Joana Saahirah´s World Blog
A Collection of Articles, Videos, and Freebies on Egyptian Dance, Self-Discovery & Empowerment
Me, Souhair Zaki, Tarab & my Awakening
Me and Souhair Zaki at "Ahlan wa Sahlan" Festival in Cairo, Egypt
She was the unbeatable reference of elegance, art, dignity, artistry and soul in Egyptian Dance and I was a student, traveling in Egypt, in search for myself, in search of the roots of the dance I´d come to call my own.
Her name was(is) Souhair Zaki and she gave me one of the biggest gifts a Teacher can offer a Student: a glimpse into the true meaning of "Raks el Sharki", Egyptian Oriental Dance; the so-called,...
Why I hated Shaabi & why I fell in love with it
I´ve already told you about my hate-love relationship with Modern Shaabi.
I told you I´d built a wall between my work and this style, my world and the world of Shaabi but I hadn´t told you why I´d built those walls.
In this blog post, I´m sharing the real story behind my resistance towards Shaabi and why I - perhaps shockingly - fell in love with it.
- Listen to the Blog/Podcast Episode and check join our NEW "Modern Shaabi" Course happening this...
My aunt & me at a Shaabi Party
A sizzling hot Summer night in Cairo.
3 a.m.
Me and my auntie, a long-term visitor whom I lead by hand, hidden somewhere in "Shobra", one of the "shaabi-est"-"baladi-est"-roughest & most authentic neighborhoods of Egypt.
A broken promise. Hashish. Knives. And Joy.
A new king of Joy.
- Listen to the real-life story in this blog post in the shape of a podcast episode.
I´ll take you by the hand - we´ll take a walk in the wild side.
- If...
What I Learned from Egyptian Women
After many years of career and life in Egypt, and in other countries of the Middle East & North Africa, here´s something I have to admit:
I A-D-O-R-E Egyptian Women and I´ve learned a great deal from them.
Want me to lift the veil, just a bit, and share the goodies with you?
Your wish is my command.
In this Blog Audio Post, I´m sharing a few of the most precious lessons I´ve learned from Egyptian and Arab Women I met.
Grab a cup of tea....
The Night I proposed to Fifi Abdou
She blew the "shisha" smoke upon my face.
I fell in love.
Her hips were fierce and she wore an unapologetic "spray-covered" humongous hairdo.
I fell in love.
She did little but what she did was DA BOMB.
I fell in love.
She showed me the magic of a Baladi Awadi although she couldn´t care less about what we, the audience, thought of her.
Then, I didn´t only fall in love. I proposed to Fifi, one of the biggest icons of Egyptian Dance.
...
Wanna be Perfect or Happy?
We live in a world of illusions. One of the biggest and most harmful illusions of all is the concept of perfection.
Social Media sells the illusion of perfect homes, perfect bodies, perfect lives. We´re inundated by images of perfection and, even without wanting to, we compare our reality to the supposed reality we see.
We feel less than...not as great/happy/amazing/special as...
The mainstream field of Egyptian Dance sells the illusion of perfect movements, perfect dance, perfect dance...
The most important thing you can do for Yourself
The year is coming to an end. Can I hear an Amen?
As I prepare to close an old door - 2020 - and open a new one - hello, 2021! -, I focus on the things that´ll allow me to step up my game in dance, as in life. Here´s one of them.
This may be the most important thing you can do for yourself. Right now. Always.
Most of us are clueless about the power we hold within; we presume life happens to us and not through us. There are much powerlessness and...
How Saiidi Changed my Life
It feels like I´m walking alone for a long time.
The way I see Egyptian Dance is new, though based on ancient wisdom and history, and the way I practice it is out of the box, mostly misunderstood and eventually copied by others in my industry.
One of the things I´ve been doing - teaching, writing, and speaking about - for a long time, in perfect solitude, is to claim there´s a direct connection between Egyptian Dance and Life.
What I learn for Egyptian Dance, I...
The Ultimate Self-Empowerment Tool
Imagine a world where you rely on can yourself for guidance, strength, wisdom, and direction.
Imagine a world where you dream and accomplish those dreams, where you know, ´cause you know, the power to be the person you wish to become is within.
That world is my concept of SELF-EMPOWERMENT, one of the keys to my career and life.
Now, let´s get clear:
Self-Empowerment, like every other subject on the face of the earth, means different things for different people.
For me, the...
Why I went to Egypt - A Soul Journey by Joana Saahirah
For a long time, I didn´t think about my journey.
The slogan I use - from Portugal to Egypt; from Egypt to the World - synthesized the path I´d already built but, to be honest, I hadn´t had the time to reflect upon it. So far.
It all happened fast. Abnormally fast; a thunderbolt, a weird time-travel adventure I didn´t dare to question. My life before and after (re)discovering Egyptian Dance is unrecognizable. Two completely different realities.
...
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