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

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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.

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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

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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.

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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.

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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

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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

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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.

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This is a special weekend 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 Sinda Sandra where she shares her belly dance transformations with us:

Before: thought that belly dance was not for someone like her, felt very shy.

Now: dreaming to come back to Egypt, and this time to dance on stage!

Before: was afraid that she didn’t have time for such activity.

Now: successfully finds time pockets to practice on a daily basis, believes that when you have hobby that you like very much, you always find time to work on it.

‘It’s my choice! Nobody tells me that I have to dance. But I’m feeling joy when I dance.’ _Sinda Sandra

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Since 2002, Miami based artist Tiffany Madera (Hanan) has become a figurehead in the dance world by re-coding traditional Egyptian Raks Sharki dance as a tool for empowerment and social justice. As a performer, professor, activist, museum professional, filmmaker, and non-profit leader, Tiffany combines a highly aesthetic approach and academic scholarship to tackle the questions of our day. She holds a Master’s Degree in Latin American and Caribbean Studies from the Kimberly Green Latin American and Caribbean Center at Florida International University and a Master’s Degree in Performance Studies from New York University Tisch School of the Arts, both with a focus on intercultural dance and film.

Tiffany’s cultural background, professional and academic experience make her an impact driven and effective non profit leader positioned to bring complex work into fruition through strategic partnerships and collaborations. Her projects have garnered support and awards across the world including a $100,000 Knight Arts Challenge award with a full matching grant from the Ware Foundation among numerous state, county, municipal and national foundation awards.

In this episode you will learn about:

• Dancing My Mother’s Body initiative

• Havana Habibi festival and documentary film

• The healing power of belly dance

• Running the non-profit organization Hanan Arts

• Writing grants and raising money through fundraising and sponsorships.

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There is some sort of shame around putting these two words together: dance & money (or art & sales). And I strongly believe that this is one of the main blocks for many talented dancers on why their career is not as successful as they wish it to be.

There is a misconception as if treating your art as a business will destroy the nature and essence of the art itself, as if suddenly you will stop being an artist.

I honestly think that such belief is a very comforting excuse for many artists on not taking responsibility for ALL aspects of their work. It feels much safer to stay in the comfort zone of a dance studio, focusing only on the training element of your profession, and ignoring everything else.

But you don’t have to choose between art and business. There IS a way on how to stay true to yourself and your art, AND make a decent living as a professional dancer.

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Cinzia is an international belly dancer, teacher and choreographer, based in Italy and appreciated all over the world for her power and charisma on stage. Cinzia studied classical dance, jazz and piano for 10 years and in 2004 she fell in love with oriental dance and folklore. Her style is refined and powerful, a mix of Arabic feeling and modernity. She teaches, judges and dances in many countries, such as Spain, South Korea, Taiwan, Ukraine, United States and Egypt and regularly performs in the most important Italian festivals. She has taught literature and foreign languages at her local high school for years and this has given her the opportunity to refine her teaching method and her empathy towards students all over the world. Cinzia has been the Italian champion twice, and she has been the winner of all the most important Italian competitions, winning also the IDO World Cup in the 2014 folklore section. Now she trains many famous Italian dancers, helping them with competitions and shows. Cinzia manages her academy, the Badia Operà Academy through which she organizes numerous events and performances of bellydance and oriental dance.

In this episode you will learn about:

• Teaching workshops vs regular ongoing classes

• Discipline among students

• Switching to online teaching

• Introducing folklore to beginner students

• Helping students with their competition preparations.

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Originally from sunny Miami, Helen Blondel has performed at a myriad of venues in Central & South Florida, including Kababi Cafe, Cleopatra Lounge, Hookita Lounge, Taverna Opa, Cedar's Lebanese Cuisine, & Dar Tagine. She has also appeared on Televised programs such as "Despierta America" and "Sabado Gigante" on Univision as a dancer and is a recent member of the MBC 2018 award-winning Belly Motions RAKettes Dance Company. Helen Blondel is the former Belly Dance Instructor of Florida International University recreation in Miami, and now resides in Orlando.

In this episode you will learn about:

• Charging appropriate fees for your dance shows

• Deciding if you are ready to enter the commercial dance industry

• How to get booked and prepare for your first paid show

• Social media, including TikTok, as a promo tool for getting local gigs

• How to get involved in TV projects and music videos.

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NEW episode with a selection of the best parts dedicated to facing and overcoming rejection, disapproval or judgement from teachers, relatives, or community. You’ll hear from Alex DeLora, Artemis Mourat, Esmeralda Colabone and Alla Kushnir.

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Sabah has decades of experience in classical, modern, and folk styles of dance. She has worked with the Chicago’s Festival Ballet, Ballet Chicago, and Alabama Ballet. She received her degree from Columbia College Chicago majoring in Cultural Studies and minoring in dance with a year abroad at the American University in Cairo, Egypt. There she joined the Egyptian Folkloric Company and received a contract to dance on the Nile Pharaoh cruise ship allowing her to hand-select a band and troupe of dancers. In 2006, she joined the international dance company Bellydance Superstars, directed by Jillina Carlano, and began touring the world performing and teaching workshops highlighting her specialty of combining ballet with belly dance while wearing toe shoes.

In 2019 Sabah relocated from Chicago to Los Angeles to become the Artistic Programs Manager for Bellydance Evolution. She has been a contributing choreographer for Bellydance Evolution since 2012. When BDE was commissioned to produce “Le Voyage de Scheherazade” a multi-national, multi-discipline collaboration between Moroccan, European and American Oriental and ballet dancers with the Orchestra Philharmonique de Maroc, Sabah was the choreographer for all the ballet routines.

In this episode you will learn about:

• The joy of dancing as a part of a group vs solo performances

• Experience of exploring belly dance at an university environment

• Benefits of ballet training for belly dancers

• The story of creating a fusion belly dance piece with pointe shoes, and joining Belly Dance Superstars

• Sabah’s responsibilities as the Artistic Programs Manager for Bellydance Evolution.

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Joana Saahirah is a world-renowned dancer, teacher, choreographer and author specialized in Egyptian Oriental and Folkloric dances. She’s written and published 2 books - “The Secrets of Egypt – Dance, Life & Beyond” and "Behind the Curtain", created the pioneering online platforms "Joana Saahirah´s World" and "Joana Saahirah´s Online Dance School" delivering authentic Egyptian dance, personal discovery & empowerment, and she is the creator of the upcoming "The Oriental Café" Podcast.

Joana started her career in Egypt, where she performed and lived for 8 years, as well as worked with Mahmoud Reda, as his teaching and choreography assistant. Joana has been a constant presence – as an invited artist, choreographer & teacher – at major International Oriental dance festivals and she’s been an innovator in the field of Egyptian Dance, creating a bridge of connection between Egypt and the world.

In this episode you will learn about:

• Differences between building your dance name and your brand

• How Joana has started her online platform

• The pillar content that helps grow her online community

• Egyptian dance and self-confidence

• Sensuality vs sexuality

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Pedro Bonatto is an internationally acclaimed photographer and drummer. Born in Brazil and based in Canada, Pedro works in fine art and fashion photography, with works published in Elle Arabia, Fashion Canada and a number of magazines and books. As a drummer, Pedro focuses on Middle Eastern music and its relationship to cultures from aroundd the world. He is also the creator of the world music and dance group The Blue Dot Ensemble.

In this episode you will learn about:

• Differences between Arabic and Turkish style of drumming

• Clay drum with natural skin vs modern darbuka with plastic cover

• Why the idea of drum solo improvisation is so scary for many dancers

• What is the best way to approach a live improvisation performance

• Performing at the competition settings

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Jackie Barzvi is a Raqs Sharqi (belly dance) instructor and performer originally from Queens, NY, now based in North Carolina. She has been dancing all her life and focuses on folkloric dances from Egypt, North Africa, Iraq, and the Persian Gulf. She recently created the first ever Mizrahi Dance Archive to highlight specific Jewish dances from MENA regions. She has been teaching Middle Eastern dance since 2011 and is passionate about creating environments where people can dance, connect, and build community.

The Mizrahi Dance Archive's mission is to collect and organize the information we have of specific Jewish dances from MENA regions and to also bring these dances to life in fun and relevant ways to share with communities all over the world. The Mizrahi Dance Archive is an educational tool to showcase the diversity of the Jewish people and the deep connections between art, dance, and Judaism.

In this episode you will learn about:

• Following your heart and passion to dance

• Belly dance activities in Israel

• Jewish music for dancing

• Understanding the differences between Mizrahi and Sephardic communities

• The influence of Jewish culture on dances in Morocco, Jemen, Tunisia, Uzbekistan and Egypt

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