Only $129 for the live & recorded workshop + bonuses + personalized feedback (early bird available to the first 10 dancers who subscribe)

Our Workshop happens, live and recorded, on Sunday, the 27th of July, from 3 to 5 pm Lisbon/London local time. 

Because it´s a one-time-only live workshop, happening on a single date and time, there´s no REFUND POLICY offered.

All the subscribers receive access to the live workshop and the corresponding replay/recording of the workshop.

 

Rhythms & Musicality for Oriental Dancers Workshop by George Sawa & Joana Saahirah🌺🎼

[ Master the essential Egyptian Rhythms and master the skills of Listening and Interpreting the Music]

Welcome to our "Rhythms & Musicality for Oriental Dancers",

a live & recorded workshop by George Sawa & Joana Saahirah🌹

 

👉When you subscribe, you receive access to:

1. The live workshop, happening on Sunday, the 27th of July, from 3 to 5 pm Lisbon/London local time.

2. The replay/recording of the workshop for 3 additional months.

3. Bonus resources - music and instructional videos - related to Egyptian Rhythms and Musicality.

4. Personalized feedback on your dance. 

👉What you´ll learn in this Workshop:

1. The most common and important rhythms for oriental dancers - how they´re structured, the style that corresponds to them, and how to dance them.

2. How to become a better Listener and Music Interpreter (Musicality).

3. A dance combo with the detailed interpretation of the most famous - and commonly used - Egyptian rhythm. How to listen and respond to the rhythm, beat by beat, in a traditional yet original way. 


About your Teachers in this Workshop

(George Sawa & Joana Saahirah)

About our guest teacher,

George Sawa  

 

George Sawa was born in Alexandria, Egypt. He has over 50 year- experience in Arabic music performance, history and theory and has performed and lectured extensively worldwide: Canada, USA, Brazil, Mexico, Europe (Spain, Italy, Holland, Sweden, Denmark, Finland, Greece) and the Middle East (Egypt, Algeria, Tunisia, Syria, Lebanon, Kuwait, United Arab Emirates).

He studied piano with Mme Irene Drakides, herself a student of the famed educator Alfred Cortot.

He studied qanun, theory and voice at the Higher Institute of Arabic Music. After immigrating to Canada, he studied ethnomusicology at the University of Toronto, and obtained his doctorate in historical Arabic musicology.

He has taught graduate and undergraduate courses on medieval, modern, and religious music of the Middle East at the University of Toronto and at York University.

He´s the author of Music Performance Practice in the Early cAbbasid Era.

132-320 AH/750-932 AD; Rhythmic Theories and Practices in Arabic Writings to 339AH/950 CE (Ottawa: The Institute of Mediaeval Music, 2004 and 2009); and An Arabic Musical and Socio-Cultural Glossary of Kitab al-Aghani (The Book of Songs) of al-Isbahani (d. 971) (Leiden: E.J. Brill, 2015); 

Erotica, Love, and Humor in Arabia. Spicy Stories from the Book of Songs of al-Isfahani (Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland and Company, 2016); 

Musical and Socio-Cultural Anecdotes from Kitab al-Aghani. Annotated Translations and Commentaries (Leiden: E.J. Brill, 2019); 

Hawi l-Funun wa-Salwat al-Mahzun, Encompasser of the Arts and Consoler of the Grief-Stricken by Ibn al-Tahhan. Annotated Translation and Commentary (Leiden, E.J. Brill, 2021).

His latest book “A Treatise on Qanun Musical Ornaments” will be published by Brill this year.

 He has published over 70 articles on Arabic music in refereed journals and encyclopedias, and is frequently invited to give lectures and concerts worldwide. 

In 2005, he received the prestigious Lifetime Achievement Award from the Egyptian Ministry of Culture for his research in Arabic music history. 

George has been the musical director for several productions of the Toronto-based Arabesque Dance Company, and taught hundreds of dancers at the Arabesque Academy and Hannan's Bellydance Studio in Toronto, as well as studios in Canada, USA, Brazil and Mexico. 

His CD, The Art of the Early Egyptian Qanun, Vol. 1, was nominated for a JUNO Award in World Music in 2009. A subsequent volume, The Art of the Early Egyptian Qanun, Vol. 2, was released in 2009. His Egyptian Music Appreciation and Practice for Bellydancers has won international acclaim and is an invaluable - one of a kind - companion to bellydancers all over the world (it is also available in Chinese, French, Greek, Japanese, Russian, Spanish, German and Portuguese). A companion set of two DVDs produced with Lulu Hartenbach in Brazil includes over 50 tracks of dancing instruction from his CDs and book: Lulu and George Dimitri Sawa. 

 


About Joana Saahirah  

 

Joana Saahirah is a world-renowned Oriental Dancer, Teacher, Choreographer, and Author specializing in Egyptian Oriental and Folkloric Dances; she´s written and published 2 books - “The Secrets of Egypt – Dance, Life & Beyond”, "Behind the Curtain", a collaboration with the Slovenian Photographer, Breda Jurecko, and "The Lessons I Learned from the Master".

Joana started her career in Egypt, where she performed and lived for 8 years; she´s worked with Mahmoud Reda, as his Teaching and Choreography Assistant; and her career expanded, in recent years into a global phenomenon.

One of the most well-known, respected, and original Oriental Dancers in the World. After almost a decade of Life and a Career in Egypt with her own orchestra – rescuing the ORIGINS and ESSENCE of Egyptian Oriental and Folkloric Dance -, Joana Saahirah has created a style (of teaching, choreographing, and performing) that UNITES EAST and WEST; the best of Egypt and the best of western open and free mind; technique and expression; healing and art; the reconnection of MIND, the HEART, the BODY, and the SOUL.

Joana has been a constant presence – as an invited artist, choreographer & teacher – at major International Oriental Dance Festivals. She´s performed, taught, and lectured in more than 40 countries.

She´s also the founder of Joana Saahirah´s World and Joana Saahirah´s Online Dance School, pioneering Online Platforms promoting authentic Egyptian Dance, Self-Discovery & Empowerment. 

 


Delivering authentic Egyptian Dance & Personal Empowerment.

👉Click here to discover our available online courses

What our (gorgeous) Students Say about our School:

Yes, simply the BEST. She pours out so much love, passion, light through the screen to all students and it inspires me so much. There had been doubts, confusions in my head but she is the one saying exactly what I need to hear to awaken myself. Now I feel my heart is more open for every movement. Her classes change the landscape of my dance basically. She is such a blessing to the education of Egyptian Dance today.

Zoe Ni (China/USA)

There are many kinds of teachers and then, there are special teachers, like Joana Saahirah, who carry the power of transformation on their skin, and that shows, it passes on to all her students; because the best teaching we can offer someone is the love for what we do. To study with this prestigious dancer and teacher is to embark on a beautiful journey without end; without return; a very intimate and deep trip. Her classes are unmatched! Her world is magical, she´s magical.

Mariana Artaza (Argentina)

I´m very happy to have met Joana on my Oriental Dance path. In her courses and method I´ve found answers to several needs and questions. For instante, I´ve learned about the essence of Egyptian Dance, what´s essential and what makes it magical. Everything Joana shares in her courses fascinates me: the concepts she introduces, the exercises she proposes find, recognize and build the unique dancer each of us carries within. In all of her courses, I find an integrated and permanent way to develop self-empowerment, Egyptian Dance technique, and the essence of each style, all of it backed-up by the great richness of Joana´s experience in Egypt and her studies with the greatest musicians and Egyptian Dance masters. Furthermore, she does it all in a fun and vibrant way. I´m deeply thankful for her generosity and for her willingness to create work that brings real evolution in her students. Each course at Joana Saahirah´s Online Dance School is a meeting with myself, with my personal powers and unrecognized gifts. Basically, I´m witnessing major growth in my dance and, above all, I feel happier and able to express who I am.

Dana Moreno (Colombia)

The best thing that happened to me in 2020 in the dance field was to discover Joana Saahirah's online dance school. Joana's teachings are what I will gladly carry with me into 2021 and further as I grow both in dance and on a personal level. When I first saw Joana's video performances, I was glued to the screen. I was captured by her presence, her unique style, and charisma. Intrigued, I decided to check out her online school courses. There I uncovered immense amounts of material, invaluable insights into dance and life in general, and a very rich, deeply caring, giving person. Joana's guidance has given me confidence in my path as a dancer and a human being. She has given me tools to achieve my dance goals. And in her magical ways, she has helped me find answers to profound questions. Joana leads by example and it shows in everything that she offers to her students. The material that she gives is always rich, captivating, and enlightening. I would highly recommend Joana's school of dance to dancers of any level and of any background. There is something special and highly useful in her teachings for everyone.

Xenia Leonteva (Kyrgyzstan)

I´m loving the courses I've taken at Joana Saahirah´s Online Dance School, they are comprehensive, challenging and fun at the same time. My dance feels more authentic because it's more authentically ME. Joana leaves no stone unturned and attends to every detail in one's life that needs attention in making them a better dancer. Joana is an extremely knowledgeable and generous teacher who gives 150% to her students. In addition to providing rich detail and respect for the history and pioneers of the dance, her school provides a path to self-love and empowerment through her unique and caring teaching style.

Jill Shireen (Canada)

I enjoyed Joana Saahirah´s Course soooo much. Well explained and enough repetitions - it was really easy to follow. And what I liked the most: The enormous knowledge you shared with us. You made me understand what is Shaabi about and gave me the important background information for my dance. Everything was so well-founded. This is really rare these days. Most the teachers don't care, mix up everything, don't even know what Egyptian Dance is about and where the different styles come from. I appreciate this very much, thank you. And it helps me to develop my dance and grow as a person.

Nuraya Nicole Mohn (Germany)

You are an excellent teacher, amazing dancer & a beautiful person inside & out. You absolutely radiate while teaching & dancing & your passion, knowledge & love for Egyptian Dance is so uplifting & infectious. I listen & watch all your you tubes & bonuses as I find them so empowering & positive. It makes me believe anything is possible if I try.... So much love Joana & many many thanks

Samantha Page (UK)

When a dance friend from the Philippines sent me the link to Joana’s Facebook Live chat on her Baladi Awadi course I didn’t realize that I was going to hit a jackpot that would enrich my dance life forever. The more courses that I take, the more I get hooked. Before long, I have signed up 8 separate courses and most recently the annual membership for the signature course. But why? First of all, what appealed to me was the holistic approach that Joana takes to each of her courses, i.e. physical, emotional, and spiritual. And it makes total sense to learn how to integrate these elements to enhance the soulfulness of the dance, a passage leading to the divine. Secondly, all the courses that I have taken were well designed and really focused on each of my problematic areas such as shimmies, hands and arms, hips, traveling steps, how to interpret lyrics, etc. As the result, my vocabulary for each area got greatly expanded and my techniques, strengthened. Thirdly, Joana’s dance style is creative in such a way that really resonates with me. Furthermore, Joana is incredibly knowledgeable about not only Arabic music but also non Arabic music. Since I started working with Joana four months ago I have created three choreographies. I noticed a dramatic difference between the ones that I created before and the new ones after Joana’s school. The creativity that Joana emphases so much has become a crucial driver in my approach. Suddenly I feel very liberated in my application of the techniques and concepts that I have learned. Joana often says that education and application go hand in hand. And I found that the creativity she instilled in us can really make the application take off. I recommend Joana´s School to anyone because of the transformation that I have experienced in my choreographies and performances.

Jian Sakakeeny (China/USA)

This year, I subscribed to 4 courses at Joana Saahirah´s Online Dance School and, honestly, her courses are amazing, I recommend them 100% because she teaches you the dance technique and choreography but the Egyptian Culture behind the dance, the mentality behind each movement. Furthermore, she develops you on a personal level - emotionally and psychologically -, something that can help you evolve in your dance and in your life. If you´re wondering if you should join her school, I´d say “don´t think twice, join it now!”

Linda Hadj (Spain)

I definitely recommend the school to all dancers and women who want to work not only in their dance but also in their personal development. Everything I have learned in school has changed the way I perceive everything that surrounds me, and that influences my dances and my life in a very positive way.

Cecilia Zuñiga (Costa Rica)

I loved this course. I loved being taught the importance of dancing with love. I loved the choreography and the feeling of each movement. It brings out the soul and emotion every time I dance to it. I feel I'm more confident with expressing my emotions in my dance and life. I have more respect and appreciation for classical Egyptian music. Joana, I would tell the world to take your courses. You honestly deserve an award for teacher of the year. Every course I take of yours I am seeing my skills improving. I love you as my teacher. I am so blessed and thankful to have the opportunity to study with you. Thank you for putting your heart and soul into teaching us.

Juniper Willow (USA)

I recommend Joana Saahirah´s Online Dance School to other students, for sure. But only those who are really interested in the authentic Egyptian dance and the culture behind it. I have learned beautiful choreographies, received many beautiful learning materials, tips for self-practice, and some Arabic. I have also learned practical ways to be self-confident through your course, which is indeed life-changing. The reason I cannot leave her school is that she doesn't force her students to be her followers (totally the opposite!) She values each student's individuality and guides us to be "ourselves," in dance and in life. Taking your courses in 2020 was truly a great help for me, both physically and mentally. Literally, you saved my life...Thank you.

Seiko Endo (Japan)