Joana Saahirah´s World Blog
A Collection of Articles, Videos, and Freebies on Egyptian Dance, Self-Discovery & Empowerment
Give it to Yourself
Picture this (sorry in advance for the unpleasant image):
I have my period.
I´m exhausted. Gloomy. Feeling like hell. And my inner demons crawl out from under my bed, like in a terror movie.
On the mirror, I see a distorted reflection of a woman I used to know. I look at my swollen belly and aching breasts - I sigh; I turn around and observe my butt, my thighs, my back. For some reason I don´t care to scrutinize, I don´t like what I...
An Intimate Portrait of Mahmoud Reda
We´re on the highway, between Cairo and Alexandria, and Abdel Wahab is playing on the radio.
There´s light - a light you only find in Egypt, attached to a scent of past and hope - peaking through my window in the backseat of the car. A soul-comforting light; one of the reasons why I lived and worked in Egypt for almost a decade of my life; a return home.
There's me, Mahmoud Reda, and his wife, in the car.
I´m singing...
Do THIS today🧚
Do THIS today.
If nothing else, do it today.
(Curious? Keep reading this post)
I can only share what I´ve become and, therefore, learned.
And here´s an interesting thing I´ve learned:
Not everyone wants to evolve.
All of us grow older - that´s mandatory - but few actually grow up - that´s optional.
Outch.
Take a second.
Yep, that one hurts.
Saying no to growth - dance and/or personal growth - is...
The Courage to be Disliked
A dear friend once told me, after a backlash from an old friend who´d turn her back on me for no apparent reason:
-You´re inflammable, Joana. Your presence triggers people - not always in a good way.
I´d just decided to move to Egypt, leaving family, the beginning of a successful career already established, boyfriend, and everything that I knew behind. My then friend decided that was unacceptable.
-Who do you think you are? -...
Myth #4 about Egyptian Dance (and its debunking)
The most common Myths about Egyptian Dance (and their debunking)
Myth #3 - Egyptian Dance is Easy.
Hmmm. Define "easy".
If by "easy", you mean that Egyptian Dance can be learned by everyone, as long as they can move and they´re willing to study it, then, yes, Egyptian Dance is easy.
If by "easy", you mean that Egyptian Dance is so basic it offers no challenge, no need for study or practice, no requirements from the one who´s dancing, we´ve got a myth going on.
Egyptian...
The Importance of Rhythm in Egyptian Dance
What is the big deal around Rhythm?
Is Rhythm really that important?
Do Oriental Dancers have to know Rhythms?
Check this Blog Post/Audio Post where I share a few reasons why Rhythm is central in Egyptian Dance.
Listen. Enjoy.
Want to develop your relationship with Rhythm even further?
If so, join our upcoming Course "Rhythms for Oriental Dancers" created and delivered by Joana Saahirah and our guest teacher, Mr. George Sawa.
Click ...
"Alhamdulillah" - Motivational Message by Joana Saahirah
Having lived and performed in Egypt for almost a decade meant three things:
1. The beginning of my international career in Egyptian Oriental and Folkloric Dance;
2. An in-depth knowledge and love for Egyptian Dance, Music, and Culture;
3. A deep, often dramatic, shift in the way I saw myself, the world, and life.
One of the most challenging aspects of living and working, as a foreigner, in a different culture, is the shock between the values we carry within and the values that...
A Major Key to Self-Empowerment - Motivational Message
There´s a Motivational Monday Message delivered to the students of
Joana Saahirah´s Signature Course - Egyptian Dance & Self-Development from the ABC to Mastery, every week.
I do my best to address challenges most of my students face in their dance and in their life.
Here´s one of them: the use of our past and the conditions we have, or don´t have, as excuses for victimhood, mediocrity, and lack of massive action towards our goals...
Me, Souhair Zaki, Tarab & my Awakening
Me and Souhair Zaki at "Ahlan wa Sahlan" Festival in Cairo, Egypt
She was the unbeatable reference of elegance, art, dignity, artistry and soul in Egyptian Dance and I was a student, traveling in Egypt, in search for myself, in search of the roots of the dance I´d come to call my own.
Her name was(is) Souhair Zaki and she gave me one of the biggest gifts a Teacher can offer a Student: a glimpse into the true meaning of "Raks el Sharki", Egyptian Oriental Dance; the so-called,...
What I Learned from Egyptian Women
After many years of career and life in Egypt, and in other countries of the Middle East & North Africa, here´s something I have to admit:
I A-D-O-R-E Egyptian Women and I´ve learned a great deal from them.
Want me to lift the veil, just a bit, and share the goodies with you?
Your wish is my command.
In this Blog Audio Post, I´m sharing a few of the most precious lessons I´ve learned from Egyptian and Arab Women I met.
Grab a cup of tea....
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