Joana Saahirah´s World Blog
A Collection of Articles, Videos, and Freebies on Egyptian Dance, Self-Discovery & Empowerment
Surprising Benefits of Shimmies in Egyptian Dance
Egyptian Dance can be known, and practiced, in different levels, for different reasons, and for different purposes.
One of the things I love the most about this art form is the set of amazing - known and unknown - benefits it offers.
Shimmies, for example, offer some quite unexpected benefits.
Want to know them?
1. Shimmies increase our Self-Confidence.
If properly learned, they´re grounding and elevating movements that offer a deep sense of inner security on this earth...
The Secret Role of Shimmies in Egyptian Dance
Shimmies have always been one of the most popular parts of the Egyptian Dance Technique.
Insiders want to master them; outsiders wonder how insiders do it. Shimmies are beloved, mocked, misunderstood, and desired by dancers and nondancers alike.
I, like most dancers, was taught how to execute Shimmies from a technical, purely physical point of view. It took me years of research, performing, teaching, choreographing, and observation - of myself and other dancers - to understand...
What my (genius) Percussionist taught me
In more than 20 years of career, one that grew abnormally fast, I was privileged to work with the best musicians in the field of Egyptian Music and Dance and even luckier to call them "my teachers".
Unlike so many dancers I knew, especially in Cairo where it´s not uncommon at a certain level of career to "own" your own orchestra, I listened to my musicians as if they were mentors, family, friends, creation and soul partners.
Make no mistake: they listened to me, as...
You shouldn´t learn Egyptian Dance. Here´s why.
Because, if properly taught, Egyptian Dance disrupts your life.
Because it challenges you on levels you didn´t even know existed.
Because it´ll make you look in the mirror and say "I love you" with genuine feeling (and there´ll be consequences resulting from it).
Because it´ll open your mind, heart, body, and soul and we know how dangerous that can be.
Because it´ll show you the Path of Sacred Sensuality, a path that´ll make you a...
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...
The most important thing you can do for Yourself
The year is coming to an end. Can I hear an Amen?
As I prepare to close an old door - 2020 - and open a new one - hello, 2021! -, I focus on the things that´ll allow me to step up my game in dance, as in life. Here´s one of them.
This may be the most important thing you can do for yourself. Right now. Always.
Most of us are clueless about the power we hold within; we presume life happens to us and not through us. There are much powerlessness and...
How Saiidi Changed my Life
It feels like I´m walking alone for a long time.
The way I see Egyptian Dance is new, though based on ancient wisdom and history, and the way I practice it is out of the box, mostly misunderstood and eventually copied by others in my industry.
One of the things I´ve been doing - teaching, writing, and speaking about - for a long time, in perfect solitude, is to claim there´s a direct connection between Egyptian Dance and Life.
What I learn for Egyptian Dance, I...
The Ultimate Self-Empowerment Tool
Imagine a world where you rely on can yourself for guidance, strength, wisdom, and direction.
Imagine a world where you dream and accomplish those dreams, where you know, ´cause you know, the power to be the person you wish to become is within.
That world is my concept of SELF-EMPOWERMENT, one of the keys to my career and life.
Now, let´s get clear:
Self-Empowerment, like every other subject on the face of the earth, means different things for different people.
For me, the...
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,...
Love Letter to Mahmoud Reda (by Joana Saahirah)
Artists carry the blessing and the doom of the awakened heart - everything they (we) do comes from their internal world, from their core; it´s personal; it has their blood, memories, and soul in it.
I´ve made it loud and clear from the start of my career (20 years, already!): everything I do is personal. My dance on stage is personal; my choreographies, workshops, classes, lectures, and writing - personal, from my bones.
Furthermore, I don´t believe in Creation that...
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