Joana Saahirah´s World Blog

A Collection of Articles, Videos, and Freebies on Egyptian Dance, Self-Discovery & Empowerment

What is Muwashahat, the dance of the Al-Andalus?🌙

 

- Come, Joana. Let´s work. 

That´s how Mahmoud Reda, the father of Egyptian Folklore and creative genius of the "Reda Troupe", would greet me, every morning, right after his usual hug and joke, a new one, every day, fresh out of the oven.

He was, and will always be, my dearest long-term teacher, friend, work collaborator, co-creator; and friend. I miss him dearly.

I´d be half-asleep but willing; not yet recovered from a night of shows with my orchestra.

After falling off the taxi, stumblin...

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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...

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What I´m saying YES to, this Christmas

 

 

I´m sitting at a coffee shop - a cozy, warm, dim-lighted nook -, writing about my Christmas.

There´s a calm atmosphere in the air; a kid asks his mum for a brownie (mum says no, kid throws a tantrum); a geek reads the "Wuthering Heights" at the table next to me.

My man comes in my direction holding two cappuccinos in his hands - he´s smiling at me, trying not to spill the coffee; his face, tender. 

 

(Idyllic)

 

This is how I´d have liked to start this blog post but, if I´m being h...

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