One of the most common things I get asked is which level of class to join - and when to move up to the next level! So in this post, I'll be answering all of the top questions I hear from dancers who are thinking of joining my classes, or wondering which level to join …
My promises to you…
As I begin a new term of classes, I've been thinking about what I promise to you as your teacher if you ever come to a bellydance class with me - beyond the obvious one, that I will teach you to dance to the best of my ability! These are a few of them: I …
Dance Infinities and the Secret to Seamless Transitions
Since I decided to call my new workshop series "Raqs to Infinity", I wanted to elaborate on some of the concepts from the first workshop, and talk more about the concept of infinity and why it's relevant to dance. The chances are, when I say "infinity" you think of something huge. Infinite distance. The vast …
Continue reading "Dance Infinities and the Secret to Seamless Transitions"
Beyoncé vs. Oum Kalthoum – a bellydance storm in a teacup?
There's a video that has been doing the rounds in the bellydance community this week from an old Beyoncé show, where a short section of music from Oum Kalthoum's "Enta Omri" is sampled during an exotic-dance inspired dance routine featuring rather a lot of bare bottoms. And lots of bellydancers are acting outraged by this, …
Continue reading "Beyoncé vs. Oum Kalthoum – a bellydance storm in a teacup?"
Demystifying Muwashshahat!
I've been geeking out about Arabic music a lot in the last year, including listening to a lot of different things, reading loads of books, and even learning to play the oud. And in that time, I've realised that there's a bit of misunderstanding of muwashshahat (singular muwashshah) in the bellydance world. What we learn in …
A dancer in search of Tarab
This post is part book review, part essay, and part personal reflection. This week, I finished reading the excellent "Making Music in the Arab World: The Culture and Artistry of Tarab" by A.J. Racy. This book has been on my 'to read' list for a long time, and I was finally spurred on to buy …
Bellydance and cultural ‘appreciation’
The great thing about learning an art form from another culture is that it can be a gateway to appreciating a culture other than your own. It can help you to see the world from other perspectives, and learn to see people from that culture as three-dimensional individuals, instead of through the stereotypes we grew …
On ‘modernity’ in bellydance
Just a little rant for a Tuesday morning, on a subject that just keeps coming up... 😉 Westernised fusion dance is not "more modern" than Middle Eastern bellydance. But I often see it described as being so in the dance community - 'traditional' bellydance vs. 'modern' fusion - as if dance in the Middle East …
Why yes, I am a feminist
"Feminism is the radical notion that women are people." - Marie Shear I am a feminist. Now, I've heard it said that you should keep quiet about your politics when you are wearing your 'professional hat'. But I don't see this as politics. It's who I am. I'm a woman, working in a female-dominated industry …
Bellydance classes and self-esteem
How often have you seen dance and fitness classes advertised as 'empowering' for women? It's one of the biggest clichés of modern marketing - since the 'girl power' era of the 1990s, the idea of female empowerment has been used to sell just about every product imaginable, until it's become almost meaningless... But as dance …
Bellydance by Rachael 
You must be logged in to post a comment.