Joana Saahirah´s World Blog
A Collection of Articles, Videos, and Freebies on Egyptian Dance, Self-Discovery & Empowerment
Random Pleasures that Feed my Soul
Images that speak more than words
A couple of pleasures that feed my soul
Consider it basic self-care. Rituals of self-preservation. Routines that nurture what is human in me
A creamy cappuccino, come rain or come shine.
Sprinkled with cinnamon or dark chocolate.
Books.
Reading them, above all; smelling their pages; browsing bookshops; discovering new books; last but not least, writing books (I have two published; more on the way).
...
My Mum´s Golden Self-Empowerment Rule
Self-Empowerment comes in all shapes and forms.
It can come from teachers, books, life events, tragedies and pleasant surprises; it can come from strangers and from the person next door. It can also come as a surprise, from where you least expect it.
I grew up with a tough mum. Hard as nails, demanding, no-patting-on-the-back love style; doing the solo parenting job the same way Jesus held the cross - suffering, in plain sight; not making an effort to hide it.
...
You have to die in order to live
I know it´s harsh but it´s true: you have to die - again and again - in order to live.
I am crazy. That´s a fact. But keep reading.
I look forward, yet again, and I see the crossover.
It shows up like an Indiana Jones bridge - crumbling, dangerous, adventurous, uncertain in its ability to sustain me; not promising to get me, safely, to the other side.
I´ve been here before - this moment of death and rebirth - but it always catches me...
The Poetry of Egyptian Rhythms
There´s poetry in Egyptian Rhythms.
I´m aware that´s not how most dancers, and even musicians, see rhythms but that never changed the facts: rhythms aren´t just rhythms.
They´re Poems.
Each Rhythm, a Poem.
Each Rhythm, a flavor, a story, a mood, and a feeling.
Each Rhythm, a cultural context with an entire world on its back.
Maksoum (click here to listen to it) tastes like honey. It´s a poem about a sweet, happy love affair.
...
Give it to Yourself
Picture this (sorry in advance for the unpleasant image):
I have my period.
I´m exhausted. Gloomy. Feeling like hell. And my inner demons crawl out from under my bed, like in a terror movie.
On the mirror, I see a distorted reflection of a woman I used to know. I look at my swollen belly and aching breasts - I sigh; I turn around and observe my butt, my thighs, my back. For some reason I don´t care to scrutinize, I don´t like what I...
An Intimate Portrait of Mahmoud Reda
We´re on the highway, between Cairo and Alexandria, and Abdel Wahab is playing on the radio.
There´s light - a light you only find in Egypt, attached to a scent of past and hope - peaking through my window in the backseat of the car. A soul-comforting light; one of the reasons why I lived and worked in Egypt for almost a decade of my life; a return home.
There's me, Mahmoud Reda, and his wife, in the car.
I´m singing...
The Souhair Zaki effect
Every dancer has a moment that has changed her, or his, life; the perspective they have on dance, music, themselves.
Some times, those turning points are negative - I´ve heard terrible stories of dancers traumatized by teachers, colleagues, audiences, employers -; hopefully, and in many cases, those turning points are positive. Dance and life changing.
I´m privileged to have several of those moments, the ones Oprah would call "ah ah moments", in my...
Do THIS today🧚
Do THIS today.
If nothing else, do it today.
(Curious? Keep reading this post)
I can only share what I´ve become and, therefore, learned.
And here´s an interesting thing I´ve learned:
Not everyone wants to evolve.
All of us grow older - that´s mandatory - but few actually grow up - that´s optional.
Outch.
Take a second.
Yep, that one hurts.
Saying no to growth - dance and/or personal growth - is...
The Courage to be Disliked
A dear friend once told me, after a backlash from an old friend who´d turn her back on me for no apparent reason:
-You´re inflammable, Joana. Your presence triggers people - not always in a good way.
I´d just decided to move to Egypt, leaving family, the beginning of a successful career already established, boyfriend, and everything that I knew behind. My then friend decided that was unacceptable.
-Who do you think you are? -...
What I´m saying YES to, this Christmas
I´m sitting at a coffee shop - a cozy, warm, dim-lighted nook -, writing about my Christmas.
There´s a calm atmosphere in the air; a kid asks his mum for a brownie (mum says no, kid throws a tantrum); a geek reads the "Wuthering Heights" at the table next to me.
My man comes in my direction holding two cappuccinos in his hands - he´s smiling at me, trying not to spill the coffee; his face, tender.
(Idyllic)
This is how I´d have...
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