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 path.
The negative experiences have been transformed in Joana´s Alchemic Oven - turning shit into gold and evilness into light - and the positive have defined me, my dance, and my life.
Although the negative also shaped me, I choose to focus on the pleasant memories, the knives that carved me, the rock I was and will be till I die, with the most loving hand.
In my long list of Dance Changing moments, here are a few of the most memorable:
➡️The moment I joined, by chance, an open Egyptian Dance class in an Ethnic festival (my first encounter with this art form, one that´d shape my destiny);
➡️The moment my first teacher, Shokry Mohamed, asked me to sit down next to him and whispered in my ear "you´ll take Egyptian Dance to the entire world" (I didn´t take him seriously, back then, but his words were with me, especially in the toughest moments, ever since, inspiring and guiding me);
➡️The moment I started to study with Mahmoud Reda in Cairo (that´s when my love affair with Egyptian Folklore took off and when my relationship with the master started, a relationship that´d offer me priceless tools for dance and for life);
➡️The moment I auditioned, in Cairo, with my first orchestra (it earned me an initial dance contract in Egypt and it was the first of thousands of performances I´d do, on a daily basis, in the country, for almost 8 straight years);
➡️The moment I studied with Souhair Zaki, privately.
I´d taken a workshop with her at one of Cairo´s dance festivals. I was in love, in awe, and shocked. For the first time, I felt the soul of the dance - I could feel it in Souhair Zaki´s body and aura.
Although I was a beginner,I knew of her importance in Egyptian Dance History; I was aware that I was learning from royalty, the "crème de la crème" of the field.
Once the workshop was over, I took a photo with her and asked for her contact.
Luckily, I honored my infamous persistence and managed the feat of booking a couple of private classes with Souhair Zaki.
At her place, in a living room surrounded by Rococo furniture and Oriental carpets, we gathered.
Tea was served, as it is at every Egyptian household.
The class started without words.
She didn´t explain, or choreograph, or broke down steps and movements.
She danced and expected me to do whatever I wished, or could, with it. That´s all.
The music used was "Enta Omri", no less, one of the themes by Om Kolthoum that made her famous and respected, a feat very few Egyptian Dancers were granted.
I wouldn´t call it teaching. I know, more than 20 years later, that couldn´t be qualified as a dance class.
What was it, then?
It was a demonstration of how it´s done - a definition, in motion, of Egyptian Dance.
Initially, I followed her the best I could.
She used simple movements and had her eyes closed most of the time. I was sure she didn´t even know if I was in the room. All that mattered was her, the music, the dance.
Then, the magic.
I stopped. Observed her. Distanced myself a few meters so I could see and feel her better. A ray of sun invaded the room, separating my space from hers, a frontier between pupil and master, designed by the light.
Her life was pouring out of her as she moved - I could see it, as if it was a movie, in front of me.
There was no effort, or ego or vanity; no desire to make justice to her name; no pressure to be other than the pure truth. She danced like a human being. Like herself, unapologetically.
Tears flowed from my eyes, uncontrollably.
I could have felt shy - crying like a baby in a class with Souhair Zaki qualified as embarrassing - but, for once, I didn´t. I knew I was witnessing a sacred moment, one worth a thousand tears; something I´d probably never see again.
- Ah...I get it, now. - I whispered between my teeth - This is what they mean by "Raks el Sharki".
Right there, with that ray of light dividing my space from hers, I learned what Egyptian Dance meant, what it invited me to do. As a dancer, as a person.
That was the moment I fell - irrevocably - in love with this art form.
I was contaminated by its magic - the potion has been boiling, in my blood, ever since.
🧿In our Juju Live Session about "Musicality in Egyptian Dance", now available in the recorded format at my Youtube Channel, I tell a bit of this story, how it impacted me, and how it revealed a SECRET FOR MUSICALITY IN EGYPTIAN DANCE.
Watch the clip right here, in this post, at the top of this post 👆👆👆
🧿If you wish to watch the entire replay, CLICK HERE TO WATCH THE VIDEO
If you wish to go deeper into "Musicality in Egyptian Dance",
feel welcome to join our pioneering
Online Course "Rhythms for Oriental Dancers"
8 essential Egyptian Rhythms, 8 Dance Combos, 8 Modules, and 8 Live Masterclass
(plus, Bonus Sessions)
teaching you how to master the rhythm in Egyptian Dance.
A Course by Joana Saahirah with the special participation of George Sawa.
👉Click HERE FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THE COURSE
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