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Working on Aladdin
I am very excited to announce I will be working with the talented cast of Aladdin as assistant director and group choreographer. This is a theatre show telling the classical story of Aladdin through...
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A weekend at JoY - My first festival by Zara Dance
My weekend at JoY. I have never taught at a festival before so this event was going to be a learning adventure for me to say the least: and that it was. In true Zara form I had to do everything: I...
View ArticleMake your own Greek Goddess Bellydance costume
I believe VERY VERY strongly in bellydancers taking responsibility in how they look when they perform - ESPECAILLY if you are at a paid gig or performing to a non bellydance audience! You must look...
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Ramadan - to dance or not to dance that is the question??
What's Ramadan? Ramadan is the Muslim holy month of the year. It goes by the luna month so it moves relative to our normal calendar each month by about 10 days and this year it is in JUNE. During this...
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What are you wasting your energy on ?!?!?
Lately I have been wearing lots of protection bangles – either with the Evil Eyeon or the Hand Of Hamza. These are both symbols in the Middle East that are traditionally worn or hung in houses, to...
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An Egyptian Engagement!
My mobile phone rings. It’s my cousin from Egypt. I hesitate to answer as they usually only send messages on the internet or short missed calls to say they are thinking of me – Calls are too expensive....
View ArticleMy 3 top tips for looking after your bellydance costumes
Costume CareWe all know that investing in a bellydance costume can sometimes be a big decision, but it's a really exciting and glittery one too!! However, if you look after your costume and care for...
View ArticleWhy every dancer should own a RED COSTUME:
So it is Valentine’s Day and no matter how much I insist to any restaurants owner that a bellydancer may not be the most appropriate form of entertainment to put on for loving couples the gigs roll in...
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Is our Western/British RESPECT actually DISRESPECT?
So last year I was at a hafla with another dancer and drummers - all of Middle Eastern heritage. We hadn’t seen each other in ages and the conversation was in full flow. It was bliss, great music,...
View ArticleA bellydancer's adventure in Pakistan...
I am soooo lucky with the opportunities given to me by belly dance and when I received a call from Tara asking if I was free in 2 weekend times – I was in store for another great adventure.Tara had...
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An interview with Zara Dance by Rachel Bennett
I was VERY LUCKY to have featured in Rachel Bennett's newsletter this month it included an interview and I also wrote an article about feeling good in your bellydance costumes no matter the budget! You...
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MAKE SURE YOU LOOK GOOD no matter your budget!
No matter your budget, you can look great for a performance. IThis is something I belive so strongly in. When you go out and perform in public you are repersenting all bellydancers, if you don't look...
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Dating a bellydancer THE GUIDE
I have officially been single for a year ( I even had a party to celebrate lol)I have enjoyed the year sooooooooooo much - The dating game is one I had missed. However, I have to say GUYS COME ON are...
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Bellydancer London
I just love being a belly dancer in London. I have been a bellydancer in London for years now and I never tier of it. It is just so full of life.The thing that makes belly dancing in London that is so...
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BELLYDANCE at your wedding
I have danced at a lot of weddings and every time I have left on a high. I may be bias, but I really believe nothing beats a bellyancer / zaffa (traditional bellydance precession) for getting the party...
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Two Bellydancers - best friends
I feel overwhelmed with luck. Bellydance hasn’t just lead me to love my body, express myself and financially support my life …. It has also lead me to find my best friends. My best friend, house mate...
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Dancing In Nairobi – A Dive Into The Unknown, A Battle Against Insecurities
It is so exciting to be writing you this blog from the busy streets of Nairobi, in a lovely café serving local grown Kenyan Coffee. I’ve been belly dancing here with my friend and colleague Azin...
View ArticleAfrobeats - a way to improve your bellydance, better then ballet?!? You...
Yes, I am out here in Nairobi to Bellydance but whilst here I have been seriously indulging in another love of mine: Dancing to AFROBEATS! Those of you who follow me on Instagram will know that even...
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A day on the beach with a Maasai
The beautiful beaches of ZanzibarI am feeling blessed. Despite a spot of rain, I am on the Paradise Island of Zanzibar. It is dance which has brought me here; a gig in the mainland Tanzanian beach town...
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When your heart breaks
You may or may not have noticed on my Facebook and Instagram pages an image I made a few months ago with a silly app on my phone. It probably passed you by, the message and what is meant was over the...
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A Summer of Bellydance Love
When I left Kenya after 3 months to return to the UK in May, I was worried! How was I going to have as much fun on my return as I had had there? I had no choice, with 5 big gigs, festivals and...
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Getting to Malta to Bellydance
In my time I have had some crazy trips trying to get to gigs on time …. But the gig in Malta seemed to be THE GIG which the world was against us getting to.When Tara told me we may have an up and...
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Bellydancing in Mombasa Kenya
There is something about belly dancing in Africa that can’t be beat. It is the home land of dance, the homeland of man! And East Africa just has an excitement in the air and I love it. In the past i...
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Isn’t Bellydancing just like Pole dancing?!?!
I remember it clearly. I was a first year PhD physics student, at the time seriously struggling to be somehow accepted in my otherwise all male lab. Anyway, there I was sitting in the pub at a social...
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The top five dangers of working as a bellydancer in Cairo.
Note ALL NAMES HAVE BEEN CHANGED IN THESE BLOGS for what I think are obvious reasons. Also I am not allowed to take photos or videos of me dancing in most Cabaret clubs so all I have is bathroom...
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Bubble Gum of Peace…. Dancers of Egyptian Cabaret
Note ALL NAMES HAVE BEEN CHANGED IN THESE BLOGS for what I think are obvious reasons. Also I am not allowed to take photos or videos of me dancing in most Cabaret clubs so all I have is bathroom...
View ArticleThe power of the mind – Bellydancing with Mahmood El Lithy
Mum often shouts at me, “YOU BROUGHT THIS ON YOURSELF WITH YOUR NEGATIVE THOUGHTS.”Or mum moans at me, “DON’T THINK LIKE THAT. Be careful of what you attract. Stop dwelling on the bad things and...
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Dancing on Tahia’s Stage for DINA
A LONG night but one more gigIt’s been a LOOOOOOONG night. We started with my first gig at 9pm and we have been boy racing around Cairo, gig to gig, ALL night!! We finish my last gig at some crazy time...
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The three craziest stage experiences of working on Egyptian cabaret (so far...)
I have been working as a freelance Egyptian bellydancer for over 3 months now and it has been amazing! I have danced for the very rich, 5 star hotels, boats in Zamalek, cabaret clubs, TV dramas, films...
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Body Image
What is Body Image? Body Image is how you see yourself either in your mind or when you look in the mirror. It is also how you feel within yourself, “to be comfortable in your own skin" so to...
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10 Arabic words as a dancer you must know + the night the club was RAIDED by...
Top 10 most useful Arabic words to know when working as a dancer, especially in the Egyptian cabaret scene I END THIS BLOG WITH A FUNNY STORY OF WHEN POLICE RAIDED A CLUB I WAS WORKING IN – WHILST I...
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A selection of funny stories working in Egyptian Cabaret
with a selection of backstage pictures... strictly no photos in Cabaret....A smoking hot nightSo I was working in a shaabi club that I love, in down town Cairo. It’s a club I love because the band are...
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WHAT IS A BALADI WEDDING?
When first asked by my manager if I wanted to dance at a Baladi wedding I hesitated. It is the kind of thing other dancers announce with pride that they would never do, and in some ways I don't blame...
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KENYA, MY 3rd HOME a blessing that I never cease be grateful for and love
Those who know me may remember that I had a three month contract in Kenya, dancing in Nairobi’s nightclubs. When I left in April 2016, I was happy with the time I’d spent there. Three months seemed...
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The BIGGEST mistake I see Bellydance hobbyists make
Just a suggestion….Though based in Cairo now, I still travel to many a hafla in the UK and over the years I have definitely been to what is close to, or even over, 100 haflas. At some points I would go...
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Ahwah - Egyptian Coffee How to order your coffee in Cairo
Ahwah!! Do you like coffee?I LOVE COFFEE… and Egypt does the BEST coffee: actually my friends take the micky out of me that I always claim Egypt does the best everything but this time I'm serious - IT...
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Bellydance Jealousy
I have wanted to write this article for years but hesitated. Jealousy IS NOT AN EASY TOPIC TO TALK OR READ ABOUT. It is a complex emotion that can be so strong and hard to control. Factors causing it...
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