Joana Saahirah´s World Blog
A Collection of Articles, Videos, and Freebies on Egyptian Dance, Self-Discovery & Empowerment
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...
Om Kolthoum can change your life (I´ll show you how)
Om Kolthoum can change your life.
I know this is an ambitious claim but, I assure you, we can fulfill it.
As usual, I write/dance/teach from experience. The theory isn´t enough - it never was. I have to live in order to tell.
And I´ve been living it - this long-time love affair with the music of Om Kolthoum and its side effects.
Most Oriental dancers, from every level, associate the music of Om Kolthoum to a distant, out of reach, sophisticated world but my story...
What teachers don´t tell you about Emotion in Egyptian Dance
Emotion and Egyptian Dance come in one single package.
I´d say there´s no Egyptian Dance without emotion. True, mask-free, raw, coming-from-within emotion.
As I work on a new Online Course for Joana Saahirah´s Online Dance School, focused on Love, I reflect on what it means to feel - in Egyptian Dance and in Life - and how we can express emotion in a clear, powerful, meaningful way.
There are techniques, tips, and tricks. Opening of chakras, postures,...
The Treasures hiding in Egyptian Dance
From the moment the Quarantine started, I asked myself "how can Egyptian Dance help me and the world move through this challenging time? "
Most people will not turn to Egyptian Dance for life advice/wisdom but I´m not most people. I´ve been digging deep into the ancient art of "Raks al Sharki" for what it feels like an eternity.
I know better. And, as Maya Angelou once put it, "when we know better, we do better."
Authentic Egyptian Dance, the one that...
What´s making my heart skip a bit, right now
Focus isn´t everything but it´s a BIG THING. What we focus on, expands.
Read that again: what we focus on, expands.
Therefore, I focus on things, ideas, people, and news that allow me to feel inspired, sane, empowered, loving, hopeful, human.
Here are a few things that make my heart skip a beat (in the best possible ways):
Andrea Bocelli´s Easter Concert - free live-streamed - from Duomo di Milano (follow the link to access it: Click HERE...
This is HOW I EMPOWER MYSELF in DISEMPOWERING TIMES
We´re living challenging times - that´s a cliché, more than a reality.
Most likely, we´ll feel disempowered, as if we have no saying, whatsoever, over ourselves, our lives, and our future. Individual and collectively.
Now, here´s the catch:
There´s a side of reality we cannot deny or control - the virus, the global lockdown, people sick and dying, fear and uncertainty in the air.
And there´s another side of reality we...
Tips to bring more Sensuality into your Dance & Life
Sensuality is at the core of Life.
Our senses, sexual energy, and inner fire are the ones that allow us to live, procreate, and thrive. Without them, there´s no life. In other words, without Sensuality, there´s no life.
Sure enough, we´ve turned and twisted the concept of Sensuality upside down, as we´ve done with many of the most relevant concepts in life. We´ve been told it´s something to be controlled, tamed, hidden; that we should be ashamed of it,...
The biggest GIFT any teacher can give you
Have you ever met a Teacher who changed you or/and the course of your life?
They say the teacher appears when the student´s ready. I´ve always been ready to learn; always curious, thriving for more, deeper, better.
I´m many things - a Teacher, a Dancer, a Choreographer, an Author and - but, mostly, I´m an Eternal Student. Understandably, loads of powerful teachers have popped, from time to time, into my life.
From all the amazing teachers I...
The Lesson from Mahmoud Reda that changed my Life
- Beauty can be found in the ugliest places
You´ll not hear me using the expression “Master” or “Master Teacher” frequently. I rarely use that title, one of deep respect and admiration, the kind of recognition that cannot be bought or marketing-made.
For me, a Master Teacher isn´t only someone who has a deep and wide dominion over their craft. In the case of Mahmoud Reda, that´s Egyptian Dance (Oriental &...
What happens - in your dance & in your life - when your heart is closed?
Egyptian Dance has become a competition, an endless marathon, a game of divas, lobbies, and marketing-made stars. I´m not complaining, just stating. Knowing where we are helps us define where we want to go.
Within this trend, there´s no space for EMOTION, SOUL, PRESENCE, LIFE.
The Egyptian Dance scene has become an extension of the world we´re currently living in, one that´s obsessed with EFFICIENCY, PRODUCTIVITY, GOAL ACHIEVEMENT, MACHINE-LIKE SPEED &...
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