Belly Dance Life

I’ll be honest: it was very tempting to title this episode as “From Egyptian Traditional Style to Burlesque Dancer”, but our conversation with Katalin Schäfer was much wider than just these two dancer styles on an incredible artistic arc that will definitely challenge your understanding of the art. Katalin is an accomplished international performer, choreographer, instructor, and costume designer...

It’s a mini-episode with Julia Farid! Such a valuable insight on how to use competition experience to your best interest, what are the traps, and what are the tools for your dance growth there. Show Notes to this episode: Full interview with Julia Farid: Ep 05. Julia Farid: Challenges of an International Dance Career Julia’s upcoming event in June: Summer Beats . Podcast: www.ianadance.com/podcast

Nabila is a worldwide known Oriental dancer, characterized by her appealing elegance and soulful music interpretation. As a member of Jillinas Bellydance Evolution Team Nabila has been involved in all three previous productions of Bellydance Evolution Theatre Shows in Europe (2010 – 2015), including the leading role of “Cheshire Cat” in May 2015 in Dornbirn, Austria. Her great ability to bring the...

It’s a mini-episode! January is typically a month of new classes for beginners students. Many struggles may appear in teacher-student relationships, that’s why in this mini-episode I’m featuring two topics: - How to set up boundaries in your relationships with students, and - How to structure your class if you have both intermediate and beginning students. Show Notes to this episode: Thank you for...

Raised in Algeria, Amel Tafsout grew up around traditional healing practices of her native country. In the mid-1970s, Amel moved to Germany where she founded the Pan-Arab dance company called ‘Banat As Sahra’ (Daughters of the Sahara Desert), and in the late 80s Tafsout moved to London, U.K, where she performed at various dance and music festivals and created a new dance company called ‘The Tafsou...

It’s a mini-episode with Shahrzad! A great reminder about the beautiful aspect of our belly dance profession! Exactly what you need to hear approaching the end of the year. Show Notes to this episode: Full interview with Shahrzad: Ep 03. Shahrzad: Inside Cairo Dance Life Find Iana on Instagram , FB , Youtube , website . Podcast: www.ianadance.com/podcast

Aradia has performed as a soloist throughout the United States, Canada, Barbados, Egypt and Switzerland. She has danced at many of the top hotels, restaurants and clubs in Las Vegas, performed for Celine Dion's wedding, BlockBuster's premiere opening for "The Mummy", and Maxim Magazine's party in Las Vegas. She has appeared in several TV spots on Discovery, Bravo and the Travel Channel. Her love f...

It’s a mini-episode! Reflecting on our recent Instagram challenge, and sharing all behind-the-scene insights of what was going on. Thank you for being a part of our podcast community! Let’s celebrate our episode #100 together. :) Show Notes to this episode: Find Iana on Instagram , FB , Youtube , website . Podcast: www.ianadance.com/podcast

Elmira Sarkisian is a professional dancer, teacher and choreographer from Ukraine. She is a respected judge at many dance competitions, and beloved mentor for her numerous students. Her Armenian charm, Ukrainian work ethic and Egyptian soul will definitely inspire you to keep moving on your belly dance journey. In this episode you will learn about: - What makes Elmira to be in so much demand as a...

David Abraham has exceptional charisma and overwhelming personality. He definitely knows how to captivate and dazzle the audience with his unique and bold style. David graduated from the Arabian Dance School (ADS) from Master Amir Thaleb in 2011, and since then he has managed to carve a prestigious and unblemished career with more than 20 gold medals in different competitions under his belt, and t...

It’s a mini-episode! Let’s talk about success in belly dance. What does it really mean? Do you have a clear understanding what are your goals, and ultimate success in this industry? Tune in right now! This is an excerpt from the webinar hosted by Joana Saahirah where I was a guest speaker. Find more information at Joana Saahirah´s World Webinar Series available at www.joanasaahirah.com. Show Notes...

Some of the best moments from our previous episodes! Today we are talking about such complex topic as social media, and its influence on belly dance world and individual careers. Learn from Sadie Marquardt, Cassandra Fox, Mercedes Nieto and Carmen Fragoso. Show Notes to this episode: Belly Dance Life Podcast CHALLENGE: http://www.ianadance.com/challenge Ep 14. Sadie Marquardt: Before & After S...

Safia is an international belly dance instructor and performer from Argentina. She is know for her powerful performances and she is one of the most popular dancers of our time, and organizer of the Feidac Festival in Cordoba. Discover her story of how she started her belly dance journey at the age of 3, and what are her next dance dreams in this artistic field! In this episode you will learn about...

Mohamed Shahin is a world-renowned master instructor, performer and challenging choreographer of Egyptian Oriental & Folkloric Dance. A native of Cairo, Egypt, originally trained as a mechanical engineer, Shahin discovered his passion for Egyptian Dance at the young age of fifteen. Mohamed currently lives in New York City but has been touring internationally full-time since 2004. He is co-orga...

It’s a mini-episode with Marta Korzun! Listen to very useful suggestions from Marta Korzun on how to develop personality or individuality in your dance. Tune in right now! Show Notes to this episode: Full interview with Marta Korzun: Ep 01. Marta Korzun: About Competitions and Individual Style Find Marta Korzun at Instagram , FB , Youtube . Patreon support: www.patreon.com/ianadance Find Iana on I...

Sharon is a French, Tunisian, and Algerian bellydancer living in the South of France. Her artistic influences are mainly Egyptian. In 2002, Sharon created her oriental dance school “Les danseuses du Sinai”. When teaching, she stresses on the importance of music interpretation and charisma. For more than 14 years, her talent and determination led her to perform and teach in many countries. She has...

Serkan Tutar is an international award winning Turkish bellydancer & teacher, “Male Bellydancer of the world 2008” and winner of “Brandon Oasis 2006”, and organizer of the Rakkas Istanbul International Oriental Dance Festival. Serkan currently lives in Belgium, where he is renown for his Middle Eastern dance instruction and performances. His teaching methods are clear and concise, delivered wi...

Zomzom Mustapha is a dancer and choreographer specializing in Arabic Folklore (Egypt, Morocco and the Middle East in general). He was trained in modern jazz and later in theatre and dance in Casablanca, Morocco. This knowledge has made Zomzom Mustapha a famous artist and dance teacher, not only in France where he currently resides, but all around the world. Throughout his career, Mustapha has taug...

Raïssa Leï is the founder and director of the Kif-Kif Bledi group. Originally from Morocco, she started her dance journey with modern jazz and hip-hop training, and all sorts of underground dance styles such as locking, popping and waacking. Today she is also known for her deep exploration of traditional dances of North Africa, experimental fusion between dance styles and active social work activi...

It’s a solo mini-episode! Are you wondering how to boost self-discipline and motivation when practicing on your own? Or maybe you are looking for any accountability online groups to boost your dance training? In this mini-episode I’m sharing my two ASKianaDANCE editions where I address these questions! Show Notes to this episode: ASKianaDANCE: www.ianadance.com/ask Patreon support: www.patreon.com...

Are you a fan of online belly dance classes, or are you on the skeptical side? In either case, this episode will bring you so much positive energy and laugh that you will immediately fall in love with Tatyana Gavrilova and her online platform for dancers, Sola Dance. Tatyana has already produced over 200 videos of belly dance workshops, and in this conversation she takes us behind the screen of So...

This is one of the most honest and straightforward conversations of the podcast! Please welcome the absolutely amazing Mexican beauty based in the UAE, Tatiana Avila. After burning up Dubai's most prestigious nightclubs with her energy, charisma and super dance techniques, she is currently focusing on developing dance classes and workshops in Dubai. In this interview, Tatiana talks about her path...

It’s a solo mini-episode! Do you know how to dance just for yourself, or are you constantly in a marathon of preparing for some events and performances? In this mini-episode I’m sharing my recent breakthrough and realization of where I’d like my artistic path to go in the future. Show Notes to this episode: Find Iana on Instagram , FB , Youtube , website . Podcast: www.ianadance.com/podcast

This is the most surprising belly dance story you’ve ever heard. Discover how Malema (Maria Aya) got introduced to belly dance at the age of 30, then started receiving requests for private classes from well-established professional dancers, and how one simple YouTube video recorded for pure fun brought her first international teaching gig. And this was just the first chapter of her dance story. To...

Some of the best moments from our previous episodes! Today we are talking about such complex topic as musicality in belly dance. Learn from Esmeralda Colabone, Alida Lin, Sandra Kahloun and Kamilia. Aim for more! Show Notes to this episode: Ep 13. Esmeralda Colabone: Music as Your Guide & Mentor Ep 37. Alida Lin: How to Control Your Music As a Dancer Ep 47. Sandra: Rules Of Improvisation Ep 62...