Belly Dance Life

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.

Show Notes to this episode:

Follow Cinzia via FB, Instagram, Youtube and website.

Join our January DANCE CHALLENGE HERE.

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

Podcast: www.ianadance.com/podcast

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.

Show Notes to this episode:

Follow Helen Blondel via FB, Instagram, Youtube, TikTok and website.

Join our January dance challenge HERE.

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

Podcast: www.ianadance.com/podcast

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.

Show Notes to this episode:

Full interviews with our guests:

Ep 21. Alex DeLora: Every Drum Solo Has Its Own Mood

Ep 125. Artemis Mourat: Seek Out Your Dance Mentors & ‘Angel’ Mothers

Ep 151. Esmeralda Colabone: Living The Truth: Motherhood and Dance Career

Ep 40. Alla Kushnir: Not Only Luck Makes You Number 1

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

Podcast: www.ianadance.com/podcast

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.

Show Notes to this episode:

Follow Sabah via FB, Instagram and Bellydance Evolution website.

Gift Cards are now available at the Iana Dance Club. Find more info HERE.

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

Podcast: www.ianadance.com/podcast

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

Show Notes to this episode:

Follow Joana Saahirah via Instagram, YouTube, FB, and www.joanasaahirah.com.

Previous episode with Pedro: Ep 76. Joana Saahirah: Egyptian Dance As The Tool For Self-Knowledge And Empowerment.

Follow Iana on Instagram, FB, and Youtube . Check out her online classes and intensives at the Iana Dance Club. New YouTube show “Artist Date” is available HERE.

Podcast: www.ianadance.com/podcast

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 around 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

Show Notes to this episode:

Follow Pedro Bonatto on FB, Instagram, and YouTube, his website with useful tips for preparing for shoots, and his podcasts.

Previous episode with Pedro: Ep 112. Pedro Bonatto: Drummer, Photographer & Husband of a Belly Dancer

DANCE CHALLENGE with Iana: www.ianadanceclub.com/challenge

Follow Iana on Instagram, FB, and Youtube . Check out her online classes and intensives at the Iana Dance Club. New YouTube show “Artist Date” is available HERE.

Podcast: www.ianadance.com/podcast

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

Show Notes to this episode:

Find Jackie Barzvi on FB, Instagram, and website. Also, visit the Mizrahi Dance Archive at www.mizrahidancearchive.com.

Mizrahi music mentioned in the podcast:

Sarit Hadad

Dudu Tassa & The Kuwaitis

Yemen Blues

Lala Tamar

DANCE CHALLENGE with Iana: www.ianadanceclub.com/challenge

Follow Iana on Instagram, FB, and Youtube . Check out her online classes and intensives at the Iana Dance Club. New YouTube show “Artist Date” is available HERE.

Podcast: www.ianadance.com/podcast

Yousry Sharif is the embodiment of many greats when it comes to Egyptian Raqs Sharqi: a great original choreographer, a great teacher, a great mentor, a great music producer, a great presence, a great inspiration, a great mind, and the list goes on and on. 

A native to Cairo, his dance talents shone through at a tender age of seven. He grew up thoroughly trained in Egyptian folkloric dancing, plus various dance forms, including jazz, classical ballet, and flamenco, while working with various influential choreographers and teachers. After moving to New York, the USA, in the 1980s, he started his own dance academy to educate dancers in what the world has come to adore as the Yousry Sharif oriental style. While preserving the spirit of traditions, he takes the dance to a contemporary level and beyond. To him, the dance is a life form. It evolves with time and environment, while never loses sight of its roots.

In this episode you will learn about:

- Beginning of Yousry’s career in Egypt

- Moving to the USA, and beginning classes there

- Teaching approach, and choreography interpretations 

- Music sensitivity

- Creating music and producing CDs

Show Notes to this episode:

Find Yousry Sharif on FB, and Instagram.

Follow Iana on Instagram, FB, and Youtube . Check out her online classes at the Iana Dance Club. New YouTube show “Artist Date” is available HERE.

Podcast: www.ianadance.com/podcast

Cassandra Shore, the founder of The Cassandra School (1978), is recognized as one of the world’s foremost performers and choreographers of Middle Eastern dance. Her artistic intensity, musicality, and technique set her apart from the average performer. She brings to dance lyrical grace, musical focus, and a sensuous quality of movement that brings mere technique to life. Her work has been rewarded with grants, commissions, and awards. Cassandra also founded the Jawaahir Dance Company in 1989 as a way to move Middle Eastern dance "beyond the museum," and create original, theatrically-inspired choreographies that blends traditional and contemporary Middle Eastern forms.

In this episode you will learn about:

- The beginning of Cassandra’s belly dance journey, her first show, first class and first dance school

- How to figure out if you are ready to start performing professionally

- Amazing tips on how to deal with pre-show anxiety

- The challenges of relocating a dance studio to another area in the city

- Taking care of your body for a long-term dance career

Show Notes to this episode:

Find Cassandra Shore on FB, website, and her dance company Jawaahir.

Follow Iana on Instagram, FB, and Youtube . Check out her teaching platform: the Iana Dance Club. New YouTube show “Artist Date” is available HERE.

Podcast: www.ianadance.com/podcast

Known the world over as one of the pioneering forces in the field of Tribal Fusion belly dance, Sharon Kihara is regarded as one of the most seasoned and well-traveled artists in the genre, and is known for her avante-garde artistic sensibility that defies replication. She is both a dance and yoga therapy teacher, 200 RYT certified by Yoga Alliance.

In late 2003, at the behest of friend Rachel Brice, Sharon was scouted to perform with the pioneering dance company Bellydance Superstars, created by music mogul and svengali Miles Copeland.  Sharon spent over five years on tour as Tribal director, soloist, and choreographer.  After leaving the tour to pursue new dreams, she was recruited by Jillina to dance as a principal and choreographer in the unique and critically acclaimed new touring production, Bellydance Evolution.  Sharon is in the rare position of being the only Tribal dancer to have been featured as Principal dancer in two of the world’s most distinct international touring belly dance companies.

In this episode you will learn about:

- Discipline, focus, neurodivergence and dance

- Switching from American Cabaret to Tribal fusion, and origins of the style

- Education basics for well-rounded Tribal fusion dancers

- Reasons why Sharon decided to retire from dancing

- Transitioning away from the dance career

Show Notes to this episode:

Find Sharon Kihara on Instagram, FB, and her jewelry page gifthorsegems.com .

Check out The Power of Imagination intensive on dealing with fears and performance energies at the Iana Dance Club HERE.

Follow Iana on Instagram, FB, and Youtube . Check out her teaching platform: the Iana Dance Club. New YouTube show “Artist Date” is available HERE.

Podcast: www.ianadance.com/podcast