Belly Dance Life

Estelle Zaghloul was born in Lebanon, lands of Cedars. She moved to Costa Rica with her whole family, whose members are all artists, and together she undertook an incredible career in Dances and Arab Arts from the age of 16. This is why though she retains her love for oriental music from her native country, her identity also embraces that of Costa Rica which she loves so, including its musical rhythms like salsa, merengue and cumbia. Her eclectic style mixes Egyptian influences to a concocted feminine Dabkeh, with a sprinkle of Greek and Turkish flavors, all powerfully tickling our senses. Estelle won in Hezzi Ya Nawaeem (season 1), which was first produced in 2007 for Lebanese Broadcasting Corporation - LBC, based on a concept created by Amelia Zidane and IMagic. It was The First World Belly Dance Championship in the region, and helped revive this lost forgotten art. The Jury on the show included Simon Asmar, Najwa Fouad, Zaza Hassan, and Nadra Assaf. Estelle is also a part of Costa Rica 2017 Women’s Empowerment Icons, and first belly dancer to perform at the National Theater of Costa Rica and Nicaragua with outstanding productions, among her many other achievements and contributions to the community.

In this episode you will learn about:

How dancing helped Estelle overcome depression after moving to a different country

Her experience at the TV competition Hezzi Ya Nawaeem, and how she decided to take her own path in life and dance

What was the turning point for Estelle to close her studio a few years ago, and entirely focus on self-exploration

The importance and essence of circular shapes

How you can bring the healing powers of dance into your life during tough quarantine times.

Show Notes to this episode:

Find Estelle Zaghloul on Facebook, YouTube and Instagram.

Follow Iana on Instagram, FB, Youtube, website .

For more information about Jillina’s initiative #2getherWeMoveLive visit jillina.eventbrite.com.

Podcast: www.ianadance.com/podcast

Artemis Mourat has been dancing, teaching and researching dance history in the United States and abroad for over 40 years. Artemis is of Greek and Turkish descent, and she has an M.A. in psychology, an M.S.W. in social work and has done postgraduate work in dance movement therapy. She was a member of the Phi Beta Kappa Society. Her research is used by Egyptian universities, the Middle East Institute in Washington, D.C. and the Library for the Performing Arts in New York. She has lectured, taught and/or performed for Cornell University and Princeton University, National Public Radio (NPR), Voice of America. Artemis continues to collect antique pictures of women and dancers from North Africa and the Middle East and of the Roma throughout the world. Her collection is one of the largest in the United States and some illustrations have been used by the International Encyclopedia of Dance, the Smithsonian Institution, the largest Romany Museum in the world (in the Czech Republic), the Romany archives at the University of Texas collected by Ian Hancock, all the major Middle Eastern Dance publications and in several books.

Artemis is listed in the International Dance Council (CID) Who's Who of Dance. Her photograph can be found in the International Encyclopedia of Dance under the listing for "danse du ventre" (translates to "belly dance") which is produced by the Oxford University Press. She has won the "Ethnic Dancer of the Year Award" presented by the International Academy of Middle Eastern Dance (IAMED) and has won the "Most Popular Ethnic Dancer Award" from Zaghareet Magazine twice. Artemis has also won their "Lifetime Achievement Award."

In this episode you will learn about:

- How Artemis’s family didn’t appreciate her belly dance career at first

- Vintage belly dance and the evolution of American Cabaret style

- Lack of appreciation for Turkish Oriental, and Artemis’s mission of spreading awareness about it

- Dealing with emotional overburn as a dancer

- Funny stories from the point of view of a belly dancer’s husband.

Show Notes to this episode:

Check My Inner Dancer, online store for belly dancers: www.myinnerdancer.com.

Find Artemis Mourat on Facebook, and website.

Follow Iana on Instagram, FB, Youtube, website .

For more information about BDE’s class donation for studios/teachers search for #2getherWeMove or write [email protected]

Podcast: www.ianadance.com/podcast

Natalie Becker is a world-know teacher, choreographer, judge, event organizer and costume designer, and she started her dance and artistic journey at the age of 5. She is a professional choreographer with multiple achievements in the genre of world dance (traditional dances from all around the world). In 2005 Natalie received a prestigious national award ‘’The Perfection’’ as a ‘’The Choreographer of the Year’’. Also, she has dozens of winning performances in the world of belly dance, both in Russia and internationally. Along with that she raised multiple international stars of the modern belly dance scene such as Simona Minisini, Anastasia Biserova, Ebru Becker and many others. Her dance ensemble ‘’Oasis Dance’’ has been successfully touring all around the world! Natalie is the president of the international charity ’Europe - Asia’, fundraising in support of belly dance development.

In this episode you will learn about:

- How Natalie started her belly dance journey at the age of 29, and what her previous experience in dance was

- The most important quality to have for competition participants

- Natalie’s choreography and costume design process

- Why she didn’t let her daughter join dance competitions at first

- Overcoming sickness, saying goodbye to her huge festival, and navigating through COVID-19 times.

Show Notes to this episode:

Check My Inner Dancer, online store for belly dancers: www.myinnerdancer.com.

Find Natalie Becker on Facebook, and Instagram.

Follow Iana on Instagram, FB, Youtube, website .

For more information about BDE’s class donation for studios/teachers search for #2getherWeMove or write [email protected]

Podcast: www.ianadance.com/podcast

Some of the best moments from our previous episodes! These quiet and uncertain times encourage all of us to question and rethink our lifestyle, goals and dance dreams. Get inspiration from our incredible guests and their life changing stories. Today you will hear from Luna of Cairo, Oscar Flores, Zaina Brown and Joana Saahirah.

Show Notes to this episode:

Ep 17. Luna of Cairo: Is Belly Dance Life in Cairo Always a "Fairy Tale"?

Ep 25. Oscar Flores: I Needed an Opportunity to Live My Dream

Ep 49. Zaina Brown: Travelling On Her Own Across the Middle East And Beyond

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

Check My Inner Dancer, online store for belly dancers: www.myinnerdancer.com.

Follow Iana on Instagram, FB, Youtube, website .

For more information about BDE’s class donation for studios/teachers search for #2getherWeMove or write [email protected]

Podcast: www.ianadance.com/podcast

Eyad Malaeb was born and lived in the Lebanese mountain village of Bayssour till he was 20 years of age. He grew up during the Lebanese war in the late 70s and had a very rough childhood. After moving to Beirut, he was discovered by the founder of one of the most famous Lebanese dance groups, RIMAH, and started to dance with them, appearing in many video clips, musicals and commercials and as a backup dancer for many stars in the Arab region. Along with being a full time dancer, he started teaching professional belly dancers from all over the world at La Maison de l’Artist agency, headed by Toros Siranosian. Later Eyad founded his own dance group and became the choreographer of many plays, video clips and tv programs. Now he is a master trainer in fitness belly dance at many gyms and he is a private coach for many Arab stars.

In this episode you will learn about:

- How Eyad started working with Toros Siranosian coaching belly dancers to work in Dubai and across the Arab world

- His teaching secrets

- Nuances of listening to music

- Eyad’s influence on the modern Lebanese style

- Pros and cons of teaching online

Show Notes to this episode:

Check My Inner Dancer, online store for belly dancers: www.myinnerdancer.com.

Find Eyad Malaeb on Facebook, and Instagram.

Follow Iana on Instagram, FB, Youtube, website .

For more information about BDE’s class donation for studios/teachers search for #2getherWeMove or write [email protected]

Podcast: www.ianadance.com/podcast

Vadim Kolpakov is one of the most prominent and renowned Russian Roma 7-string guitarists in the world. He was a lead musician of the Moscow Roma (Gypsy) Theatre Romen, where he performed as a guitarist, composer, vocalist, dancer and dramatic actor. Vadim graduated from the Roma performing arts school Gilori and studied guitar with his uncle Alexander Kolpakov who served as the musical director of the Romen Gypsy Theatre for over a quarter of a century. At the age of 15, Vadim began work at the Romen Gypsy Theatre, where he worked for 8 years and was the leading guitarist for 7 years. In 2008, as a member of the Kolpakov Trio, Vadim went on the world tour "Sticky & Sweet" with Madonna. They performed in many European and South American countries, as well as in North America and Mexico, including venues such as Wembley stadium in London, Madison Square Garden in NYC and Maracana stadium in Rio de Janeiro.

In this episode you will learn about:

- The history of the Russian Roma 7-string guitar

- Vadim’s approach to the term ‘Gypsy’ vs ‘Romani’

- Similar elements of the Romani dance and music across the world

- The use of skirt in Russian Romani female dance

- Touring with Madonna

Show Notes to this episode:

Check My Inner Dancer, online store for belly dancers: www.myinnerdancer.com.

Find Vadim Kolpakov on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and website.

Follow Iana on Instagram, FB, Youtube, website .

For more information about BDE’s class donation for studios/teachers search for #2getherWeMove or write [email protected]

Podcast: www.ianadance.com/podcast

It’s a mini-episode with Iana!

Let’s talk about dance improvisation, and a top secret of how to avoid panic attack while improvising for the audience. :)

Show Notes to this episode:

Check My Inner Dancer, online store for belly dancers: www.myinnerdancer.com.

Find Iana on Instagram, FB, Youtube.

Podcast: www.ianadance.com/podcast

Alex Marković holds a Ph.D. in Anthropology from the University of Illinois-Chicago. He spent 17 months conducting ethnographic field work on Romani ethnic identity and musical performance in Vranje, Serbia, for his doctoral dissertation. His general research interests involve music, dance, and ritual in the Balkans, ethnic identity and nationalism, the anthropology of performance, and ethnomusicology. Currently, Alex is co-instructor and performer with the Greek dance group “Ellas,” and a guest instructor with the Orpheus Hellenic Folklore Society of Chicago. He also offers public dance workshops and presentations on his research in dance and anthropology. He recently contributed a fascinating article to EEFC’s Forum Folkloristika: “Beat That Drum! Exploring the Politics and Performance among Roma Brass Musicians in Vranje, Serbia.”

In this episode you will learn about:

- What the Balkan region is

- Historical connections between the Ottoman Empire and Balkans

- Cultural practices vs national borders

- Dances of the Black sea

- The role of Romani culture in the Balkan region

Show Notes to this episode:

Check My Inner Dancer, online store for belly dancers: www.myinnerdancer.com.

Find Alex Marković on Facebook, or via email [email protected]. Also, check videos kindly provided by Alex Marković to compliment this interview HERE.

Follow Iana on Instagram, FB, Youtube, website .

Podcast: www.ianadance.com/podcast

Rabia found her love of music and dance at a young age in Turkey where she started dancing, drumming, and performing at traditional celebrations and social gatherings. Growing up listening and dancing to the complex rhythms of Turkey’s beautiful Aegean region was to her benefit during her formal dance education. Her unique dancing and teaching style is rooted in Turkish culture and tradition. She is an internationally acclaimed performing artist, researcher, instructor, choreographer and specialized in 9/8 dances of Turkey. She believes and advocates for the healing power of music and dance in a person's physical, emotional and mental well being. She performs and teaches nationally and internationally. In addition to being a registered nurse, she holds a Bachelor’s degree in Physical Education with an emphasis in athletics and dance, a Master of Science in Nursing Education and studying for her Nurse Practitioner degree. She integrates her formal educational background into her dance instructions to benefit her students.

In this episode you will learn about:

- The concept of Haflas in the belly dance community vs Turkish tradition

- The tricky task of teaching 9/8 rhythm to a Western ear

- The variety of 9/8 rhythms in Turkey, including the richness of Karsilama regional styles

- Intricate nuances of Roman Havasi rhythm, and different ways to dance to them

- The Historical roots of Turkish belly dance

Show Notes to this episode:

Thank you for your support via Iana Dance Club: www.ianadanceCLUB.com.

Find Rabia on Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube.

Follow Iana on Instagram, FB, Youtube, website .

Bellydance Evolution and information about their BDExperience program at www.JoinBDE.com.

Podcast: www.ianadance.com/podcast

It’s a mini-episode with Valerick Molinary!

We are going though some challenging times right now. Many artists struggle because of their lost jobs, frustration and stress of uncertainty. And if most of us aren’t very excited about putting together the business side of their dance activities even during the calm times, then now it’s even more crucial to remember that self-promotion is a must have for any working dancer, and you should not resist it.

Show Notes to this episode:

Thank you for your support via Iana Dance Club: www.ianadanceCLUB.com.

Find Valerick on Instagram, FB, and Youtube. Full interview is available here: Ep 11. Valerick Molinary: Different Ways to Develop Your Belly Dance Career

Find Iana on Instagram, FB, Youtube.

Podcast: www.ianadance.com/podcast