Belly Dance Life

Sahira began belly dancing full-time in 2001. At one point she was dancing 5 nights a week, sometimes up to 7 shows in one evening! In 2005, Sahira released her first instructional DVD and shortly after she got invited to teach and perform all around the world. In 2006 she even had the honor of being the first tribal instructor ever invited to teach at the largest belly dance festival in the world: Ahlan We Sahlan, in Cairo, Egypt. She is also the proud co-owner of Bella Donna Dance, voted Houston’s Best Belly Dancers by the Houston Press. She is also the founder and director of Houston’s premiere Tribal Style troupe, Urban Hipsy.

In this episode you will learn about:

- Being fired from a job, and diving into a belly dance career

- The importance of networking and connections

- Learning process for finger cymbals

- Teaching zills online

- Where to purchase good finger cymbals, and where to perform with them

Show Notes to this episode:

Follow Sahira via Instagram, FB, YouTube and website. FREE mini-course from Sahira: www.sahirabellydances.com/zillstar

Check out the next SharQui Instructor Academy beginning January 2nd. Apply at sharqui.com/teach

Details and training materials for the BDE castings are available at www.JoinBDE.com

Follow Iana on Instagram, FB, and Youtube . Check out her online classes and intensives at the Iana Dance Club.

Find information on how you can support Ukraine and Ukrainian belly dancers HERE.

Podcast: www.ianadance.com/podcast

For all our guests and listeners dance is a very integral part of daily life. But sometimes we start taking it for granted, and forget that for many people opportunity to dance and perform is a luxury. Let’s listen to some stories from our previous guests.

NEW episode with a selection of the best parts dedicated to the barriers and hardships of the decision to pursue a dance path. You’ll hear from Lebanese Simon, Sara Al-Hadithi, Mohanned Hawaz and Sabriye Tekbilek.

Show Notes to this episode:

Full interviews with our guests:

Ep 29. Lebanese Simon: Rising Above Obstacles

Ep 108. Sara Al-Hadithi: About Popularization of Iraqi Dance

Ep 115. Mohanned Hawaz: Things You Didn’t Know about Iraqi Dance

Ep 150. Sabriye Tekbilek: Be The Type Of Artist You Want To Be

Check out the next SharQui Instructor Academy beginning January 2nd. Apply at sharqui.com/teach

Details and training materials for the BDE castings are available at www.JoinBDE.com

Follow Iana on Instagram, FB, and Youtube . Check out her online classes and intensives at the Iana Dance Club.

Find information on how you can support Ukraine and Ukrainian belly dancers HERE.

Podcast: www.ianadance.com/podcast

Performer, Master Instructor, Choreographer, Director and Producer, Jillina Carlano has devoted her life to dance. From 2003-09 she served as Artistic Director and Main Choreographer for the Bellydance Superstars and performed with them for over 700 shows in over a dozen countries. In 2009 Jillina created Bellydance Evolution to take Middle Eastern dance to a higher level worldwide. Bellydance Evolution has already appeared in over 20 countries and was a featured performer at the Mawazine festival in Morocco, performing for the Queen of Morocco.Jillina has won numerous awards from International Academy of Middle Eastern Dance and the Giza Academy, including Best Modern Egyptian Dancer, Best Instructional Video, Best Dance Company and Dancer of the Year.

In this episode you will learn about:

- Delegating responsibilities and projects to others

- Tips for hiring people

- Post-pandemic performances by Belly Dance Evolution

- The importance of generosity

- Dealing with self-criticism and personal insecurities

Show Notes to this episode:

Follow Jillina Carlano via Instagram, FB, and website.

Previous interviews with Jillina:

Ep 31. Jillina Carlano: How Food Can Influence Your Dance

Ep 22. Jillina Carlano: Building Community Around the Globe

Check out the next SharQui Instructor Academy beginning January 2nd. Apply at sharqui.com/teach

Details and training materials for the BDE castings are available at www.JoinBDE.com

Follow Iana on Instagram, FB, and Youtube . Check out her online classes and intensives at the Iana Dance Club.

Find information on how you can support Ukraine and Ukrainian belly dancers HERE.

Podcast: www.ianadance.com/podcast

International master teacher and dancer artist, Kaouther Ben Amor is known for the theatrical dimension she gives to her expressive interpretations and original choreographies. After various shows in France where her name totally settled down as teacher and performer, she naturally moved on to performing abroad in prestigious theatres : Tokyo, New York, Dallas, Geneva, Brussels, Cairo, Torino, Amsterdam, Tunis, Venice, Rimini, Berlin, Amsterdam... Rachid Bouchared trusted her to create the choreography of the oriental ballet in his latest film “Outside the Law” (Cannes Film Festival 2010) and also for the Tunisian Director Elyes Baccar in the movie Tunis By Night.

In this episode you will learn about:

- Feeling both French and Tunisian

- Taking three years to become a professional full-time dancer

- How belly dance embraces all types of body shapes

- The artistic fire that burns inside

- Kauther’s experience in the cinema industry

Show Notes to this episode:

Follow Kaouther Ben Amor via Instagram, FB, YouTube, and website.

Details and training materials for the BDE castings are available at www.JoinBDE.com

Check out the next SharQui Instructor Academy beginning January 2nd. Apply at sharqui.com/teach

Follow Iana on Instagram, FB, and Youtube . Check out her online classes and intensives at the Iana Dance Club.

Find information on how you can support Ukraine and Ukrainian belly dancers HERE.

Podcast: www.ianadance.com/podcast

Alisa Gurova is a professional fusion dancer with a Master degree in contemporary dance from the College of Arts in Kyiv. Her performances combine fusion, belly dance, and contemporary dance with ballet. This has led her to winning “The Challenge” in the Ukrainian International Competition for Contemporary Jazz in 2015 and 2016, and winning Miss Belly Dance Ukraine in 2010. Her expertise is well known as she has been asked to judge the Let’s Dance Festival in Prague 2016, the Bellydance Festival in Dnepropetrovsk, Ukraine in 2016, and the Bellydance Festival in Kiev in 2015.

In this episode you will learn about:

- Fleeing the war in Ukraine, and being robed on the first day in Spain

- Processing the hardship of the current situation through dance

- Alisa’s competition experience in the contemporary jazz style

- The necessity of professional higher education for belly dancers

- The evolution of terminology in the dance world

Show Notes to this episode:

Follow Kira Lebedeva via Instagram, FB, and YouTube.

Details and training materials for the BDE castings are available at www.JoinBDE.com

Check out the next SharQui Instructor Academy beginning January 2nd. Apply at sharqui.com/teach

Follow Iana on Instagram, FB, and Youtube . Check out her online classes and intensives at the Iana Dance Club.

Find information on how you can support Ukraine and Ukrainian belly dancers HERE.

Podcast: www.ianadance.com/podcast

This is a new solo episode with Iana! Let’s talk about the frustrations of the learning process, and specifically the moment when you don’t see much improvements in your dance.

Show Notes to this episode:

Follow Iana on Instagram, FB, and Youtube . Check out her online classes and intensives at the Iana Dance Club.

Check out the amazing collection at My Inner Dancer online store at www.myinnerdancer.com Use a promo code PODCAST for a 10% discount during the checkout.

Find information on how you can support Ukraine and Ukrainian belly dancers HERE.

Podcast: www.ianadance.com/podcast

Originally from the Netherlands, Loretta is a modern international belly dance star and in-demand teacher of workshops worldwide. She is a winner of multiple international competitions, and known for her smooth graceful movements with intricate technique skills. Now Loretta lives and teaches belly dance classes in Kuwait, as well as continues to travel worldwide.

In this episode you will learn about:

- Mastering belly dance on your own from 0 to professional level

- The importance of flexibility for dancer’s body

- Teaching belly dance classes in Kuwait

- Adjusting to a different lifestyle in a new country

- Managing 7-8 classes on a daily basis

Show Notes to this episode:

Follow Loretta via Instagram, FB, and YouTube.

Check out the amazing collection at My Inner Dancer online store at www.myinnerdancer.com Use a promo code PODCAST for a 10% discount during the checkout.

Follow Iana on Instagram, FB, and Youtube . Check out her online classes and intensives at the Iana Dance Club.

Find information on how you can support Ukraine and Ukrainian belly dancers HERE.

Podcast: www.ianadance.com/podcast

Shahrzad is an internationally known teacher and performer of Egyptian dance styles. She moved to Egypt in 2015 and enjoyed a 5 year performance career appearing in top night clubs, films, and music videos. Post-covid she opened her business ‘Shahrzad Studios’ which focuses on providing high quality education on Egyptian dance, music, and language both online and in person featuring her own instruction as well as promoting artists of origin.

In this episode you will learn about:

- Not-so-obvious reasons of why Cairo dance & music scene has changed so much after the lockdowns

- Shifts in Shahrzad’s personal dance focus

- Experience of teaching live classes in Cairo for local women

- Expanding activities to teaching online and organizing tours in Egypt

- The importance of conditioning and body awareness for belly dancers

Show Notes to this episode:

Follow Shahrzad via Instagram, FB, and YouTube. Also, check out info about here online classes, music CDs, and tours in Egypt.

Details and training materials for the BDE castings are available at www.JoinBDE.com

Check out the amazing collection at My Inner Dancer online store at www.myinnerdancer.com Use a promo code PODCAST for a 10% discount during the checkout.

Follow Iana on Instagram, FB, and Youtube . Check out her online classes and intensives at the Iana Dance Club.

Find information on how you can support Ukraine and Ukrainian belly dancers HERE.

Podcast: www.ianadance.com/podcast

Kira Lebedeva has been a professional Tribal Fusion dancer and teacher for almost 12 years, also teaching yoga for around 10 years. In March 2022 Kira has transformed her studio in Lviv into a shelter to host people from all over Ukraine who had to leave their own cities in search of a safer place.

In this episode you will learn about:

- The impact of the war on Kira’s dance life, and the experience of hosting a shelter at her dance studio

- Expressing politics through dance

- The beginning of Kira’s dance journey

- How easy it is to transition from belly dance to tribal fusion

- The struggle of speaking in English

Show Notes to this episode:

Follow Kira Lebedeva via Instagram, FB, and YouTube.

Details and training materials for the BDE castings are available at www.JoinBDE.com

Check out the next SharQui Instructor Academy beginning October 3rd. Apply at sharqui.com/teach

Follow Iana on Instagram, FB, and Youtube . Check out her online classes and intensives at the Iana Dance Club.

Find information on how you can support Ukraine and Ukrainian belly dancers HERE.

Podcast: www.ianadance.com/podcast

What do you feel when you are watching your own performance videos? Let’s hear the experience of our star guests.

NEW episode with a selection of the best parts dedicated to the self criticism and your videos. You’ll hear from Julia Farid, Aida Bogomolova, Yael Zarca and Diana Gnatchenko.

Show Notes to this episode:

Full interviews with our guests:

Ep 52. Julia Farid: About Artistic Fulfillment, Individual Style and Teacher-Student Relationships

Ep 144. Aida Bogomolova: Paying Attention to Each Detail

Ep 162. Yaël Zarca: Spreading Light and Positivity

Ep 200. Diana Gnatchenko: Life Before & After

Details and training materials for the BDE castings are available at www.JoinBDE.com

Check out the next SharQui Instructor Academy beginning October 3rd. Apply at sharqui.com/teach

Follow Iana on Instagram, FB, and Youtube . Check out her online classes and intensives at the Iana Dance Club.

Find information on how you can support Ukraine and Ukrainian belly dancers HERE.

Podcast: www.ianadance.com/podcast