Ep 51. Tamalyn Dallal: Following Her Heart & Destroying "Us Vs Them" Stereotypes
I had already relistened to this conversation several times! Wow! Please welcome a treasure of wisdom and experiences, Tamalyn Dallal!
She has done nearly everything in her 42-year Middle Eastern dance career: from performing for stars such as Sean Connery, Michael Jackson and James Brown, the president of El Salvador, Saudi Arabian princes, and the King of Jordan (to name a few), to mentoring dancers such as Amar Gamal, Bozenka, Virginia and others. Crowned Miss America of the Bellydance (1995), Tamalyn has performed and taught in 44 countries. She was one of the original Bellydance Superstars, has written three books, produced two music CDs of Africa's oldest band, the Ikhwan Safaa Musical Club of Zanzibar, and dance documentaries, including Zanzibar Dance, Trance and Devotion (2011), and Ethiopia Dances for Joy (2013).
In this interview we discussed such important topics as the authenticity of belly dance and its historical roots, 21st century division between West and East (us & them), Tamalyn’s travel adventures, and music experiments with Zanzibar Orchestra, as well as current trends of judging and criticizing each other within the belly dance community. I hope this conversation will encourage you to think deeper on certain subjects, and always seek your own opinion instead of blindly following the mass.
Show Notes to this episode:
This episode is brought to you by My Inner Dancer: myinnerdancer.com , a fashion and lifestyle brand inspired by belly dance.
Find Tamalyn Dallal on FB and official website: www.tamalyndallal.com. Details about her books, CDs and documentaries (as well as purchasing info) is available HERE.
Other resources mentioned in the interview: Book “Before They Were Belly Dancers”, and Shira.net website.
Find Iana on Instagram, FB, Youtube, website
Podcast: www.ianadance.com/podcast
Bellydance Evolution and information about their new program and casting: bellydanceevolution.com
