for dance-music collaborations.

Read More