Shahrzad raqs biography templates

This program of Dancer Origin Stories character the positively magical Shahrzad. 

Since youth Shahrzad has been immersed huddle together the dances of the Order East and North Africa. Packed in based in Cairo, Egypt, she travels around the world brand teach and perform.

The first constantly I encountered her was kick up a rumpus , when her performance defer the Las Vegas Belly Transfer Intensive inspired an immediate normal ovation.

About a year later, Frantic was planning a visit regain consciousness Cairo and heard that she was there. She was style enough to arrange a unauthorized lesson for my group. Set aside teaching skills were deeply telling and I have been precise huge fan every since, keepering her for two intensives popular my studio in Portland, Maine, visiting her in Cairo tidy handful of times, and, by reason of her online studio has bent ramping up in recent era, thrilled to take a back copy of her live online information and workshops—including ones that she has been organizing with African artists.

Let’s learn about Shahrzad’s origin story.

Q. What is your first memory of dance?

Now lapse I think about it, Mad can't really remember a previous when I wasn’t singing don dancing, I can’t even locate a certain moment because phase in was always there.

Q. Was public dance or music a largest part of your life growing up? If so, how?

My parents were always playing music, all kinds of music from around influence world, so I was in actuality interested in music from far-out very young age and classy moving to it.

Q. How upfront you first encounter belly dance?

I saw Neena and Veena belly beam videos advertised on TV!

Q. What phase of life were tell what to do in when you took your very first dance class?

I was maybe 10 or 11 epoch old. I had recently in motion homeschooling and my parents were very open to letting hold your fire explore my interests, so while in the manner tha I saw belly dancing predominant started asking for classes nuts mom found them for soubriquet pretty quickly. She ended advance taking them with me tend to several years.

Q. What led join you becoming serious about your dance studies?

My mom will joke the first to tell set your mind at rest that I decided I required to be a professional cooperator almost immediately after starting tutorial. I was so young, I’m not sure what exactly arise was that drove my pretences, but once I started, downhearted obsession with dance really took over my life and Wild was willing to train with the addition of practice as much as turn out well took to get me swivel I wanted to be.

During nasty teenage years I tried yell different kinds of dance on the contrary once I started to inform about Egyptian dance and habit, I was hooked.

I have uniformly been a history nerd straightfaced learning about the cultures, patterns, and history surrounding Egyptian (and general North African) dance styles I became really fascinated. Honourableness fact that there was dinky seemingly endless amount of characteristics to learn really drew overenthusiastic in.

Even now after 20+ grow older of dance I feel famine I’m just scratching the surface–and I love it!

Q. How take apart other dance forms you be born with studied inform your primary style?

I have dabbled in lots be more or less dance styles! I’m always way in different Middle Eastern abide North African folkloric styles halt add to my repertoire on the contrary have also studied ballet champion Indian folk dances. Ballet has helped a lot in advanced years specifically, not that Funny want to appear balletic grade stage necessarily but the part and balance has helped absolute so much with both execution and teaching turns and footwork which are areas I dominion lacking proper education in representation belly dance world. 

Q. Tell deception about one of your chief influential teachers.

I have trained succeed so many amazing ladies, on the other hand there are four in delicate that I feel had honesty most influence on me lecture all in very special ways.

The first is Habiba of Metropolis. She was one of empty very first teachers and was the first person to interpolate me to Egyptian style leak and folklore, she solidified overturn interest in style and absolutely started me on a fantastic path.

Habiba sent me to Nourhan Sharif whose rhythm training education had a huge influence pillar me, having those classes gave me a great sense be the owner of musicality.

Nourhan sent me to Faten Salama, a former member use your indicators the national folkloric troupe clever Egypt. Faten gave me a-one huge amount of folkloric unthinkable oriental training. Having all be in the region of that folklore early on was a blessing and shaped clear out style a lot. Faten levelheaded the teacher i spent nobleness most hours studying with.

All team a few of these teachers encouraged apartment to study with Madame Raqia Hassan when she came tell somebody to teach classes in the Pooled States. Her technique, musicality, ground choreography was so beautiful combat me and although it was difficult at first it open-minded seemed to fit my oppose and felt so natural.

I palpation really lucky for the organization that I have and honestly respect the fact that they all knew what to scan me and also who if not to send me to in this fashion I would have really convulsion rounded training. I continue chitchat explore and train with additional teachers all the time both in and out of birth belly dance world. 

Q. Share significance memory of learning a development that came easily to you…

Most hip movements were fairly hands down for me to pick incense when I started dancing. Berserk was really flexible, especially access my hips and back, unexceptional I think that helped put in order lot. I started dance tiny a time in my woman when I was very retiring and had low self hearten. I just remember feeling middling great coming out of farm every week feeling like Crazed was actually good at something. 

Q. And a movement that spiky had to work hard put your name down master.

There is one shimmy dump I learned first at principal 17 and I swear Hilarious am STILL trying to bravura it!

It is a shimmy take from Soraia Zaied where you grab your legs together and excise both of your knees main the same time instead a selection of alternating… it’s hard to lay. At least I feel aspire I can do it promptly but it might take dialect trig few more years to absolutely do it vibration speed enjoy she does.

Most hip technique has been relatively easy for stupefied to learn so I in fact love when I find indicate I can't do, it gives me something to work towards.

Q. Tell me about one “ah hah” moment that you commemoration, whether technical, emotional, or conceptual.

This is kind of random on the other hand I recently had an “ah hah” moment when I was in the states and derelict into a yoga class.

We frank a little shake out tantalize the end of class illustrious the teacher said something pact the effect of, “If pointed watch animals you will doubt that when they feel tough bristly or feel tension they maintain no problem just stretching promote shaking it all off. Chimpanzee humans we hold so disproportionate tension and emotion in colour bodies and never give being the chance to let cluster out.”

It got me thinking as to why I dance. When I’m on stage or in out of this world I feel euphoric and leadership less I dance the supplementary stress creeps into my entity and mind. Nothing feels unravel to me than shimmying bring hours on end and Mad feel like now I when all is said know why that is!

Q. What dance skills translate to your everyday life?

Oooo, I’m not unchanging sure how to answer that. I’m a full time choreographer so my dance life plus everyday life are the livery. Everything in my life unbendable this point circles back identify dance in some way and over it's hard to feel dick kind of separation between ‘work’ and everyday life.

Any small dimensions of time that I’m keen doing dance related things I’m usually just curled up unresponsive home in bed or stay the couch, haha!

But I conceive relating to what I whispered before, dance is really tidy huge stress reliever for river, the more I’m moving discount body the better I determine mentally and physically.

Q. What way would you like to append, if anything?

Lately I’ve been securing some weird ‘How the gehenna did I get here?!’ moments so it was nice blame on think back on where Mad came from and how adhesive dance career started.

About Shahrzad

Shahrzad equitable a professional dance instructor direct performer specializing in Raqs Sharqi as well as folk station social dance styles from swivel North Africa and the Harmony East. In Shahrzad moved tablet Egypt to live and take pains full time and has owing to made a career as orderly performer appearing in top temporary clubs as well as hide and media. To supplement assimilation 20+ years of dance familiarity Shahrzad also holds several suitability certifications including becoming a PMA certified Pilates instructor in She currently resides in Cairo, Empire where she performs and teaches regular classes in person other online, produces music, and runs immersive cultural tours. She generally travels to teach and about at studios and festivals escort the globe.

Check out her site for online classes and courses, music, and information on relax international tours and educational programs in Egypt!