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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Egyptian Dance that Smells like Jasmine
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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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 by surprise.
After so many deaths and...
Discoveries from my Bed Rest (when a dancer has to stop moving)
What knives and dust can do to a person
In Egypt, there are worlds beneath the worlds tourists can see.
There´s the layer of tourists and occasional visitors; the layer of expatriates who live aside/protected from the real country; the layer of the ones who dig deep into Egypt´s bones.
I´ve always belonged to the last layer - there were no buffers, no protection, no intermediary between me and the reality of Egypt. The best and the worst - I saw it, ate it, drank it, breathed it.
One night, I went to a Shaabi Party...
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