Joana Saahirah´s World Blog
A Collection of Articles, Videos, and Freebies on Egyptian Dance, Self-Discovery & Empowerment
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.
...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 allows us to discover and expres...
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 ...
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 )
Nasa´s Recordings of Sound in Space...
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, that it´s a dangerous thing, a lower di...
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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