Joana Saahirah´s World Blog
A Collection of Articles, Videos, and Freebies on Egyptian Dance, Self-Discovery & Empowerment
Why we run away from our Power
My aunt is a victim. I´ll tell you her story.
Oh, no. This is a terrible beginning. Let me restart.
According to my observation, people can be divided into two categories: the Victims and the Thrivers.
I´m not judging; just stating facts.
First, we have the Victims - often considered nice and deserving of people´s sympathy.
The victims tend to be, surprisingly or not, a bit narcissistic.They presume the world revolves around them, destiny is conspiring against them - ´cause they´re imp
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How to Slow Down (for dancers who live in a rush)
There are many challenges and joys in the life of an oriental dancer.
Some of the challenges are obvious - learning the dance technique, the music, the culture and mentality behind them; dealing with limitations and ambitions; choreography and improvisation; and interpretation.The list would go on if we had time. And we don´t have it.
Then, there are the sneaky, invisible challenges that most dancers aren´t aware of.
At the top of the list comes Overdoing and Excessive Speed which lead, no ...
The art of Control and Surrender in Egyptian Dance
In Egyptian Dance, as in Life, the goal is perhaps - and I use the word "perhaps" because, by now, I´ve lost all my certainties - to get as close as possible to balance.
The balance between doing and not doing - action and stillness.
The balance between emotion and intellect - feeling and thinking.
The balance between sharpness and softness - being assertive and organic.
The balance between harmony and chaos - an educated body in a free soul.
The balance between ambition and love for t
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The Forgotten Pillars of authentic Egyptian Dance
I´m speaking to you from a place of Magic✨
Yes, Magic.
I don´t know where you´re coming from, if you´ve been involved with Egyptian Dance for a long time, on a deeper or a shallower manner. I don´t even know how much you desire to take from this dance or what you have in store for it - because we give and we take from it - but one thing I know for sure:
There´s a Magic in authentic Egyptian Dance that can save us. It has saved me again and again, especially in times of sorrow, disappoint...
She showed me what was possible🌟
Once upon a time, a time that seems distant and yet so close, I had an awakening.
A Tunisian artist called Leila Haddad was going to present an Oriental Dance performance at "Culturgest", one of the most prestigious theatres in Lisbon, Portugal.
Leila dragged a fascinating culture behind her. Her photo on the poster of the performance smelled of cumin and "bokhour" (incense); her ellusive presence promised a magic I´d never witnessed.
At the time, I knew close to nothing about Oriental Da...
I don´t know who needs to read this but...
I don´t know who needs to read this but...
In our dance journey, and in our life, we´ll face opposition. Inner and outer opposition.
That opposition comes in the shape of personal insecurities, self-sabotage, trauma, a belief system that brings us down - that´s our inner opposition.
That opposition also comes in the shape of naysayers, critics, haters, and folks who are so frustrated with themselves and their life, they simply cannot accept that someone else - anyone - can move forward, shin...
3 Principles of Self-Empowerment
Self-Discovery & Empowerment are essential parts of my work. They´re also, in my experience, an indissociable part of Egyptian Dance.
When I first wrote about it - in my first published book "The Secrets of Egypt - Dance, Life & Beyond" -, I was criticized, ridiculed, and not-so-secretly hated. That was in 2013, the year the first edition of the book came out.
Today these concepts have become trendy and plagiarised.
I could tell you this is the story of my life - being criticized ...
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