Joana Saahirah´s World Blog
A Collection of Articles, Videos, and Freebies on Egyptian Dance, Self-Discovery & Empowerment
What knives and dust can do to a person
In Egypt, there are worlds beneath the worlds tourists can see.
There´s the layer of tourists and occasional visitors; the layer of expatriates who live aside/protected from the real country; the layer of the ones who dig deep into Egypt´s bones.
I´ve always belonged to the last layer - there were no buffers, no protection, no intermediary between me and the reality of Egypt. The best and the worst - I saw it, ate it, drank it, breathed it.
One night, I went to a Shaabi Party...
Why I hated Shaabi & why I fell in love with it
I´ve already told you about my hate-love relationship with Modern Shaabi.
I told you I´d built a wall between my work and this style, my world and the world of Shaabi but I hadn´t told you why I´d built those walls.
In this blog post, I´m sharing the real story behind my resistance towards Shaabi and why I - perhaps shockingly - fell in love with it.
- Listen to the Blog/Podcast Episode and check join our NEW "Modern Shaabi" Course happening this October/November at our School.
...
My aunt & me at a Shaabi Party
A sizzling hot Summer night in Cairo.
3 a.m.
Me and my auntie, a long-term visitor whom I lead by hand, hidden somewhere in "Shobra", one of the "shaabi-est"-"baladi-est"-roughest & most authentic neighborhoods of Egypt.
A broken promise. Hashish. Knives. And Joy.
A new king of Joy.
- Listen to the real-life story in this blog post in the shape of a podcast episode.
I´ll take you by the hand - we´ll take a walk in the wild side.
- If you wish to go deeper into the fasci ...
What I Learned from Egyptian Women
After many years of career and life in Egypt, and in other countries of the Middle East & North Africa, here´s something I have to admit:
I A-D-O-R-E Egyptian Women and I´ve learned a great deal from them.
Want me to lift the veil, just a bit, and share the goodies with you?
Your wish is my command.
In this Blog Audio Post, I´m sharing a few of the most precious lessons I´ve learned from Egyptian and Arab Women I met.
Grab a cup of tea. Relax. Listen and enjoy (audio post above⬆️⬆...
The Night I proposed to Fifi Abdou
She blew the "shisha" smoke upon my face.
I fell in love.
Her hips were fierce and she wore an unapologetic "spray-covered" humongous hairdo.
I fell in love.
She did little but what she did was DA BOMB.
I fell in love.
She showed me the magic of a Baladi Awadi although she couldn´t care less about what we, the audience, thought of her.
Then, I didn´t only fall in love. I proposed to Fifi, one of the biggest icons of Egyptian Dance.
Welcome to a very special blog...
Surprising Benefits of Saiidi
I´ve been there: you think you know a lot about something and then, a person shows up, an information drops on your lap, a revelation appears and you come face to face with how little you actually know.
Studying, teaching, performing, lecturing and writing about Egyptian Dance - Oriental and Folkloric - has been the core of my life for more than 20 years.
And I assure you, we never know enough.
In this short, yet powerful, Podcast Episode, you´ll learn about a few
SURPRISING BENEFIT...
Why Saiidi is the King of Egyptian Folklore
I´m in a Podcast mood. Can you feel it?
I´m also in a Saiidi mood. That´s why I´m revealing this is my favorite Egyptian Folkloric style. And also the king of Egyptian Folklore.
Want to know why?
Listen to this Podcast Episode I recorded exclusively for Joana Saahirah´s Blog.
(for more information & fun around Saiidi, dive into the Bonus Resources & Courses I´m sharing in this post)
- Bonus Resources on Saiidi:
Intimate Conversation about Mahmoud, Saiidi, and I - Click HERE ...
Do I need to become Masculine in order to learn Saiidi?
Here´s a question I´ve frequently heard throughout the years:
Do I need to become Masculine in order to learn Saiidi?
Here are a few more delights:
Is "Bellydance" for strippers?
Do you dance to seduce your husband?
Egyptian Dance is from India, right?
Oh, boy.
Where do I start?
Egyptian Dance - Oriental & Folkloric - is surrounded by so many prejudices and myths. Sometimes, I feel all I do is undoing the mess and the fog surrounding it.
In regards to Saiidi, there´s much...
Intimate Conversation on Mahmoud Reda, Saiidi & I
There are a million things I could tell you about Mahmoud Reda, the role he had - and will always have - in my Dance & in my Life, and his legacy.
Here´s where you can start, by listening to this INTIMATE short PODCAST EPISODE I recorded for you. In it, you´ll know a bit of what Mahmoud taught me about Saiidi, folklore, and the meaning of true love for dance.
Imagine you´re taking coffee with me. Sit comfortably. Listen to it.
Enjoy.
For more information on Saiidi, Egyptian Folklore...
Co-Creation Tools to Manifest your Dreams
Turning dreams into reality has always been my thing.
And because I love to teach what I´ve learned through study but, mostly, through experience, I have a gift for you.
Here are a few Co-Creation Tools I´ve been using since I can remember. They help me to be, dance, and live from my heart; they have allowed me to create the realities I dream for myself.
I hope they help you on your path, as well.
First, let´s remember a few basics truths:
1. We´re more powerful than we ...
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