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 cloth...
Born this way (from lamb to lion)
I was once asked if I "was born this way" by a beautiful student who was participating in one of my workshops in Merano, Italy.
In fact, I was asked that question, in different disguises, on several occasions.
How did I get here - to this point of self-awareness and assurance, a place where I can be my full self, unapologetically, and claim the freedom of not bothering about what others think of me?
Self-Confidence may be a feature most will associate with me and I have, in fact, developed it...
The Mystical (Sensual) Journey of the Baladi Awadi🌶
For most dancers, Baladi is a style. If those dancers are informed, they´ll know Baladi is a dance, music, and lifestyle; it´s also the name of a rhythm and the term used to describe typically Egyptian people, things, and places.
Baladi comes from "balad", homeland/country.
Baladi = "My homeland/country".
Baladi bread - typical Egyptian bread.
Baladi coffee shop - a typical Egyptian coffee shop.
Baladi attitude - a typical Egyptian attitude that mixes groundedness, resourcefulness, natu...
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 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 with her music tells me otherwise.
...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, projections, and lines. And, then, ...
What´s the true purpose of Egyptian Dance?
The purpose of Egyptian Dance has been forgotten, a long time ago.
Yet, forgotten doesn´t mean lost; it doesn´t mean erased. It just means "forgotten", something that has been buried under the sand and fallen upon collective amnesia.
When I think about the History of Egyptian Dance, its ancient roots and how many changes, limitations, and distortions it has endured, I´m not surprised that its essence has been left behind.
Egyptian Dance has been used as a workout, as a social ...
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 can DECIDE to accept, shape, and work with. It all depends on HOW ...
How my BREAKDOWN turned into a BREAKTHROUGH (confession by Joana Saahirah)
See the smile in this photo? 
It took me a long time to get it - a relaxed, truly confident, natural smile coming from a sense of absolute self-acceptance. That smile speaks more than a thousand words, if you know what´s behind it. And I do.
For a long time, I drove the Masculine/Ego-oriented/Career oriented road our societies call SUCCESS.
For a long time, I believed I was worthy if, and only when, I produced, achieved, proved myself an...
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 & Folklore).
A Master Teacher is someone who transcends their craft becomin...
Celebrate YOURSELF, your DANCE, your LIFE
I know the preparation for the NEW YEAR usually focuses on our DREAMS and, hopefully, in the STEPS we have to take in order to materialize them. That´s all good. Though not enough.
Experience has taught me there are too many plans for the future and too little APPRECIATION for the path already walked. We´ve all been the recipient of opportunities, blessings, lessons, hardships and victories; we´ve all been given the sweet and the sour. But few of us look back to
GIVE THANKS.
Today, I look ...
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