Let this story activate your body's intelligence and memory to reclaim your magic.

In this episode, I reflect on the power of the communication that occurs between bodies, even beyond conscious awareness, and how this exchange can inspire, move, and heal us. I share my personal experiences as a belly dancer and audience to renowned performers, witnessing the transformative nature of dance and its ability to touch our senses--and a tale channeled through me when I tapped into this age-old exchange.

I delve into the ancient Egyptian women's ritual dance called the zar, known for its trance-like states, and share a story inspired by a true account relayed by Sahra Saeeda, dance mentor and researcher, of women dancing the old dances on moonless nights, adding my own imagined/intuited elements.

I explore the concept of tarab, an ecstatic change in Arabic music, as a way to describe the transformational power of dance and the ability to shift the energy in a room. I draw parallels between the energetic impact of dance and our original roles as dancer priestesses, thinning the veil to the unseen world.

Let this story activate your body's intelligence and memory to reclaim your magic.

Here’s the story I read in this episode

Watch the episode on YouTube here

About the zar, ritual dance of Egypt

Another take on the zar

Here is an all-female drumming troupe performing a “zar” (lightened and taken out of ritual space so it could be shared with the public).

Sahra Saeeda, and her Journey through Egypt certification program

About Dina 

Dina’s famous NYE performance (I was wrong, it was sequined on top, and black on the bottom.) This is also a great example of tarab, which she and the singer, Fatme Serhan are masters of. See if you can catch when the energy crescendoes, holds, and breaks!

Dina dancing to Om Kouthum, another great example of tarab

About Mahmoud Reda

Here’s a troupe presenting a melaya leff dance

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