Jamilah Zahran

(USA)

"Joana's depth of knowledge of  Egyptian culture and dance is amazing in its depth and breadth. 

 As a result of doing "Rhythms for Oriental Dancers", I´ve become more confident concerning my current dance situation in life. I find the self-improvement inclusion in Joana's teaching style so valuable.

I definitely recommend this course to other dancers-beginning to advanced-because of  the massive amount of knowledge that is shared, ancillary modules, and self-confidence building attributes of the course."

Nuraya Nicole Mohn

(Germany)

"Dear Joana, 

I love "Rhythms for Oriental Dancers" soooo much. 

It makes me feel much more confident in my dance. 

I can now follow my intuition while I'm dancing and not keep sticking to the basic rhythm. And I think I become a much better listener. 

Thank you so much for all the input and for always encouraging us to explore the beautiful universe of Egyptian dance and music.

Looking forward to the next topics and classes. See you soon!"

Vanessa (France)

"I recommend Joana Saahirah´s Online Dance School, 100%, because it's authentic Egyptian Dance. 

She lived and breathed the culture and clearly loves it; now she's sharing it with the world selflessly. Our beloved art form needs more dancers like that.

 I also love that her career has been not just as an artist, but as an entertainer. That perspective is great for professional dancers.

The mentorship has been the biggest gift I´ve reaped from joining Joana Saahirah´s Online Dance School, and it has helped me stay true to who I am as a dancer and not get pulled in all different directions.

Thank you for everything! For sharing your passion and heart so selflessly."

Zoe Ni (USA/China)

"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."

Asphalt (Italy)

"Before starting to study with Joana I first fell in love and felt inspired by her dancing, wherein I found something "mystical" that makes me always think that Federico Fellini would have put her inside one of its magical movies.

Joana, as a teacher, is truly a gift.

She teaches without any reserve and she never stops giving, I'm always impressed about the amount of amazing contents she manages to give!

She conceived a peculiar "format" for his courses, that makes the process of learning fun, enjoyable and stimulating, because she gives, in addiction to the dance classes, many things to discover little by little. I always have the feeling I am a child with a box full of colorful toys to play with.

What I'd like to underline among everything is that Joana has the will to give her students fundamental tools for a more autonomous development of the dance. That it also means that she teaches at a "multilevel" way, always entering the field of self development.

I personally feel I have, with her, the chance to make order among everything, not only among the huge world that concerns "oriental dance", because joana spreads a direct knowledge of the egyptian culture, not only studied, but truly lived and absorbed beneath the skin, so she can put, and she wisely does, the dance teaching into contextualization; but also, I feel I'm developing a deeper understanding of what  dance technique is made of.

I personally realized that Joana lets you "return" to the dance technique, as kind of something your body belong to, something it deserves and it should explore, to feel more. 

Definitely huge and well beyond expectation." 

Claudia Shazadi (Colombia)

"I joined Joana´s online school very recently, this year, and have done 3 of her courses already, and am looking forward to attending more.

The way Joana instills her love, respect and passion for the Oriental/Egyptian Dance made me come back and fall again in love with this dance after 5 years not dancing.

Her classes are not only about movements and learning choreography, which is good but not enough; she goes deeper, opening our eyes to the Egyptian culture and the reason why the dance is so important and should be treated with more love and respect. Joana also encourages her students to make a relationship in our lives and the way we dance, making an introspection and re-connection with ourselves. 

Every course I´ve taken is a journey through Egypt, its culture, and of course the DANCE, but also through my inner self. 

I love her classes and all the material, because they bring me back to my start many years ago into the Oriental Dance, with my first teachers, leaving behind all the competition between dancers, and going back to the real important side. The pure essence."

Linda Hadj (Spain)

"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!"

Mariana Artaza (Argentina)

"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."

Sepideh (Germany)

"Dear Joana Saahirah, I am speechless, how an online Course can be that touching! Energy flows without taking care of any miles-distance.

Your structure is great, the way you announce the program of the lesson, how you guide us and how you let us free, it is such a good dose.

Thank you also for giving theoretical Input to get some knowledge of Egyptian Dance history and Culture..and all of the Bonus material!

Today, for me, was a clue lesson. We really dug deep in this journey :-).

I thank you from and with all my heart for your honesty and the energy you put in it, in us, your faith, your trust, your love., your wisdom and your clarity.

May this pure love come back to you in more than 1000 different ways. Not every great dancer is meant to be a great teacher too, but some of them are...happy those who find them ...thank you for sharing what your heart is burning for."

Jamila Zahran (USA)

"Shukran, habibty, for your generosity of spirit and knowledge and for sharing your space with the wonderful Dr. Sawa.

 Your interactions clearly show the love, respect and knowledge relating to Egyptian culture that you both share. Also, thank you for the amount of WORK required to administer a site such as your online school. 

Would love to share you "live" with my dance friends, teachers and performers or to study with you in person. You are so good at sharing your spirit with others even in an online format but I feel that being in the same room with someone imparts an even deeper internalization of their essence. 

Would I recommend Joana Saahirah´s Online Dance School?

A definite yes. Factual information gained by years of study shared with participants. No "factoids" or unresearched info given.

As always, love and a big kiss, Jamila"

Tamara Pravica (Canada)

"I seriously think you are an exceptional teacher. 

The gifts you give in your teaching have a lot to do with giving the foundation or core of something so a dancer can learn on their own. That is an amazing gift because it allows for the student to cut ties with their teacher - they are being taught to fly on their own. For me, that is where you get the dedication from someone like me - and I keep wanting to come back. It's because you teach the personal even in the group sessions. 

I also wanted to say, there are areas of my dance I need to work on, and you have pointed them out. It is a challenge for me, and I work on them every day. Everyday."

Xenia Leonteva (Kyrgyzstan)

"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."

Nuraya Nicole Mohn (Germany)

"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."

Juniper Willow (USA)

"I´m so thankful for you sharing your knowledge with the world.

 I have to say, you truly changed my life in such a positive way. I feel so connected with Egyptian dance and myself on such a deeper level I had no idea it was even possible. I´m dreaming non-stop about learning more.

 I cry tears of joy and a bit of sadness because this is what I have been searching for my entire life. I was so lost for so many years until I realized I wanted to be a dancer but then I became a lost dancer. Misguided because I had no one to teach me. Until I discovered you. 

I fell deeply in love with Egyptian culture and I know I will visit Egypt one day. It’s so strange how the dance pulls you in. How it opens your eyes to learning the truth about the dance and Myself. 

Baladi Awadi/ Baladi dance is the dance my body and spirit have been searching for. It´s right for my personality because it’s so grounded. I walk the earth barefoot. I dig my hands into the soil. I breathe with the trees and dance beneath the moon and the stars. 

I live in the forest disconnected from society because that is where my heart belongs and I feel that is what brought me to Baladi. I had no knowledge of Baladi. I only knew it was a rhythm. I always wondered more about it and that’s how I found you. I googled info about Baladi and one of your YouTube videos popped up, so I decided to watch it and I was like whoa!!! Who is this beautiful magical woman? She knows what she is talking about so I watched more videos and then I saw you were a teacher. Once that discovery was made I saved every penny to sign up for one of your courses. I am hooked. I am completely hooked lol. 

I feel more connected to the music. You have taught me how to listen. Once the music plays, my ears begin to twinkle and twitch like little antennas searching for the sound. Once the waves reach my ears they make their way to my heart and then my body moves in ways I didn’t even know it could. I was always so focused on what dance move I should do instead of just moving. Now I  listen, feel and move. I am learning how to enjoy my dancing. I am tasting the moves and music, something I never would have thought of doing. I am less of a nervous dancer now when I am able to let go and just enjoy myself and the music. 

I would highly recommend people to sign up for your courses if they wish to discover the true art of Egyptian dance. If they wish to dive deeper into the culture. If they wish to throw away their masks and become heart dancers. Exposing their inner world to the world.

Thank you again, Joana. I´m so blessed to have you as my teacher. 

I´m like a drug addict waiting to get her fix but with knowledge (hahah). I wish you happiness, love, excellent health and many blessings.  "

Jian Sakakeeny (USA)

"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."