Today is the final day of the Randa Kamel weeklong intensive. The experience has been such a whirlwind of joy, hard work, exciting events and immersion in the Egyptian culture. In short, it has simply been a piece of heaven on Earth and I am so happy to be a part of it.
For the past two days, Randa has been teaching our class her signature choreography and opening number for which she is known around the world. I was amazed and so surprised (and overcome with excitement and happiness!) to learn that she was sharing it with us. Certainly, Randa’s generosity is rare to find and a treasure to be cherished.
I have met new friends from around the world – Scotland, Japan, Germany, Spain, Italy, Latvia, Russia, Poland, England and of course, the good ol’ USA! (There are five Americans here – two of which are in the final leg of the competition tonight!)
Speaking of the competition tonight, the finalists were asked to provide a list of ten (10) well known and loved Egyptian songs that her orchestra could play. Then, Randa selected each dancer the music to which she will dance this evening. It was my good fortune to be assigned Fi Youm Wa Leyla, one of my favorite
Oriental songs in the whole world. It is the first time I have ever danced with
a full orchestra and I am so excited for this opportunity.
While, as in all competitions, there will only be one “winner”of the Randa crown, I do firmly believe in my heart and soul that each of us who competed is a winner. Part of the competition was direct feedback and evaluation from Randa herself. For me, this information is a gift – because I am a teacher, I rarely receive feedback on how to improve and grow. To see myself through her eyes is wonderful because actionable items and points to focus on and develop on. And my goal is to be able to show demonstranble improvement when I see Randa again in Chicago in May when she comes with Dee Dee Asad from Little Egypt. (Btw, if you have not done so now and are in the area, you should take the opportunity to register because as a dancer, Randa is a teacher, choreographer and performer that you simply MUST experience. Not only is Randa a lovely person, her impact on our dance and art form is global – and she is changing Oriental dance. For belly dancers who are interested in knowing the modern trends and technique, you will be left behind if you do not take the opportunity to study with and see her perform.)
So, tonight, it will be magical. Not only do I have the opportunity to perform with one of the best Oriental orchestras in the world, but I am dancing in a new costume from my dear friend, Mohammed. He is the brother of Hanan, the designer known as Queen Hanan, and he started his own design business about two years ago. On the plane ride home, I am going to write an article about him so that you get to know him. His quality is as high as Eman Zeki and I predict he will quickly become one of the premier designers of Oriental belly dance costumes.
For this evening, I am going to release all expectations and let go of all worries and concerns. I am going to simply focus on the magic of the moment – dancing in Cairo in the shadows of the pyramids, to a magnificent orchestra, in front of the woman who inspires my dance and artistically influences me beyond measure, surrounded by friends and loved ones I consider part of my extended family. Tonight is simply perfect.
And, another nice thing is that I signed up to dance with the orchestra for the open show to Alf Layla We Layla, another of my absolute favorites.
I am so thankful and grateful for the chance to be here and send much love to my husband and best friend, David, for making it possible for me to live out my dreams. For without him, I don’t know where my life would be. I love you, David!
I am in Cairo, Egypt again, this time to take a weeklong intensive course with the amazing Randa Kamel. She is my favorite dancer and I love her teaching style very much, not to mention that we have been friends for a long time.
The course is organized by Sarah, who has done an outstanding job on making sure every detail is taken care of. As a fellow dancer and actor, she has keen insight as to what is important to a dancer and it is apparent by the high level of service and little extras typically not found from non-dancers.
There are 49 students in the course and this size is perfect to ensure that everyone gets feedback from Randa and can see and hear what is being taught. There are several countries represented – including Russia, Germany, Poland, Japan, England and the United States. The dancers are very friendly and there is a shared sense of excitement at studying with one of
today’s top Oriental stars. I have made two new friends from America, Aurel and Canina, both from the East coast. It’s their first time to visit Egypt and their excitement is contagious.
Yesterday was day 1 of the course. We started with a warm up from Mohammed of Reda Troupe. He led us through a balletic warm up, followed by folkloric technique and patterns. Then, Randa taught her hallmark technique for an hour and a half. She fine tuned our style, worked complex pattens and left us all breathless, sweaty and eager for more.
After the break, she brought in four members from her orchestra – the male singer, the accordion player, the keyboardist and of course, Karim, her table player. The afternoon was split into three fundamental categories: morwar and hoour, rhythms and beledi. The morwar and hoour discussion was very insightful and illustrated the importance of matching the proper style to go with the component of a song. While I am still working on the concept and it will take some time to really comprehend and illustrate it in my own dance, the discussion and examples were very insightful and important for any dancer interested in demonstrating his or her knowledge, professionalism and expertise with Arabic music.
During the rhythms section, we worked through eighteen (18) rhythms commonly found in dance. Randa, along with the orchestra, presented the rhythms and then provided patterns and technique to go along with the rhythms. From Ayub to Dareg Smaal to Khamsa Arbaa to Smaae Sakel, we dove headfirst into understanding and feeling the music.
Beledi was really fun. Karim, the tabla player, put on his dancing hat and demonstrated how men dance beledi. He has a playful style and was beaming with happiness to showcase his style. Randa showed the difference between the style of men beledi and women dancing the men beledi style and the female style of beledi. It was nice to be able to enjoy the freedom of beledi
and enjoy the rich music.
After a fantastic 7 hour day, I showered and joined my friends for dinner. We stayed in the hotel and enjoyed the Italian restaurant menu and then followed up with a nightcap, talking into the wee hours of the morning about dance, politics, love and more.
Coming to Cairo, for me, is really important. I feel so energized here – it sounds so incredibly wackadoo, but I honestly feel that there is a special energy here. Maybe it is from the pyramids, maybe it is because this area is the cradle of civilization, I don’t know what exactly it
is. But I love Egypt very much. There is a special magic that reenergizes me at
the very core … and perhaps that is why I continue to return time after time.
I just looked at the course agenda for today and it looks like a lovely mixture of warm up, technique and Saidi (one of my favorites!). It should be a fantastic day!
Until next time – hugs and shimmies!
PS My cord to my camera is still at home in the US. I’ll upload photos when I get back! And when my friends share them, I’ll try and piggy back on them. For example, check out my friend Aurel’s blog! www.ancientartstudios.com/blog
2011 was full of great shows, and wonderful opportunities of growth for Raksanna’s Production Company and our students. We enjoyed learning new dances and meeting internationally renowned masters while pursuing excellence in our shared passion for the art of Egyptian belly dance.
We welcome our friends and family to join us as we review the years accomplishments on February 11th, 2012 at our annual “Got Hips” show and banquet followed by a grand masquerade ball.
5:30 pm – 6:00 pm Cocktail Reception (cash bar)
6:00 pm – 8:00 pm Dinner and Show
9:00 pm – 1:00 am Roaring Twenties Themed Ball
Tickets are $99.00 per person and can be purchased either here or from Raksanna directly. A block of hotel rooms are available. More details will be available soon.
Pyramids and Sphinx of Egypt
I fly from Chicago to Cairo on Wednesday to attend a weeklong intensive dance course and competition by my all-time favorite and long-time friend, Randa Kamel. This is not my first time to go to Egypt; in fact, I have been traveling there twice a year for several years now – teaching in the Ahlan Wa Salan festival in June and studying at Raqia Hassan’s
wonderful Intensive Teachers Course each December.
Each time I go to Egypt, I come back a better dancer, a different person and a stronger Oriental artist. I
expect that this time will be no different and I am very excited to go again.
Given recent events that have transpired in the Middle East, it is no wonder that friends and family alike look at me as though I have purple hair or that I am a little on the loony side when they find out I am heading out in less than two days. Their concern is certainly well placed – the media has made it sound as though the end of the world is near and, as usual,
playing on the public’s fears through sensationalism.
I learned first-hand this summer just how much the media does skew things to increase their ratings. I once again traveled to Cairo to teach at Raqia’s Ahlan Wa Salan festival. This event, which typically draws over a thousand dancers from across the world, is in my opinion, the premier dance festival in Cairo. Held the breathtakingly beautiful Mena House, you’ll find a wonderful blend of dance classes, gala shows, available tours and of course, shopping, shopping,
shopping! It is easy to dance away two straight weeks and immerse yourself in the very unique, very fabulous Egyptian culture.
As mentioned, most years bring in over a thousand dancers to the festival. This past June, however, there were less than 200 students in attendance. I am absolutely positive that the reason there were such few dancers is a direct result of the media coverage and news-created perception of what was taking place.
As I prepared for the trip in June, I watched the news. In light of the news coverage, I was expecting to find mayhem and turmoil in the streets of Cairo.
Nothing could have been further from the truth.
What I found was that life was going on as usual, with the exception that the unemployment levels have risen to near historic highs due to the lack of tourism to the country. And for a country that depends on tourism for the majority of citizen’s livelihood, it’s a hit where it hurts.
I remember the opening gala of the festival. Raqia arranged to have it on the beautiful Nile Maxim where Aziza of Cairo, Katia and of course, Dina, performed for us. Raqia hired tour buses, with police escorts, to take all the dancers to the boat. As the buses passed the people on the streets, the people cheered, clapped and yelled out, “Welcome to Egypt! We need you! Thank you for coming!”
While I was there in June, I made my usual rounds of visiting friends, dining at favorite restaurants and visiting Kahn el Kalili, the old market place. It was a fabulous trip, as always, without any blips or glitches.
Fast forward to this week.
Today, I’m in the midst of finishing up last minute administrative work, cutting music for my competition piece and organizing what I need to pack (and writing down what I need to buy!).
The elections have been moved up to January 25th, a week before I come home. Yes, there are still protests going on in the Square – but the action, when there is action, is isolated to that area of Cairo. Sure, I can hone in and obsess over the news … but I’d rather practice safe traveling tips (like I do to any country or city – or even in my own home town).
For me, I plan on enjoying the stay. Randa is teaching several different genres of dance styles and of course, I love her amazing choreography and her strong technique. She is one of the best teachers I have ever learned from and I am so excited to see my friends from across the world who are attending the course with me.
Time permitting, I plan on blogging and posting photos, etc. So, keep an eye on Face Book and sign up for my newsletter – and I’ll let you know how things are in the shadows of the Pyramids!
- Happy New Year!
With the New Year now upon us, it seems like the question of the day is, “What is your new year’s resolution?”
I realized about three years ago that I’m not really good at New Year’s resolutions. Sure, I excel at writing down specific goals that are SMART (specific, measurable, attainable, realistic and time bound) – and even mapping out the exact steps needed to achieve the goals.
But year after year, the result was the same. Within about a week, I had forgotten the goal and life continued at its crazy, hectic pace.
In the summer of 2009, my best friend at the time died from esophageal cancer. This was a turning point in my life in many respects and on many levels – and one fundamental aspect was my lifelong philosophy.
I have always believed that if I put ideas and dreams out into the Universe, they will come back to you. And if you look at my life’s journey, I’ve seen this truism time and time again.
So, in 2009, I decided to give up New Years’ resolutions and instead, fine tune my life’s philosophy from carpe diem to something with a little more focus. I thought about what is important to me personally (outside of God, family and country) and
developed a living, breathing mantra that I incorporate to my daily meditations.
Today, my decisions are focused on healthy longevity, joyful success, financial abundance and prosperity.
Since I made this mental shift, life has been really great. No more guilt about not achieving New Years’ resolutions, weight management is a lifestyle as opposed to a check-the-box type of goal, financial stress (while always a part of our lives) has been managable and both my personal and professional relationships have become deeper and more meaningful.
This is not to say, of course, that life doesn’t bring enough challenges to keep it all interesting. But it does mean that I’m more grounded in my approach to daily experiences as well as long-term decisions.
So, for you, my friend, I wish you health, joy, financial freedom and prosperity.
Here’s to a wonderful 2012!
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