Yallah Raqs

Today? Zara Dance joins us to talk about the concept of Tarab. These are some of my favorite words. Words that simply don’t have a translation in other languages. Every language has a word or phrase or saying that just doesn’t have a direct translation. And while that’s beautiful, it can also cause some misconceptions. Join Zara as she talks about what Tarab is and answers a oft-asked question. Can you only do it to Umm Kulthom music? You can find links to all Zara’s amazing work at thebellydancebundle.com/109

Today Francesca is going to take us on a little journey, using a song. Francesca has her degree in Oriental Languages and Literature for Arabic, and is using her knowledge to bring us how Arabic poetry has had, and continues to have a lasting influence on the lyrics of modern arabic songs. Knowing some of this background helps us to better understand the emotional impact of these songs and appreciate they beauty of the lyrics. The song she’ll use briefly as an example here is Zoom Sur Oum by Rashid Taha, which samples a song that I know you know. We’ve linked the song, and all the ways you can find Francesca on the show page at www.thebellydancebundle.com/108

Today we have Dawn Devine with and awesome Q &A .  Dawn is a costumer and historian well known for some of her books, including The Cloth of Egypt, All about Assuit,  and Zills, Music on your Fingertips.  If you’ve followed Dawn for a while you may be part of her group on Facebook, which she polled for some Must Answer questions, and today she’s giving you the answers. Does Dawn dance? Is she ever going to publish her master’s thesis? What about reprints of some of her previous titles that have gone out of print? Dawn answers these and more, along with some wonderful insight into her research and how some of her works came to be. You can find links to all of Dawns online stuff at thebellydancebundle.com/107

Today we have Melbourne, Australian based creator of The Dance Safe Project, Prue, joining us to chat all about warmups and cooldowns. Sometimes the practices that will keep us dancing the longest are the easiest to implement, and the easiest to skip when you’re on a tight schedule. Prue goes into why warm ups and cool downs are so important, and talks a bit about how we can make these practices more accessible to everyone with just a couple of modifications. And if you’re looking for a quick warmup you can do in a tight space? Make sure to check out the accompanying challenge, which you can find, along with links to all the places you can find The Dance Safe Project online at the podcast page. thebellydancebundle.com/106

Today we have Lisa-Jean here to talk to us about creating a practice. A busy mom of three, Lisa-Jean realized that very few dancers actually TEACH us how to practice, or how to fit time into our busy schedules to dance.  And I’m so on board, it’s one of the reasons we’ve created so many of the resources we have around here at the Bellydance Bundle! Lisa chats with you today about getting specific on your dance goals, finding the time to practice, and one big shift in how you structure your practice time can make a huge difference. She’ll go into a little bit about how to take bits and pieces from workshops into a smaller, more compact practice that’s easier to fit into your day And of course, the most important bit. Having fun along the way. You can learn more about Lisa-Jean and her work by following her on social and checking out her site. Links to all those cool places can be found on the podcast page at www.thebellydancebundle.com/105

April Rose will be sharing a portion of her Bold Bellydancer Shift Workshop.   If you haven’t followed her before April is an Austin-based interdisciplinary artist, teacher, and performer of bellydance, transcultural dance, frame drum, and finger cymbals. She’s absolutely wonderful and her approach to dance and art and life are truly inspirational.   In this portion of her Bold Bellydancer Shift Workshop she’ll share with you several reasons she believes a paradigm shift is happening in the fusion dance space, but honestly many of her points ring true for the Raqs Sharqi space as well. She’ll dive into carbon copy styling versus developing your own creative intuition and using that to create your own style, and how in the end, it really is all about the process.   This workshop was originally given as part of the Cohesion Camp Virtual Retreat and is available as part of the 2023 Bundle. Or was, if you’re listening to this after November 10th, 2023.    If you like this you can check out more from April by following her online and checking out the Cohesion Collective. All links can be found at www.thebellydancebundle.com/104

Today is a MUST listen if you have any kind of bellydance business. And like our guest says, if you’re getting paid at all? Then you have a businessAnd she couldn’t be more rightJoin Oreet for a fantastic episode where you are going to be taking some SERIOUS action steps.Oreet is the creator of Sharqui and offers coaching and mentorship as part of her Teacher training. Today she's going to get you to take the fundamental first step in your business.Believing in yourself. Then she’ll help you assess your business to see where your strengths are, and your challenges. Much like we do for our dancing. Personal opinion, your dance practice and your business practice have a LOT in common. So join Oreet for this action packed episode, and check out links to find out more from her at www.thebellydancebundle.com/103

Today we have Minda Mae joining us from Minneapolis! She is the founder of the DisabiliTease Academy, the first virtual school specifically geared towards performers with disabilites and their allies. She’s also the first wheelchair-using burlesque performer in Minnesota. Through her work she helps students advocate for themselves and teachers show up more inclusively for their students. Here in our mini episode she’ll go through some of the basics, what is a disability? Accessibiilty? Accomodations? She’ll also share a couple of simple things you can do right now to make your marketing and your studios to create a safer space for dancers with disabilities. You can learn more about Minda and the amazing work they do online by checking out their website and social media pages, all linked at thebellydancebundle.com/102

Today you’ll be spending some time with Drake, an interdisciplinary bellydance researcher and performer based in the Chicago area. He joins us today to chat a little bit about Multi tonal cymbals and how to integrate them into your dance. He’ll go over what Multi-tonal playing is, how to play zills even if you’re not dancing to middle eastern music, and a way that you can scale any multi-tonal playing to your level. Find your zills and join in with today's episode! You can check out a visual challenge to go along with today’s episode and find all the cool places to hang out with Drake online on the show notes page at thebellydancebundle.com/101

While Rahel specializes in Raqs Sharqi, Today she’ll be joining us to talk about her work in trauma-informed, mindfulness-based somatic practices and how she’s brought that to the table to support both dancers and non-dancers alike And she has so much great info to share. She’ll go through what somatics is, and some of the history of it, as well as diving into what it means to be embodied. We’ll spend some time today being a bit more cognitive about our bodies by even thinking ABOUT the fact that we have bodies in the first place! It get’s really fascinating team. Did you know we have more than 5 senses? I know right? Rahel is about to open up a whole new world for you. So join her in bringing a little more mindfulness to your body, both today here in the podcast, and through her accompanying instagram challenge. You can check out that challenge and follow rahel online in all the places she hangs out by going to thebellydancebundle.com/100

Today we have the founder of Greenstone Dance Arts, Siobhan Camille.  If you’ve heard her on the podcast before, or you follow her you’ll already know, but for anyone just meeting Siobhan for the first time, she’s got an extensive background in exercise science with postgrad degrees in both Exercise Prescription and Rehabilitation Science. And while this creates her unique approach to teaching, today she’s gonna be talking a bit more about something near and dear to my heart. Habits. It make sense, because what is a dance or exercise practice but a series of habits? Today she’ll be talking about all or nothing thinking, why our practices need to evolve over the years, and you’ll even walk away with some book recommendations if your interest has been peaked. Plus one action step you can take TODAY to get going on a habit you’ve been wanting to start or improve. You can find Siobhan online through the links on the show notes page at thebellydancebundle.com/99

Today we have Sahira here to chat all about adding emotion and some theatricality to your dance. Sahira is a dancer in Houston who teaches both locally and has a fantastic online dance school. She’s known for her finger cymbals, her fantastic personality, and of course for being able to absolutely draw you in while she’s dancing. And the key to that? Bringing that emotion to your dance! How many times have you been told to stare “past” the audience? Well not anymore! Sahira shares her theories about why we tend not to practice this aspect of our dance as often, as well as some concrete steps you can take to add these subjects into your regular practice. Cause if you don’t work on it in practice, it’s not magically come out in performance. That’s a quote from Sahira later on in this episode and it may become a new motto around here because it’s so on point. Visit thebellydancebundle.com/98 to find the challenge Sahira mention, along with links to all the places you can hang out with Sahira online.

Today we have the wonderful Athena Howe and Adam Rivière to chat allllll about live music with ya’ll! Athena is a Columbus, Ohio-based dancer who just like many of us, fell in love with the costuming and glamour of belly dance, and then fell head over heals for the music and culture. Especially live music!! Adam is a  world percussionist, audio engineer and composer with almost 40 years of experience and often plays shows with bellydancers Together, the two have performed and taught at festivals and have also started online workshops together to teach dancers the ins and outs of dancing to live music. Join them today as they talk about how live music fosters connection, and the return of one of our favorite questions from seasons past. What’s your best dance (or gig) mishap? Skunks, Ouds, and musical connection are coming your way, you’re not gonna wanna miss this one! Find links to all of Athena & Adam's social media, PLUS their awesome drum solo Instagram challenge at www.thebellydancebundle.com/97

Today we welcome Debpariya Das to the podcast. Joining us from Bangalore, India, she’s here to share a little bit about her journey as an Oriental Bellydancer and her philosophies around fusing Indian Dance and Bellydance together.    She’ll share with us her views on how culture plays into the fusion of the dances, the importance of solid foundations in each style, and some of what she’ll be bringing to the 2023 Bundle around these topics.   Check out the show notes page at www.thebellydancebundle.com/96 to get all the ways you can follow Debapriya online and to check out the awesome spinning challenge she made to go along with today’s episode!

Welcome to this mini-episode of Yallah Raqs! Today Ashley Rhianne is going to tell us a bit about her journey to becoming a dancer and a pilates instructor.    She’ll be sharing what set her on her path, the benefits she’s seen in her own dance through the addition of cross-training in pilates and hows she’s seen pilates change her students dances as well. Links to follow Ashley online at both her Dance and her Pilates accounts can be found on the episode page at www.thebellydancebundle.com/95

This season is gonna be a bit different, so here's a little into to this Bundle Season!

Ebony and Tiffany sit down with brilliant dancers Raqs Razi, Lara Adrienne, Donna Mejia, Lotus Niraja and Nefertiti for an inspiring conversation about, and celebration of, their opportunities, learnings and stories of travel as Black artists.   Enjoy musings on favorite travel destinations and some wild excursion tales. They discuss working in a country of origin of this dance, exotisism and so much more. We hope this discussion inspires you, as well.   Shownotes at: www.thebellydancebundle.com/92

Ebony and Tiffany get together with incredible dancers Sadira LadyLiquid, Chudney, Nefertiti and Omoladun for a chat about what’s different about being Black in the bellydance world.   They muse about Black hair, being one of the only Black dancers in classes and competitions and finally having the feeling of belonging. Listen in as they talk about unique costuming concerns and touch upon differences in body types. We hope our discussion inspires you, as well.   Shownotes at www.thebellydancebundle.com/91

Ebony and Tiffany sit down with brilliant dancers Danielle Hutton, Lara Adriene, Raqs Razi, Nefertiti and Iona for a lively conversation about, and CELEBRATION of, seeing ourselves, Black dancers, in the spotlight. Listen in as they relate about their first time seeing a pro Black bellydancer and what that meant for them. They discuss imposter syndrome, encouraging one another and so much more. We hope this discussion inspires you, as well. Get the shownotes at www.thebellydancebundle.com/90

Badriyah is well known for her work putting together the Golden Era Museum and I’m super excited to have her on today’s podcast speaking more about the Museum and her obsession with the Golden Era. From the first piece of her collection to the dance characteristics of the Golden Era itself we get into the Golden Era through the decades in today’s episode. Talking to someone who is clearly so passionate about what they do is a joy and an honor and I am so thankful the the work that Badriyah puts into curating the museum so that the rest of us can enjoy it! Check out this episode to learn more about the Golden Era and we’ll see you in Golden Era Evolution, Badriyah’s course in this year’s Bundle! Shownotes: www.thebellydancebundle.com/89

Part 2 of 2 How do you express the music? For Mercedes Nieto, expression and musicality are at the heart of her style, and she joins us today to give us a peak into her process and how she works with her students to grow their ability to express through their dance. What is the music telling you? How do you feel about it? And how can you build that into your dance? Mercedes dives into how you can take these questions and an understanding of how your body likes to move and combine them into your story of this song. Into your own expression. Everyone’s expression and style are different, and sometimes finding your own unique voice in the music can be difficult, but by relying on your feelings? You’ve got somewhere to start. Check out this episode for an amazing deep dive into musicality and expression, some talk around the idea of audience expectations, gratitude, and showing up for yourself, and your dance. Shownotes: www.thebellydancebundle.com/88

Part 1 of 2 How do you express the music? For Mercedes Nieto, expression and musicality are at the heart of her style, and she joins us today to give us a peak into her process and how she works with her students to grow their ability to express through their dance. What is the music telling you? How do you feel about it? And how can you build that into your dance? Mercedes dives into how you can take these questions and an understanding of how your body likes to move and combine them into your story of this song. Into your own expression. Everyone’s expression and style are different, and sometimes finding your own unique voice in the music can be difficult, but by relying on your feelings? You’ve got somewhere to start. Check out this episode for an amazing deep dive into musicality and expression, some talk around the idea of audience expectations, gratitude, and showing up for yourself, and your dance. Shownotes: www.thebellydancebundle.com/88

Finding our own unique voice within this dance form is something that a LOT of us struggle with, but it comes down to one thing. How we hear and interpret the music.   And to do that? It’s super helpful to have a basis of knowledge about the music to draw from!   Today Katayoun is hanging out with us to discuss the beauty and richness of Arabic music and gives us some tips that we can use to really start to internalize the music and let our bodies respond.   It’s a fascinating topic, and I can’t wait to jump in with you!   Shownotes: www.thebellydancebundle.com/87

Today we have a special treat! Nawarra of Morocco joins us to talk about the different dances of Morocco, specifically today the Shikkat and the Chaabi! Much like any country Morocco is a diverse nation with many many different styles of dance, and, hoping to learn more about the North African part of MENAHT, we’re super excited to bring you this resource for learning more specifically about these two dances of Morocco! Nawarra was born and raised in Casablanca, is a N/A dance Researcher, dancer and Performer and a freelance Lecturer on N/A Cultural Heritage at Various Universities and I’m so excited for her to be joining us here to share some of her knowledge! Shes also one of our teachers in this year’s Bundle where she’ll be diving deeper in to the two dances we talk about today! As we dance MENAHT dances it is so important to take the time to study and learn the original contexts of what we’re doing and representing and I’m super thankful for Nawarra joining us today to help us down the path of more understanding and hopefully providing us a springboard from which we can start to do more research and learn! Shownotes: www.thebellydancebundle.com/86

Today’s episode is all about making your traveling steps musical and our Guest Chudney is absolutely one of my personal favorites when it comes to musicality. Traveling on anything but the beat can be really tricky, but being able to interpret different parts of the music through our movements around our dance space is an amazing layer that we can add that really takes our musicality to the next level.   Join Chudney and I as we talk a bit about how to work with traveling steps, even in small spaces, how traveling movements fit into the musicality of your piece, and how you can train your ear in your dance.   One of the beautiful things about this dance is that there are so many layers, so many different interpretations so come and get some new tools to take your own interpretations all around your dance space.   Shownotes at www.thebellydancebundle.com/85

Getting feedback is mostly terrifying for dancers.   I get it, I’ve been there, and so has today’s guest Adrianne.   We start off talking about the creative process and then dive deep into the feedback and critique part that comes with any kind of creation.   Drawing on her background in art school Adrianne shares some tips and tricks for asking for, giving, and receiving feedback on your piece.   When it’s appropriate, what you can do with it when you get it, and how to distance yourself from it so that it doesn’t feel quite so personal.   Adrianne’s Creative Process Workbook walks you through the entire creative process from idea development to lessons learned after your performance. It's a road map for how to take an idea, develop, it seek feedback, make changes the make sense for you and polish up your piece to make sure it's the best it can be.   Check out this episode to learn more about Adrianne’s creative process & some amazing advice around feedback and critique!   Shownotes: www.thebellydancebundle.com/84

Ever decide to start a drum solo choreography, hit the dance floor, start the music, then freeze on where to start? With the music happening all over the place where do you even begin?   And how do you slow down when it feels like the music is pushing you to go fast?   Victoria Teel is joining us in the 2021 Bellydance Bundle to teach us a Drumsolo choreography so we’ve invited her to the show to see what advice she has for those of us struggling with where to start and how to slow down when we approach our drum solos.   She has some amazing tips to help us plan out the pace and texture of our drum solos and ways that we can approach them just a bit differently to make them really shine.   And for those of you who love competitions? She’s got a bit of great advice for you in here as well.   There’s bound to be at least one lightbulb moment today, so jump on in!   Shownotes: www.thebellydancebundle.com/83

Today we’re here to talk about something foundational that is layered into everything that you do. Shapes! Mahin joins us to talk about her thoughts around creative shapes, from the foundations of the shapes themselves in the dance to how we can layer them together with different parts of our bodies and on different planes to create new and unique expressions of the music. There are infinite ways to approach any shape and any combinations of shapes, it’s what makes our dance so interesting and how we can continue to come back time and time again to something new and different each time. From improv to combo creation we dive into how we can utilize a simple concept like shape to get super complex and not only use it as a tool for creation, but also use them as a tool for gaining greater confidence in our improvisational sessions. Shownotes: www.thebellydancebundle.com/82

Ever find yourself saying bad things about your dancing when you watch a video from your practice? Or find yourself extremely nervous before an event?   Today we have Eshe on the Podcast to share some of her stories around changing her mindset when it came not only to dance performances, but practices and being in the business of dance as well! So much of what we do as dancers relies on technique and putting in the hours to hone our craft. But what we don’t realize a lot of times is that it’s our MINDSETS about practice, and about our dancing that can also have a huge effect not only on our motivation and ability to show up, but on our actual dancing as well. Eshe and I are diving into some of the most common mindset shifts that we can make to take our dance and our practice to the next level. From feeling like we deserve success, to pre-show jitters, and having some self-compassion, we dive into some of the mindset shifts that can completely change the way you approach your dance. Shownotes: www.thebellydancebundle.com/81

Do you love learning choreographies? How do you translate them back into your personal dance? This year we’ve talked quite a bit about how we can see improvements in our dance and that a LOT of us rely on choreographies to see progress in the short term. And while that’s awesome it’s often harder to see those skills translate into other dances and become part of our general repertoire. So today we’ve invited Jillina onto the podcast to give us some insights on how we can take the choreographies we learn and use them to our learning advantage. Choreographies can be an amazing tool for growth, but you’ve got to get a bit creative with them. Check out today’s episode for some great tips on how to make a piece your own and make sure you’re taking the key parts back with you into your dance. Shownotes: www.thebellydancebundle.com/80

Did you start playing zills when you were a baby bellydancer? Or did you start later in your dance journey? Or maybe you haven’t picked them up yet! Join Sahira and myself today as we chat all things Zills. Sahira has had a passion for these beautiful little instruments since the beginning and is determined to get everyone else as in love with them as she is. A worthy goal, to make everyone as much of a zill nerd as her! Whether you’re comfortable with zills already or just starting your journey Sahira has some awesome tips, tricks, and insights here that can help take your playing to the next level. Sahira is SUPER generous with her knowledge, and if you’ve ever been curious about zills, definitely check out this episode to see what’s possible if you just get a little nerdy! Shownotes at www.thebellydancebundle.com/79

So, I don’t know about you, but there was QUITE a while where I struggled to come up with combos. How to attach moves together, putting them to music, ugh, it felt like some magical skill that other people seemed to have in droves, but that I was holding the book upside down and backwards on.   Ebony is one of those amazing people. With her Urban Fusion Technique & Choreography class, which you’ll get to try in the 2021 Bundle, she is constantly coming up with new combos and dances to challenge both herself and her students, so I wanted to dig in today and see what tips and tricks we could get on how she creates her combos to see if it could work for some of us.   From how she creates combos to the differences in creating something for practice vs the stage, Ebony takes us through her process of creating combos and choreographies in today’s episode.   Check out her combo for today’s challenge as well as all her socials on the podcast page: thebellydancebundle.com/78

Innovation is rooted in tradition. Today’s podcast Guest Diana holds that idea to heart as she talks to us about Sa’idi dance, particularly using an assaya. From the common struggles she sees when it comes to dancing with assaya or canes to how we can work through those moments to create something amazing, Diana walks us through her stylings of Sa’idi dance in today’s episode. When it comes to props you don’t want to hide behind them, you want to make them dance alongside you and we dive into just that. Because anyone can do tricks, but can you make the stick dance? Have a listen to get a great tip on a way to give a nod to tradition before jumping into innovation, it’s something that I’ll be applying to my choreographies from now on! Check out this episode and many more over on the site thebellydancebundle.com/77

Have you ever been dancing at a restaurant or just noodling about in your dance space and been surprised how after just a short period of time you’re exhausted?   That’s what we’re here to talk about today.   Endurance.   Today we’re talking to Oreet from Sharqi about adding this element to our practices. What’s going on, the different types of endurance and what we can work on to increase the amount of time we spend dancing!   Shownotes: www.thebellydancebundle.com/76

Improvisation is tricky. And oftentimes scary. It’s a skill in and of itself that we grow as dancers.  But it’s one that as we start often fills us with a bit of dread.   Heather Henna Louise joins me today to talk about Improvisation and turning it into PLAY. We talk mindset, and how the story we tell ourselves? It matters!    We answer questions like: Where do we start with improv? What do we do when we lock up in fear during a song? What do we do with the worries about the audience judging us?    All of that and more, in today’s episode….   Shownotes: www.thebellydancebundle.com/75

Let’s take it back today to define some terms. What is a mejance? What does one sound like? How can you tell if this piece in your music library is one?! Melissa Gamal joins us today to talk about Mejances, the subject of her course in the 2021 Bundle. And she’s not the only one. Mejances have been becoming more and more popular over the past couple of decades and this year we’ve got two in the Bundle! Melissa share her knowledge around Mejances with us today including what they are, finding the song in your music library, and some general guidelines that dancers tend to follow when performing to one. We also get a bit into styling and that ever present moment where time slows to a crawl when you’re the one performing and how that can affect how we dance to our music. Come and learn with us!   Shownotes: www.thebellydancebundle.com/74

Sadie joins us today to talk about Stage Presence. Her workshop in the 2021 Bundle, Purpose, presence, and power centers around the concept of Stage Presence and HOW we show up. Not necessarily what we do when we get there. Dance relies  a lot on technique, and that part of your journey is always getting honed and focused on, but what about the other big thing that plays into your dance? From your practice to performances there’s another piece that carries just as much weight. Your mindset. Today we talk mindset, confidence, self-compassion and so much more as they relate to your Stage Presence. How you can show up for yourself no matter where you’re about to start dancing. Shownotes at www.thebellydancebundle.com/73

How well do you know your music? Alia joins us today to talk about mapping our music. When it works, what it helps with, and how to use it to create art with our performances. From helping improv be a little bit less scary to telling entire stories with our dance, music mapping is a tool that you can use to help your dance become what you envision. Finding the confidence when you’re dancing can be hard, and finding that confidence in improv? Even harder for some of us. Have a listen to this episode and see what tips & tricks Alia has for YOU to get to know your music, and your dance, a bit better.   Shownotes: www.thebellydancebundle.com/72

Do you want to have a better understanding of how the body works so that you can reach a new level of dance?   With a classical background in ballet & a lifelong advocate for dance, Prue's mission is for the joy of dance to be accessible to everyone. Having had struggles with injury throughout her career, she is a firm believer that injury prevention is key to ensuring longevity in dance for professionals, teachers, and students alike.   Prue draws on her 20 + years of experience in dance teaching, rehabilitation, & Pilates Movement Therapy, to bring a unique and safe dance practice resource for the Bellydance community.   Come learn a little about the importance of anatomy with us today!   Shownotes: www.thebellydancebundle.com/71

If you want to step up your belly dance practice with some strengthening elements guarenteed to help technique? Then this episode with Soraya will be perfect for you.   With over 20 years in the fitness industry and a lifetime as a belly dance practitioner, both culturally and as an enthusiast, Soraya is also the creator of the patented RAQISA® Belly Dance Training Mat and Balance Plate and the Raq The Barre program.    Soraya draws from her Lebonese background to enrich her cultural and professional love of this dance while also introducing the concepts, steps, and benefits of Barre to the bellydance world. This episode is not to be missed!   Shownotes: www.thebellydancebundle.com/70

Today on the podcast we talk about dance & movement! Amanda Rose joins me as we chat a bit about her work in Dance Movement Therapy (where she has her masters) and the ways that she has brought some of this learning into the bellydance space with her Move, Connect, Express, and Grow classes.   While we're learning this dance we often focus on the technique and the movements and getting that all just right. And in the process forget what our body wants. We lose the ability to check in, to move in ways that our bodies are called to.   Today Amanda and I dive into why this type of check in can be transformative in your dance practice, and how this connection helps dancers express and connect more fully to the music and their artistic visions.   Shownotes: www.thebellydancebundle.com/69

What does dancing Beledi remind you of?⁠⁠Jesenia and I join forces to chat about this in today's episode of Yallah Raqs.⁠⁠Does it remind you of a moment of connection? Of strength? Of dancing in your mother's kitchen?⁠⁠Beledi can be so many things, but in this episode? We talk about the feelings. What does Beledi FEEL like? What does it remind you of when you're dancing and working in this style?⁠​⁠We cover a lot in this episode, from competition to taking feedback, and from beledi progressions to pausing and transitioning between parts of the music. ⁠⁠It's amazing how our dance blends together. There are so many layers and paths that all circle back around to create you and your dance. No matter what you're studying there's always something you can take and apply to your dance as a whole, and that's such a cool feeling.⁠⁠Join Jesenia and I as we weave through these subjects and find the ties, not only to ourselves and our dances, but to each other and a sense of community and family.⁠⁠Shownotes:  www.thebellydancebundle.com/68

Ever feel like your head is a magnet for your veil? Join Aziza and myself as we chat veil today. Some best practices, picking the right veil, and of course ways that you can keep that veil from thinking your face is magnetic. From the elements that define Aziza's style to some tips to make sure your veil is working WITH you instead of against you, this episode of full of amazing tips to help you make your practice a little less stressful.  Last year you all requested more Prop classes and this year I'm happy to deliver with items like this! Aziza's contribution, the Voyage of Veil is a mix of live and pre-recorded classes based in choreo and technique to get you dancing beautifully with your veil.⁠⁠Shownotes at www.thebellydancebundle.com/67

It’s time to Shimmy with Siobhan Camille of Greenstone Bellydance! We are going to be talking about something that we all work on from the beginning of our journey into forever. Shimmies! There’s always something more to learn, layer, or experiment with when it comes to shimmies and today, Siobhan is going to be talking to us about the role that strength plays when it comes to shaking those hips! Her course for the 2021 Bundle is Shimmy & Strength, and you’re not going to want to miss it. Siobhan is honestly one of my favorite teachers, and I can’t wait to be able to dive into this course with her, but until then, let’s take these tips and apply them to our shimmy practices!   Shownotes: www.thebellydancebundle.com/66

Turning is my nemisis. So I am SUPER excited to chat today with Rosa Noreen about her course for the 2021 Bundle, Turn from the Hip.   With Rosa's background in Ballet, she does something magical. She bridges the gap for a lot of us who didn't have classical training in the western styles of dance before coming to the Middle Eastern Dance Scene.   Turning can be super difficult, and Rosa breaks down some of the mechanics, the mindset, and the tools that we can use to take our turns to the next level.   Shownotes @ www.thebellydancebundle.com/65

There is so much to be learned from tracking your dance, and yet so many dancers don't engage in this method of measuring their progress. Drawing on the experience of dancers, and her own experience cross training in weight lifting, Tiffany has created a new freebie - Track Your Dance, See Your Progress that is designed to help dancers work with tracking their dance so that they can measure the progress in their dance over months, not years, in their practices. You can get your free copy of the dance tracker at www.TheBellydanceBundle.com/tracker   Today is the official start date of our #21daysofbellydance challenge and if you want to personalize this challenge? Make sure to check out this episode on how you can use the dance tracker to make that happen for you!   Follow along with the challenge on Instagram www.Instagram.com/thebellydancebundle   Each day for the next 21 days you'll be getting exercises from our dance teachers in the 2021 Bundle, totally free! Each day you'll get a drill, exercise, or combo to practice at home. Spend 10-15 minutes on your practice, with or without your personalized piece from today's episode and BAM, suddenly you've been practicing every day for almost a month.   We can't wait to dance with you!

We're back for another season of Yallah Raqs! Get hyped for this year's #21daysofbellydance challenge and grab our new Dance Tracker - https://www.thebellydancebundle.com/tracker   You can check out who is teaching in this year's Bellydance Bundle on the site! www.thebellydancebundle.com   I can't wait to get back to dancing and learning with you all!

Do you think that stage presence requires an actual stage? What about a performance space at all? I have a feeling that today is going to open your eyes. Today’s guest Ranya is contributing a live talk on Stage Presence to this year’s bundle, so today we’re doing a deep dive in a couple of aspects of stage presence. What it is, how often you REALLY use it, and a couple of exercisese to help you practice. Whether you’re on the stage or not. It can feel like a tricky thing to practice, one of those ineffable aspects of our dance, but Ranya has some amazing tips that you can put into practice right after you finish listening!

Siobhan Camille joins us today to discuss the learning of Middle Eastern Rhythms. For those of us who are not from the culture of this dance, we weren't necessarily raised on this music, on these styles. And there are so many ways in which it differs from the popular musics of our own cultures.  It can be difficult to "train" your ear, as it were to listen to these new beat and sounds. To new instruments and to take all of that and internalize it so that you can represent that music through your dancing. Today Siobhan joins me to chat about some ways that we can start to work through this information and embed it in our dancing. I even make a confession about Rhythms on this podcast that you may identify with! From ways to practice without practicing, to ways to incorporate it on the dance floor, Siobhan Camille has suggestions for you. So no matter what kind of time you have today to practice? There's something here for you. Shownotes: www.thebellydancebundle.com/62

Have you ever felt like you don’t belong? Like you’re not really supposed to be here? Like once someone notices you’ll get your dance card revoked? You totally do belong here You’re total enough And Three. Today’s guest has some advice about that! Sahira has been working over the past several months beta-testing and creating her new course, Designing Your Ideal Online Classroom. And now it’s finished! And before you wonder what that has to do with my three points above? You see, the course covers more than just the tech stuff. Because good tech is only PART of the key to good online classes. This course is broken up into 7 different modules and today we’re going to chat about one that’s applicable to you, no matter whether you want to teach online, if you’re a teacher at all or if you’re just a student. Imposter Syndrome. It strikes all of us. So let’s go ahead and Get in the groove and figure out how to beat those gremlins back, with Sahira

Sabia from the Asmara Initiative joins me to talk about the amazing work they're doing there as well as their upcoming event this weekend. In addition, we dive into how Sabia brings back workshops to her dance practice and how people at different levels can use different techniques to process the information they're learning. We have a challenge to go along with today's podcast which you can check out on our Instagram, or on the shownotes page. You'll be entered to win a workshop from this weekend's event, Where you'll see a familiar face in the lineup with Chudney Raks! Joined by Brandy Asmara, Omoladun, and Constance WinnYaa! Shownotes: www.TheBellydanceBundle.com/60

Lisa joins me today to talk about how you can keep the momentum from the #21daysofbellydance going. Or how you can even just get started in your practice. It is so important for us, as dancers, to practice. And yet we find ourselves resisting it or getting stuck and not being able to fully dive in. Then the guilt spiral starts. Let's break the cycle and look at this from a scientific perspective. With her background in Cognitive Behavioral Science Lisa marries the dance world with science to get you practicing the way that you want to.

Today I have with me Nefertiti who, along with Soumaya, Amar Garcia, Tammy Jonson,  Khuzama, Cynthia, Hanane El , have agreed to put the Bellydancer’s Call to Action into this year’s bundle. This event was organized in the summer of 2020 and is a must listen for all dancers who are working to unpack their privilege. It was a chance for Black and Brown dancers to share their lived experiences and knowledge around racism in our dance community. Nefertiti goes into why now was the time to put this panel together, and what those of us with privilege can begin to do, right now, to be better.

Katie joins me today to talk about something that we all interact with every day. Social Media. Love it or hate it, it's something that you can use to propel your business forward, and that as a student, you can utilize to push your practice and learn more from dancers all over the world. But only if you can use it effectively. Today Katie and I chat about marketing yourself and your business and how social media is such a huge part of that. We touch on the super successful #socialshimmy challenge along with breaking the "norms" on social media. It's jam packed with useful information, so have a listen!

Today Sadie joins us to talk about quite a few important topics in our dance practice. Flipping our Negativity bias, and mentors being just two of them. We dive into how she decides what to teach, and how we can use something being difficult as a light and not as fuel for self-hate. You can do so much with this mindset shift! Shownotes: https://thebellydancebundle.com/57

Today we have with us Sahra Kent, also known as Sahra Saeeda. She's the brilliant mind behind Journey Through Egypt and I am so excited to bring her on to talk about research. Whether you know it or not, you are doing research ALL THE TIME. Any time you learn something, seek out a new teacher, go down a Youtube rabbit hole, or read a book or article? All research. And sometimes that research can be a bit...contradictory.  Today Sahra walks us through her Table's metaphor a little bit as a way to start processing all the different puzzle pieces that you've come across along your dance journey. Because we gather a LOT of information and sorting it can only make it easier for us to learn!

Do you know that Tarab has multiple meanings? There can be a LOT of confusion around this term, and we're here to clear it up a bit. Shahrzad joins me today to talk about Tarab. What it means, and what difficulties dancers face when trying to dance to this particular style of movement. And, of course, some things that you can work on in your home practice! Show Notes: www.TheBellydanceBundle.com/54

On this episode, we’ll be diving into ARMS with Katayoun. And no matter where you are In your dance journey. I know your arms are giving you grief. As a beginner's arms feel so awkward, and by the time you get to working on them it's a whole other skill you have to learn, which can be frustrating. Today we talk about why students have a hard time with arms, how Katayoun practices her arms every day, and she even gives us what is now my favorite piece of advice about armwork. But you'll have to listen to find out what it is! Show notes: www.TheBellydanceBundle.com/53

Today Mahin joins us to talk about how shimmies should be just as unique as your fingerprint. We each have our best, most comfortable shimmy that is absolutely unique to us. The trouble sometimes is in finding it! Mahin brings such a great anatomical light to her classes. Anatomy, technique, and style mixed together is my absolute favorite. So join us as we chat shimmies and go into some pretty amazing metaphors for our bodies in dance.

Melissa Gamal joins me today to talk personal stylings and The Golden Era. We chat about not only Golden Era dancers, but on the importance of looking at a dance within the context of the time, the culture, and what was going on at the time. Then we get into the personal stylings and how personality comes through in your dance. It's so important to be authentic, but authenticity can be hard to find so Melissa gives us some AMAZING tips on finding your stylization and what feels right for you as you proceed on your dance journey   Show Notes: www.TheBellydanceBundle.com/51

Today I'm joined by Ebony Qualls as we chat about her style of fusion and how she integrates fitness into her classes. We also dive into topics around giving yourself more grace, the eternal student, and making the most of your time when you're looking to get a lot of things done in limited time frames. But it's not all about getting things done, mindfulness jumps into the conversation as well. So much to cover in such a small episode.  Shownotes: www.TheBellydanceBundle.com/50

April joins me today as we dive into practice. And we dive deep into a couple of amazing areas here. April shares her story about a hard-won mindset shift that has made all the difference to her relationship to dance, along with some ideas around goal setting and scheduling that will get those of you who like to plan things very excited. If you struggle with fitting in your practice or ever feel like you're not good enough, I think that there's a lot here you can take away that can start to shift the way you look at yourself and your practice. Show notes: www.TheBellydanceBundle.com/49

Today I'm joined by Aaliyah Jenny and we're talking about what you can do to make watching your videos suck less. AJ is doing a whole talk on being your best coach and getting over the "I can't watch myself on video" syndrome and this talk just scratches the surface. We talk about how perfectionism is a lie and how we can emulate some famous cartoon characters to change our mindset as we dive into a video critique. It's a great conversation for anyone who struggles with this. So. Everyone basically. Come join us and learn a couple of strategies to make your life a bit easier. Shownotes: www.TheBellydanceBundle.com/48

Chudney joins us today to speak to the value of bringing it back to the basics and how she loves to break it down for dancers. Utilizing the basics in new and interesting ways can revolutionize your dance, and as you'll hear, sometimes it only takes one comment from a teacher to set you down a path. Chudney is an amazing dancer, and one that I've admired for quite some time so I'm so excited to have her on the podcast today and joining us for this year's bundle. Show notes: www.TheBellydanceBundle.com/47

If you had to describe your style in two words? What would they be? Two of the ones that Florance focuses on are Grace & Beauty, and once you hear her explain them you can SEE it in her dancing. It's amazing. Today Florance joins me to chat about grace and beauty, yes. But we also get into some seriously excellent discussion about finding your style and how to use video to grow your dance. My mind melts down at least twice. There are meteoric mindset shifts here if you choose to accept them. Show notes: www.TheBellydanceBundle.com/46

Beverli joins us today to chat about her methodologies in dance and how she's used them over the years to rehab and strengthen her legs. Her newest class, Dancing on a Drum: Drills & Leg Rehab uses these ideas of building trust in your feet and lower body to bring awareness to your body and inner muscle work so that you can dance from a place of strength. Show notes: www.TheBellydanceBundle.com/45

Today Ranya joins us to talk about something you do every day. 24 hours a day in fact. Breathing. Well, of COURSE I breathe when I dance, you might think but upon slightly stronger inspection I bet you can remember a time or a million where you stopped breathing while you were practicing, or concentrating, or watching a video of yourself perform. Breathing is such an intrensic part of life that we often just forget about it, but as you'll hear today from Ranya, breathwork can drastically affect your dance and working it in can create magic. Ranya's course Breathwork for Bellydance is part of the 2020 bundle, and it's going to be, well, breathtaking. Show notes at: www.TheBellydanceBundle.com/44

Oreet, the creator of SharQui joins me today as we chat about fitness classes, breaking down moves, and about her Yemeni roots and how she's begun to teach some of those dances after years of pushing away her heritage. She literally walks me through breaking a move down into pieces today. This skill is so crucial for teachers, but I honestly think that students, ESPECIALLY those of us studying online, also need this skill. Knowing this should help you be able to scale things to your level, no matter where you're at in your journey. This year in the bundle Oreet is being SUPER generous with her contribution and everything from music to ebooks to virtual classes is included in her portion of the bundle. Show notes: www.TheBellydanceBundle.com/43-2

Amanda joins me today to chat about Egyptian Shaabi, a popular social dance style that has become very popular in the Oriental dance community. She chats about what Shaabi is, touches on its origins, and how we can differentiate it from other styles within the bellydance world. We get into how FEELING a move in your body can teach you so much about the move itself and how it differs from other styles. As a dance movement therapist, Amanda brings a really interesting perspective to the table and this conversation around how to process movement is one that I find completely fascinating. Join us today to learn more about Shaabi! www.TheBellydanceBundle.com/42-2

Sabriye is a world famous dancer who grew up surrounded by dance and has traveled all over the world to dance and teach. She’s one of the few authorized instructors of Suhaila Salimpours Format and has a dance school in Sweden. With Sabriye it’s always a mix of dance and knowledge, and that is my absolute favorite, because I truly feel that one without the other is missing a core component! Sabriye’s class in the bundle is no different. With elements of both lecture and dance, her class on Beledi Solo Progressions is sure to have our bodies, and our brains working!

Today we chat with Victoria Teel, who is such a goldmine of information on practicing. She’s really taken the step back to consider not only what works for her, but how she can encourage others to find what works for them. Her addition to the bundle this year are two classes designed to make your practice simpler and easier to get into. Practice Makes Perfect & Bellydance Drills Workout Program We talk about different struggles she sees when people are working to get into their practice and some easy solutions that you can put into practice today.

Practice doesn’t ALWAYS mean putting your butt on the dancefloor. Sometimes the thing that will help your dance the most. The thing that your practice time is best served with is study. And that’s part of what this year’s lecture bundle is about. All of these other elements that there are to this dance outside of the dance itself. Today’s guest, Dawn Devine, will be giving a lecture as part of the lecture bundle this year called Mad about Maud: Salomania and the Birth of Bedlah. If you’re unfamiliar with the story of Salome, here’s the relevant part to set the scene. Salome supposedly lived in the first century of the common era and was the stepdaughter of Herod Antipas, the ruler appointed by Rome to a region in Palestine. In biblical literature she is remembered for her dance at the birthday celebration of her stepfather, who had John the Baptist beheaded at her request. She’s inspired a lot of art, literature and music over the centuries including a play by Oscar Wilde's simply called Salome in 1891. She has become a face of the archetypal femme fatal through the retellings of stories featuring her. Now with that information, let’s dive into what Salomania was and how Maud Allen played a part not only in that, but in the creation and inspiration for some the costuming you see even today.

Today we have the host of the Advance Your Bellydance Podcast, Žana, here with us on Yallah Raqs! Today’s conversation is SO important, and has been mirroring what we’ve been talking about lately on Instagram. I don’t even want to ruin it for you, I want you to hear it as it comes up! We start of chatting about the details of our dance, and how we move in our everyday as these are so important and can have such an influence on your dance, but the conversation veers off when Žana brings up a topic that I’m so super passionate about I couldn’t resist pursing that line of the conversation. If you’re familiar with me and the podcast, it’ll come as no surprise. Join us as we chat delicate details and more in today’s episode!

Sahira joins me today to talk about adding emotion to your dance. Any dance. Including Drum Solos! Just like her course in this year's bundle. Learning to add emotion to our dance can feel both entirely natural and entirely strange, all at the same time. Many of us aren't taught this skill till much later in our journies, which often makes it hard to go back and see how that emotion affects every. single. part of our dance.  Sahira gives a bit of her background in theater here to inform what she's telling you, and we get into some great ways (including today's challenge) that can get you adding emotion into your dance and working on this skill with a bit more confidence Show notes: www.TheBellydanceBundle.com/37

Today Aubre Hill joins me to talk about performance in the new age. How do we utilize our video recordings to portray our dance art? Obviously, video performances are completely different, both in impact and energy from in-person performances. But how can we use those differences to expand our artform? Especially in this age of digital haflas and the pandemic, but even past that just into the realm of Instagram and other social media platforms? Video is here to stay with the bellydance world, so lets start figuring out how to use and leverage it as best we can!

Alia Thabit is such an emotive and expressive dancer, I can't get enough of her. She reaches into you and really brings the soul back to the dance.⁠ ⁠ Today we talk about one of the cornerstones of middle-eastern music, the Taqsim. She shares how dancing to a taqsim takes us beyond the technique and the remembered steps and the percussive beat and puts us in tune with the music in a way that's so important to our dance practice.⁠ ⁠ We're here to bring joy with our dance, and that starts with us finding the joy ourselves.⁠ ⁠ This talk is so full of amazing takeaways around improvisation, emotion, feeling the music and more, and if you want an UNdrill to go with it, make sure to check out today's Instagram challenge, linked on the shownotes page: www.TheBellydanceBundle.com/35

If you've done some study of the Golden Era then you're familiar with some of the stars from the era. Soheir Zaki and Taheyya Karioka to name a few! But did you ever study Nabaweya Mustafa? Today Shining joins us to talk about Nabaweya and why Shining was drawn to create a course that broke down the unique style she brought to the golden era of Egyptian cinema. We also get into some really great talk about being yourself. It's an excellent episode and I can't wait for you to jump in! Show notes at: www.TheBellydanceBundle.com/34

In our new world, with people apart, but dancing together how do we recapture some of that community feeling that is so intrinsic to why so many of us dance? Aziza shares how she does this within her community with us today! In addition, we dive deep on how Aziza sets up her own practice tracking in a way that we can use as a base to start our own experimentation! Show notes: www.TheBellydanceBundle.com/33

As dancers we need to make sure we're taking care of our bodies so they can show up for us when we need them. And we ask a lot of them! Today I'm joined by Siobhan Camille, an exercise scientist and conditioning coach turned bellydancer to talk about her research on bellydance injuries and what we can do to strengthen our bodies!

The pandemic has really thrown the bellydance world for a loop. It's upended the way we did things and has forced all of us to accept the internet and online teaching at a rate that would have been unprecedented before. As part of the Bundle this year Sara Shrapnell from The Bellydance Business Academy will be giving a talk on how you can prep yourself to head back to the studio so today we talk about the state of the dance world, and what our "new norma" might look like.

Rosa has been well known for her work on pausing, waiting, savouring, while she dances, and with her contribution to this year's bundle she's taken it to a whole new level. Join us as we discuss Delicious Pauses Drum Solo & how you can being to slow down in your own dance.

We're back for 2020!! Ever find yourself distracted during practice or being critical of your dance or practice? Let's work on changing these patterns so we can come back to our dance with joy and happiness that we deserve!

I want you to keep practicing this dance, at home, on your own time, because I feel that that is where the magic happens. But to do so, you need to find the tools that are going to support you in that practice. Today I talk about what a tool actually is in your bellydance practice, and how you can find the ones that are going to work for you going forward. Then we'll combine the lessons from all of our days to show you how you now have all you need to move forward in your dance practice effectively. You can totally do this, because you're amazing! I can't wait to see how your practice evolves!

Today I asked if you ever felt like an impostor. So, by that I mean. You wonder who on earth you are to be dancing on this stage, in this restaurant, at this hafla, even in the class that’s a level up from your normal one. Feelings of doubt and shame around your dance, like you don’t know enough, aren’t good enough, or hell aren’t the right size/shape/color/age for this. Well, you don't have to feel this way, and today we'll talk about how to make getting rid of this syndrome a part of your practice!

So before we jump in. Disclaimer. I hate the word motivation. I straight up think it’s garbage. And that may not be a popular opinion, but it’s one I have none the less. I can’t think of a single thing that I’m motivated to do every single day. Except maybe reading. But even after a couple of days of my favorite novels, I need a bit of a break. If you are waiting for motivation to get you out on the dance floor that just comes from nowhere? You may be waiting a LONG time. Today I'm going to share how you can find Motivation and Accountability that works for YOU so that you can keep your practice going strong.

Experimenting is key to figuring out how you can get yourself onto the dance floor in a consistent manner. Knowing yourself and what makes you tick makes it SO MUCH EASIER to make your practice stick, but you've got to figure out what that is first. So today, I come to you to talk about where to get started when you're trying to experiment on yourself and with your practice. How do you know when to get started, and how often should you check in on your experiments? How do tweak and change your practice routine so that it fits better with your life? Listen today to find out!

You’ve learned a couple of different ways to set Goals, you’ve heard how the dance has changed as our contributors have entered it ad different times, you’ve learned about the history of zills, musicality, style, authenticity, music, I mean what HAVEN’T we covered? A lot. Here’s the thing, there is SO much to know in this dance, and most of it isn’t cut and dried. There are nuances, variations, multiple explanations and pathways and options. So today I wanted to talk to you about overwhelm and how it’s all too prevalent in our dance, and what YOU can do about it. Because make no mistake, this feeling holds a lot of people back. And you might be one of them without ever even noticing.

Today, we’re talking a LOT about goals. One of the hardest things to define in our dance, since our dance is so hard to measure progress in. But don’t worry, because Sadie has got you covered. We’ll talk about what it takes to have your dance show up for you, why improv is a necessary part of your dance, why using video to practice is KEY, and of course, how to set goals and measure your progress. This is another interview that is just PACKED with goodies and I can’t wait for you to dive in.

Do you ever find yourself on a negative hamster wheel of self-talk? Why aren’t I better at this? Is my dancing good enough? I’m so lazy, I must not care enough? Sound familiar? We ALL go through this, and we all have to find our own way to deal with it. Self-doubt is a killer of dreams, and well, we’re not standing for it anymore. Terri is here with me today to talk about Self-Doubt, and Self-confidence and to share some ideas on how you can train your brain to be less doubtful and more confident. How all of us can become bad ass bellydancers. Her course in the bundle is going to be an amazing talk on this very subject, bringing to light how everyone deals with this. New dancer to advanced, hobbist to professional, hell, on this podcast we BOTH end up doing it to ourselves.

Musicality and style are two of the biggest things in our dance. You hear about them ALL. THE. TIME The context varies, but the terms stay the same. Perhaps you’re learning more about musicality and expressing it through improv, or you’ve heard mention of style, but have no idea what your style even is. Neither is an easy thing to master, but they can be so much fun. And today Amanda Rose joins us to talk about them. You can hear that she is passionate about the subject today, and I can’t wait to get into it. She discusses with us the importance of musicality, and why that’s where the freedom lies. How advice to “have your own style” is way too vague, and a way to go about developing your own, and her personal method of Mapping songs so that you can take into account all the wonderful musical choices that were made, so that you can make informed dance choices as you move through the song. This interview is PACKED with goodies!

If you’ve been listening to our episodes, you’ve heard mention a couple of times of a “routine” as some of our contributors talk about their origin stories in bellydance. Now, you may or may not be familiar with that phrase as this isn’t something that’s done nearly as often anymore. Our guest Heather Wayman from The Bellydance Geek joins us today to de-mystefy the routine and You’ll learn the routines place in our dance history as well as the ways we can adapt that to our dance practices today.

Today’s guest Myra will be joining in the bundle as a contributor, but she was actually involved last year too, as our donation partner! We’re going for round two this year and donating at least 8 dollars from every sale of the bundle to SEEDS, a wonderful program that Myra’s going to tell you more about that supports young women through dance. In addition to our talks on SEEDS we also do a little bit of deep dive on hip circles. How there are WAY more than you think, and how you can start to work to create your own signature circle.

If you’re a teacher, then you’re familiar with lesson plans, in theory, if not in practice. And as a student of bellydance? You may not have ever given it a second thought. But there’s a lot of value to be gained from planning out your practice. Namely, you know what you’re doing when you get to the dance floor. Combine that with a goal and you have all the makings of success. Sara Shrapnell joins me today to talk about lesson plans and how you can apply them both as a teacher, and as a student to your dancing. But in addition to that, we also go off on a side note about performance and practice that you’re not going to want to miss.

I learned SO much about improv from this interview, and I can’t wait for you to dive in. It’s given me a whole new view of not only improv’s place in this dance, but also HOW MANY things in our lives are improvised. Sometimes you just have to put things in that context to make something way less scary. Today's guest Alia has spent her whole career in this dance improvising, and she has so much knowledge to share. You’ll learn why improv is embedded into the hear of this dance, why you should be more curious than anything else, and how leaving behind your expectations is the best thing you can do. Though I’d argue that that last one is often great advice in both dance and life in general.

Do you ever feel like you have to run your personal practice like a dance class? I’ve had people express this concern to me in the past, but in different ways. Mostly focused in the areas of the amount of time that you practice, and the content of their personal practice. Today, I ask my guest Aziza how she structures her practice time, and some tips and tricks to make your practice your own and break away from the idea of treating your practice time like another class that you’re guilting yourself into taking. We also talk about rewarding yourself, both in WHAT you’re practicing and for how much you practice in addition to what she would include in every practice.

Sahra Kent is the powerhouse behind Journey Through Egypt and today she joins us to get nerdy about the Sa’id. For those of you who don’t know, it’s a region of Egypt, and where the dance you’ve heard of, Sa’idi, hails from. Sa’idi means of the Sa’id. Don’t worry though, by the end of this podcast, you’ll know a lot more about this region! We talk about the dances of the Sa'id, not only how they're portrayed in the hometowns and cities, but also how these dances are taken and portrayed to the rest of the world. It's a fascinating talk that any dancer can use to help understand the nuances of dance as it migrates from one place to another.

Are you in love with the Golden Age of Egyptian Cinema? I think that most dancers are at some point in their journeys. Seeing these videos can inform a lot about our dance history, and provide a really interesting look into the time period that they were made. Adriane has taken the time to break down some of these videos to bring to you the technique and the styles shown by the famous dancers of this age and turned them into a course. So today she joins us to talk about some of the things that define the style of the Golden Age, and ways that you can break down these moves and incorporate them into your dance practice.

Morocco joins us today to explain the differences in Raqs Sharqi and Raqs Shaabi, she shares with us how she learned this dance in the age before the internet, and of course, a way that you can emulate that experience to get to the core of this dance.

As bellydancers we have a LOT in common, and one of those things? A love for the costumes. Whether those be the sparkly kind, the fluffy kind, the elaborate kind, fake flowers, or rhinestones, we all fall in love with the costuming of our styles and of this dance. Today’s guest Mao Murakami of TheSparklyBelly.com, has taken that love a bit further and has established an entire site that’s dedicated to helping dancers dream up and create their own costumes. Even if you have no idea how to sew. So today, Mao joins us to talk about how to incorporate that kind of maintenance, and creativity into your personal dance practice so that you’re not pulling an all nighter before the next hafla moving a hook.