Belly Dance Life

This is one of those episodes that I have marked as "must listen again"!

Joana Saahirah is a world-renowned dancer, teacher and choreographer specialized in Egyptian Oriental and Folkloric dance, an actress and an author. After almost a decade of life and career in Egypt, presenting shows on a daily basis with her own orchestra, Joana has created a unique style of teaching, choreographing and performing that unites East and West. She has studied and worked as a choreography and teaching assistant with Mahmoud Reda, and studied with legends of Egyptian Oriental Dance, such as Shokry Mohamed, Souhair Zaki, Nagwa Fouad, Azza Sherif, and Mona el Said, just to name a few. She has also written and published two books: ”The Secrets of Egypt – Dance, Life & Beyond” and“Behind the Curtain”, among her other projects.

In this interview you will learn about:

- How Joana quit a promising acting career and became a belly dancer without even realizing it,

- Why did she leave Egypt at the peak of her performance success,

- What makes her think that Egyptian dance is a tool to reveal a person’s true dreams,

- How to have a bigger vision for your dance career,

- What is the balance between acting and being yourself on stage,

- AND SO MUCH MORE!

Show Notes to this episode:

Thank you for supporting the Belly Dance Life Podcast via our Patreon page!

Follow Joana Saahirah via Instagram, YouTube, FB, and www.joanasaahirah.com. Join Joana Saahirah´s World Newsletter, where you´ll receive news, inspirations, and gifts, and become a part of Egyptian Dance Revolution HERE.

Follow Iana on Instagram, FB, Youtube, website .

Bellydance Evolution and information about their new program and casting: bellydanceevolution.com

Podcast: www.ianadance.com/podcast

Historian and musician Dr. George Sawa is the author of multiple books. He has published over 50 articles on Arabic music in journals and encyclopedias, and is frequently invited to give lectures and concerts worldwide. In 2005, he received the prestigious Lifetime Achievement Award from the Egyptian Ministry of Culture for his research in Arabic music history. His CD, The Art of the Early Egyptian Qanun, Vol. 1, was nominated for a JUNO Award in World Music in 2009. His Egyptian Music Appreciation and Practice for Bellydancers has won international acclaim and is an invaluable companion to bellydancers all over the world, having been translated to multiple languages.

In this interview you will learn about:

- Similarities and differences between Western and Arabic music in 10th century and now,

- Different meanings of the term "tarab",

- Why popular interpretation of muwashahat dance is wrong from a historical point of view,

- What is maqam,

- How to interpret and dance to different instruments in songs.

Show Notes to this episode:

Find Dr George Sawa on his website, YouTube, and FB. The video of Taheyya Carioca mentioned in the interview is available HERE.

Find Iana on Instagram, FB, Youtube, website .

Bellydance Evolution and information about their new program and casting: bellydanceevolution.com

Podcast: www.ianadance.com/podcast

Prof. Dr. Hassan Khalil lived in the time of the great oriental dancers like Naima Akeef, Samia Gamal, Tahiya Karioka, and even lived in the same neighbourhood with some of them. Later he also worked with Nagua Fuad and Suheir Zaki and many other famous dancers. He is a master teacher and choreographer for many of the most well known Oriental dancers all over the world. Khalil was the director of the Balloon Theatre, the general director of the Oum Kalsoum Theatre in Cairo, as well the general supervisor for folklore in the Ministry of Culture in Egypt. He is also the founder of the famous folk dance group, the National Ensemble of Egypt.

In this interview you will learn about:

- The nature and roots of dance itself,

- Differences between Pharaonic and folklore dances of Egypt,

- Influence of the Turkish Ottoman harems in oriental dance,

- Behind-the-scene stories of the Golden Era period,

- How the ancient history of this dance influence current belly dance trends

Show Notes to this episode:

Find Prof Dr Hassan Khalil on his website, Instagram, and FB. Video about life and work of Prof Dr Hassan Khalil is available here.

Find Iana on Instagram, FB, Youtube, website .

Bellydance Evolution and information about their new program and casting: bellydanceevolution.com

Podcast: www.ianadance.com/podcast

It’s a MINI episode!

Short and sweet: today I’m sharing my key secret of growing an online audience, which doubled my Instagram in less than half a year.

Show Notes to this episode:

Download free tips for your 20-min belly dance program here: www.ianadance.com/podcast/tips

Find Iana on Instagram, FB, Youtube, website .

Podcast: www.ianadance.com/podcast

Mario Kirlis is an Argentinian musician and composer that is known for his extensive work in Arabic Music. He has been a mentor for a number of South American musician and belly dancers to approach the Middle Eastern art, and he has inspired artists all across the world.

In this interview you will learn about:

- Mario Kirlis’s most memorable music-dance collaboration

- The story of creating “modern baladi'“, also known as “Mario Kirlis baladi”

- Most common mistakes dancers do in music interpretation

- Logistics of directing a music orchestra

- Why Arabic musicians never play a song the same way twice

Show Notes to this episode:

Find Mario Kirlis on his website, Instagram, YouTube, and FB.

Find Iana on Instagram, FB, Youtube, website .

Bellydance Evolution and information about their new program and casting: bellydanceevolution.com

Podcast: www.ianadance.com/podcast

It’s a MINI episode!

This is a medley of ASKianaDANCE show where I answered to following questions:

How to check if you are ready to start teaching dance classes for beginners

What to do if your dance teacher doesn't really like when students start teaching

Can you relate to this issues? Listen right now to the new episode to find out my tips and suggestions!

Show Notes to this episode:

You can submit your own questions for ASKianaDANCE show at www.ianadance.com/ask

Find Iana on Instagram, FB, Youtube, website .

Podcast: www.ianadance.com/podcast

Gigi Dilsah is a passionate dancer and teacher. She began her dance training early in ballet. As she grew up in a conservative family in Istanbul, she also spent a lot of time in the USA where she found freedom and opportunities to explore belly dance. In Istanbul she's known as Dilsah, and in the U.S. she's known as Gigi. Now, combining two names along with extensive training, she shares her knowledge of this dance form via private classes in Istanbul, as well as touring across the USA.

In this interview you will learn about:

- Belly dance as a part of daily Turkish life

- Common stereotypes about belly dance in Turkey

- The role Romani dance plays in the typical Turkish belly dance program

- Proper costume for Turkish Romani dance

- Artistic limitations of having a stage name

Show Notes to this episode:

Find Podcast Merch Collection (including the mug) HERE

Find Gigi Dilsah on Instagram, YouTube, and FB.

Find Iana on Instagram, FB, Youtube, website .

Bellydance Evolution and information about their new program and casting: bellydanceevolution.com

Podcast: www.ianadance.com/podcast

Some of the best moments from our previous episodes! Today we are talking about dance productions and shows on the big stage. Learn from Mr Ozgen, Jillina Carlano, Oscar Flores and Vanessa of Cairo. Dream big!

Show Notes to this episode:

Ep 12. Mr. Ozgen: Turkish Dance on a Big Stage

Ep 22. Jillina Carlano: Building Community Around the Globe

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

Ep 55. Vanessa of Cairo: Professionalism & Kindness as Keys to Success

Find Iana on Instagram, FB, Youtube, website .

My Inner Dancer: myinnerdancer.com

Bellydance Evolution and information about their new program and casting: bellydanceevolution.com

Podcast: www.ianadance.com/podcast

Matias Hazrum is a world known arabic percussionist, musician, teacher and composer. He was born in Argentina (Buenos Aires), but his origin comes from Syria. Matias is a high level professional not only in playing the drum, but also in playing keyboard and other instruments of arabic percussion such as mashar, daff, rek and others. He worked on stage with such great names in the bellydance world including Saida (Argentina), Amir Thaleb (Argentina), Virginia Mendes (USA), Jillina (USA), Amar Gamal (USA), Sharon Kihara (USA), Yana Tsehotskaya (Ukraine), Anna Borisova (Russia) and many more.

In this interview you will learn about:

- Dancer & drummer dynamics on stage: who follows whom?

- How to communicate your dance ideas to a drummer

- Finishing a drum solo improvisation in sync with a drummer

- The process of creating individual custom-order songs

Show Notes to this episode:

Podcast: www.ianadance.com/podcast

Find Matias Hazrum on Instagram, YouTube, and FB, or contact via email [email protected].

Find Iana on Instagram, FB, Youtube, website .

My Inner Dancer: myinnerdancer.com

Bellydance Evolution and information about their new program and casting: bellydanceevolution.com

Inspiring and empowering woman all around the world, Oreet has developed her unique certified fitness program SharQui which is a beautiful blend of fitness workout and belly dance! Oreet has 20+ years of experience as a fitness and dance instructor. She has been featured on NBC, ABC, CBS, and CNN to name a few and have the titles Bellydancer of the Year, Jewel of the Nile, Entertainer of the Year and Middle Eastern Dance Champion of North America.

In this interview you will learn about:

- The role of belly dance in the culture of Israel

- How Oreet dealt with the constant feeling of not fitting in

- Where the idea of belly dance fitness workout came from

- Differences between teaching a regular belly dance and fitness belly dance class

- How belly dance can serve as a cardio and strength workout

- The reaction of belly dance community on her fitness project

- Genius business tips on how to present and promote your dance class

Show Notes to this episode:

Tips for structuring your 20-min belly dance show: www.ianadance.com/podcast/tips .Belly Dance Life Podcast CHALLENGE: www.ianadance.com/challenge

Find Oreet on website, Instagram, YouTube, and FB. More resources: SharQui TV, and SharQui Instructor Certification.

Find Iana on Instagram, FB, Youtube, website .

My Inner Dancer: myinnerdancer.com

Bellydance Evolution and information about their new program and casting: bellydanceevolution.com

Podcast: www.ianadance.com/podcast