Sahra Saeeda (Sahra C Kent) is an internationally respected belly dancer, researcher, teacher, and choreographer whose career bridges performance, anthropology, and deep cultural study of Egyptian dance. Originally trained in Modern Dance, she later discovered Arabic music and belly dance, eventually building a successful career that included nearly six years performing six nights a week at the Meridian-Heliopolis Hotel in Cairo, completing over 1,600 performances. While pursuing a Master’s degree in Dance Ethnology, Sahra studied and worked closely with Farida Fahmy, whose mentorship deeply influenced her artistic path. She later founded the theatrical dance company Ya Amar! and created the acclaimed Journey Through Egypt program, an immersive educational experience exploring Egyptian dance, folklore, music, and culture through an anthropological lens. Today, Sahra continues to teach workshops, lectures, and Journey Through Egypt worldwide, sharing more than three decades of research and lived experience.

In this episode you will learn about:

• What it was like to have Farida Fahmy as a university classmate at UCLA — and the emotional story of unexpectedly meeting an idol

• How one “dream performance” in Cairo unexpectedly turned into a hotel contract

• What zaffa really means in Egyptian culture — beyond the wedding performance dancers usually see

• The hidden symbolic role of the dancer in Egyptian wedding rituals and feminine power

• Why folklore research became a lifelong mission — and how it led to “Journey Through Egypt”