We fall in love with belly dance for many different reasons. One of those reasons is freedom, and vast opportunities for creativity. But we may get carry away with dance experiments. Let’s listen to the stories of Jillina Carlano, Meher Malik , Mohamed Shahin and Aubre Hill on why it is important to study the roots of this dance form.

Show Notes to this episode:

Full interviews with our guests:

Ep 22. Jillina Carlano: Building Community Around the Globe

Ep 27. Meher Malik: Fusion, Confusion and Female Objectification

Ep 94. Mohamed Shahin: When Egyptian Dance Becomes Something Else...

Ep 131. Aubre Hill: Transnational Dance Fusion

To book your stay in Cairo at Yasmina’s Bellydancers B’B, email yasmina@yasminaofcairo.com, or contact via Instagram.

Details about the Bellydance Bundle are available on Instagram, and website.

Follow Iana on Instagram, FB, and Youtube . Check out her online classes and intensives at the Iana Dance Club.

Find information on how you can support Ukraine and Ukrainian belly dancers HERE.

Podcast: www.ianadance.com/podcast

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Farah Nasri is a UK qualified teacher in dance and foreign languages. She began her belly dance career when she was a college student in London, and in 2014 she moved to Cairo. Today her Farah Nasri Dance Labs is the place to find the highest quality classes in Egyptian dance, theory, history, language, and culture! She is an active performer in Cairo, organizer of special course Belly Dance on Location, creator of her training wear brand 3youni, among other projects.

In this episode you will learn about:

• How Farah was fired as a school teacher in UK because of her belly dance activities

• Moving to Cairo to perform at famous Nile Maxim boat

• Differences between boat, club, and cabaret shows

• Producing designs locally in Cairo

• Filming dance videos as a central educational point of Farah’s course

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Tiffany started the Bellydance Bundle in 2017, bringing together dancers who had content online to create one massive showcase for what was available at the time. Now, year over year she brings together teachers and builds communities around the idea of an at-home practice. From lectures on language and culture to dances of all different MENAT & fusion styles, Tiffany brings together groups of teachers each year to help dancers study more often, with less stress, at home, for an affordable price. A total nerd for the business side of dance, she loves to work with teachers to help them find new students, and as a total nerd for dance, she loves to study with as many teachers as she can. How fortunate to be able to combine both in each year's Bellydance Bundle! Stay tuned for this year's offering, available November 2nd - 10th.

In this episode you will learn about:

• Learning business models from other industries

• What’s the use of having virtual assistant

• Tips for hiring virtual assistant

• Marketing tools that work in online space

• What is Belly Dance Bundle, and how it benefits dancers

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Shining is a performer, instructor and researcher of Egyptian traditional dances, whose work emphasizes the cultural and historical influences on the medium of dance in and from Egypt. She is the founder of http://www.banatmazin.com, a website dedicated to the legacy of the famous Luxor-based family, created in cooperation with Khyria Mazin to provide recorded lessons, interviews, song translations, family bios, streamable music and more, as learning resources for dancers around the world. She continues to perform, research and teach online and abroad since her move to Egypt in the summer of 2021.

In this episode you will learn about:

• The idea of documenting classes with Khyria, and how Shining moved to Egypt

• The importance of studying ghawazee style

• What the term ‘ghawazee’ actually means

• How to differentiate music appropriate for ghawazee style

• Different ways you can support Khyria Mazin

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This episode includes Iana’s lecture that was recorded specifically for the upcoming intensive at the Iana Dance Club “Cairo Dance Guide”.

You will hear about Iana’s experience of attending a bunch of dance festivals in Cairo during summer 2023, and her observations about current trends present in the Egyptian dance style.

Check the entire collection of available intensives at www.ianadanceclub.com/intensives

Show Notes to this episode:

Follow Iana on Instagram, FB, and Youtube . Check out her online classes and intensives at the Iana Dance Club.

Details and training materials for the BDE castings are available at www.JoinBDE.com

Find information on how you can support Ukraine and Ukrainian belly dancers HERE.

Podcast: www.ianadance.com/podcast

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Charafe is not just a dancer, he is one of the few, if not the only, male belly dancer in Morocco. He tries to lead a life as normal as possible in Casablanca. He teaches dance, makes choreographies for belly dancers, and participates in modern dance performances of his friends Ahlam and Wajdi. Charafe managed to establish dance classes in Casablanca, spreading awareness and education of various dance styles, including oriental and Moroccan folklore, within the country, as well as abroad.

In this episode you will learn about:

• Being a male dancer in Morocco

• Seeking formal oriental dance classes

• Variety of Moroccan dances, including Moroccan classical style

• Cultural connections with Andalusia

• Working with celebrities and TV shows

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We all love belly dance. But there is so much beyond oriental, in the field of folklore dances. Let’s listen to the stories of Apsara Afsanesara, Nada El Masriya , Samantha Burnstein and Gigi Dilsah, who found joy in exploring various folklore dances of the Near East and North Africa.

Show Notes to this episode:

Full interviews with our guests:

Ep 20. Apsara Afsanesara: What Do You Know About Persian Dance?

Ep 28. Nada El Masriya: How Studying Folklore Can Make You a Better Belly Dancer

Ep 244 - Nada El Masriya - Prioritizing Quality Over Quantity

Ep 38. Samantha Burnstein: Can Folklore Be Authentic on Stage?

Ep 70. Gigi Dilsah: What Does It Take to Be a Belly Dancer in Turkey

Details and training materials for the BDE castings are available at www.JoinBDE.com

Follow Iana on Instagram, FB, and Youtube . Check out her online classes and intensives at the Iana Dance Club.

Find information on how you can support Ukraine and Ukrainian belly dancers HERE.

Podcast: www.ianadance.com/podcast

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Zara is an Egyptian dancer currently based in Cairo. She has worked professionally as a dancer for over 17 years, including last 6 years specifically in Egypt. Zara has stared in various music videos and Bollywood films. Most recently she was featured in a film together with famous shaabi singer Shaaban Abdel Rahim and in a Ramadan special TV drama featuring Dina and Haifa Web. Her dancing has taken her around the world - Zara has performed not only in the UK and Egypt but also at a vast number of East African countries including: Kenya (in both Nairobi and Mobassa) and Tanzania (in both Dar Es Salaam and Zanzibar). Other countries she has worked in include Pakistan and Malta.

In this episode you will learn about:

• Being a belly dancer as an Egyptian woman

• Different types of cabaret venues in Cairo

• Personal insecurities and confidence on and off stage

• Another way of seeing Mahraganat, or why it got such a bad reputation

• How she started her magazine and belly dance store

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Having a multidisciplinary background and an unending thirst for all things dance, Diana Soto has performed in belly dance companies as well as flamenco and modern dance companies. She believes that the best innovation is rooted in tradition, so she has travelled to Egypt, Turkey, Spain and lived for a while in Beirut to study in depth the roots of the dances. Originally from Puerto Rico, Diana is currently based in Houston, and fully involved in active gigging life.

In this episode you will learn about:

• Using belly dance as a distraction during cancer recovery

• The experience of living in Beirut

• Pivoting from teaching to performing industry

• Getting into corporate jobs after full-time belly dance career

• Tips for solid marketing strategies

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Khaled Mahmoud is an Egyptian dancer from Cairo, currently based in London, UK. He specializes in oriental Raqs Sharki style, although his knowledge is also deeply routed in all kinds of Egyptian folklore. His style is very energetic and graceful at the same time. Khaled was a star at the International Bellydance Congress in the UK, and he is very much in demand teaching and performing in various festivals around the world.

In this episode you will learn about:

• Who are Egyptian women called ma’lema, kodia zar and el-osta

• Practical example of why you should learn folklore as a belly dancer

• Finding his own path as a dancer

• Separating personal and artistic life

• Khaled’s decision to retire from dance as his main profession

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This episode includes Iana’s lecture that was recorded specifically for the upcoming intensive at the Iana Dance Club “Cairo Dance Guide”.

You will hear about Iana’s experience of attending a bunch of dance festivals in Cairo during summer 2023, and a collection of practical tips that would be useful for your future activities at festivals.

Check the entire collection of available intensives at www.ianadanceclub.com/intensives

Show Notes to this episode:

Follow Iana on Instagram, FB, and Youtube . Check out her online classes and intensives at the Iana Dance Club.

Details and training materials for the BDE castings are available at www.JoinBDE.com

Find information on how you can support Ukraine and Ukrainian belly dancers HERE.

Podcast: www.ianadance.com/podcast

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Meet Passant Gemeay, a self-taught Egyptian bellydance teacher, choreographer & ladies-only performer. She has fiercely joined the world of dance. not knowing that it would become her ultimate passion in life. Having a great experience by attending classes and connecting with star dancers, she managed to have her own attractive style mastering all types of this art, and aiming to teach women who think they can’t dance.

In this episode you will learn about:

• Different kinds of belly dance classes in Cairo

• The popularity of belly dance classes at gyms

• Benefits of belly dancing

• Teaching belly dance to Egyptians and foreigners

• The influence of dance festivals

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Mohamed Shahin is an inspirational instructor, world-renowned performer, and challenging choreographer of Egyptian Oriental Dance. A native of Cairo, Egypt, Mr. Shahin discovered his passion for Egyptian Dance at the young age of fifteen. Throughout Shahin’s childhood, he was fascinated by all forms of dance, and after receiving his degree as Mechanical Engineer, he was at cross road to choose between becoming a full-time engineer or pursue his life as a professional dancer / dance teacher. Shahin decided that he would dedicate himself to the Egyptian Dance. After many years of the intense study of various Middle Eastern styles of dance, Modern dance, and Ballet- Shahin developed a complex methodology of instruction that has made him a Master teacher beloved to his students worldwide, today. Shahin currently lives in New York City but has been touring the world full-time since 2004.

In this episode you will learn about:

• The story of Cleopatra festival, and its first successful edition in Egypt

• Differences between dance festival and intensive

• What is typical Egyptian show, and communication between dancer and musicians

• Challenges in organizing festivals in USA and Egypt

• Mohamed’s new music album, and the process of creating songs for dancers

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Marta Korzun is an internationally recognized bellydance teacher from Ukraine. She is acknowledged for her unique teaching method and clear and concise explanations, and regularly holds training workshops worldwide. She started her career in 2006 by taking part in many competitions in Ukraine and abroad, including Cairo. She has been titled the Bellydance Champion of the World (2011), European Bellydancer (2011), and 2nd winner at “Nile Group Cairo" (2010), just to name a few. Today Marta is a respected judge at many prestigious belly dance competitions, and coach of the World Champions in oriental dance.

In this episode you will learn about:

• How lockdowns forced Marta to review her self-identity as a dancer, and as a person

• Dealing with inner critique, and overcoming the struggle of constant comparison

• Why she decided to travel less than before in her dance career

• The decision to move to Canada

• Comparing belly dance scenes in Ukraine and Canada

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