As our beautiful art form continues to grow in popularity, dancers are faced with many opportunities to take workshops, attend haflas and perform in multiple venues.  Among the performance opportunities are a plethora of competitions, as well.

Raksanna competes in Queen of Raks Sharki

Although I have been performing and teaching for more than a decade, I entered the competition scene in early 2006.  Before I made the decision to compete, I had to make sure I truly understood my motivation for competing. After sincere introspection, I realized these were my top three reasons for competing:

Setting and Achieving a Goal

As a “type A” personality that is driven to do more than humanly possible – and to do everything to the absolute best of my ability, I’ve found that goals enable me to reach greater heights.

During a “normal” schedule, I teach classes and workshops and continue my own personal dance training on a weekly basis.

Deciding to compete gives me a target and helps me go to the next level of professional dance.

Competitions also enable me to concentrate my time and efforts on specific results.  By identifying an event, there is a hard and fast deadline.  This means that I have to
focus my energy and resources in a very specific way and manage my time effectively. It certainly would not do to be unprepared when on stage in a competition!

While it’s great to win – and to set your sights on winning – it’s important to understand and keep in mind that anyone who participates in a competition is a winner. The hard work, commitment and courage it takes to get up on stage and ask someone (usually, three or more people!) to judge you is in and of itself a feat to be recognized and celebrated.

Kindred Spirits: A Network of Beautiful Artists

One of the largest benefits I’ve found to competing is the wonderful network of like minded spirits.  When I first started the competition route, I had many stereotypes of what kind of culture would be present at the events.  To be candid, my preconceived notions were that the line up would be filled with cutthroat and vindictive diva’s.

The great news is that the stereotypes could not be further from the truth! My personal experience is that 98% of dancers involved in competitions are wonderful, warm women who love the dance. Backstage, dancers help each other to make sure that all of us do the best we can when we’re performing.

One example I can share is about Susan, a delightfully fun dancer from Oregon. I met her at the recent Belly Dancer USA competition sponsored by Mezdulene.

We were backstage, preparing for our event and she helped hook my costume together.  As she was pinning my bra, she realized that the hook had come off.  Susan gave me a quick lesson in emergency costume repairs (did you know that a safety pin can act as a solid pin to hook your bra eyelet and guarantees the bra will remain fastened for you?) and had my costume fixed in two minutes and ready for competition.

Susan also made sure that she was in the audience when I danced and she shouted her support for me. As I had traveled alone from Chicago to Canyonville, Oregon, Susan’s acts of kindness and support meant so much to me. It is this kind of bonding and camaraderie that I’ve enjoyed immensely throughout the competitions.

Keeping It In Perspective: Feedback is a Gift

Sometimes, when you’re a teacher, you don’t get a lot of feedback on how you can improve. After all, students look to the teacher as the expert and the source of knowledge. I’ve enjoyed getting feedback from the judges so that I can see myself from the outside in. Feedback truly is a gift – it provides you with insight that you may not have had before and, when taken in a spirit of reception and thankfulness, I’ve found that constructive criticism has really given me the tools to progress as a dancer and performer.

To illustrate, I am a curvy, voluptuous dancer with a full-figured body.  Recently, I received a suggestion from two judges to try a different style of costume that would be more appealing to my figure. Rather than take the feedback offensively, I researched a variety of vendors and found a costume in the style suggested. I tried it on and – guess what? The judges were right!

The difference between the previous costume style and the new style was simply amazing!

Belly Dancer USA – A Must Do Experience!

Throughout the year, I participate in four to five competitions across the country. Most recently, I had the pleasure to enjoy Mezdulene’s annual Belly Dancer USA competition held at the Seven Feathers Resort and Casino in Canyonville, Oregon. (If you’ve never been to Oregon, it’s a state that you simply must visit. Complete with an ocean coastline, high mountains and lakes, there’s something for everyone!) Mezdulene and her husband, Don, are gracious hosts and sponsors and make every attendee feel welcome.

The event was well organized.  When I checked in, the schedule was readily available and I had all the information I needed to make sure I knew where to go and when.  The line up and competition was professionally run. When there was an occasional skip of a CD, the technical team took care of the issue promptly and with a friendly personality.  The gala show was so much fun to watch! I had the chance to see dancers from across the country and experience their interpretation of the music we all love. The vendors had beautiful goods to sell and were easy to work with. I thoroughly enjoyed myself at the event and plan on participating again next year – hopefully, bringing a few of my troupe members from Raksanna’s Desert Flames to compete in the troupe category.

Competing is an experience that will help you grow, both as a dancer and as a person. By setting a goal and achieving it, receiving feedback that can enhance your dance and meeting wonderful women who will become lifetime friends, the competition circuit can bring you many great experiences to be treasured and cherished.

The beatiful Fahtiem

A tiny dancer with a huge, lovable personality, Fahtiem is well-known and loved across the world. This dynamic blond bombshell is an inspiration to me, both as a dancer and as a person, and I recently had the blessed opportunity to watch her performance in the one … the only … Carnegie Hall.

One of World’s Most Prestigious Venues

Located on Seventh Avenue, between West 56^th Street and West 57^th Street in Midtown Manhattan, Carnegie Hall stands with its majestic architecture and rich legacy. 881 Seventh Ave is home to performances from the world’s top talent for musicians, artists, dancers and other performing artists.

The Hall is named after Andrew Carnegie, a philanthropist who paid for the construction of the building.  Carnegie is considered to be the second-richest man in history after John D. Rockefeller; he founded the Carnegie Steel Company in the 1870’s and made the majority of his fortune in the steel

Street View of Carnegie Hall

industry.  By the time of his death, Carnegie had given away most of his riches and when he died, the remaining funds were given away to charities and foundations.

Carnegie Hall The architecture was designed by William Burnet Tuthill. Built in 1891, it is one of the last standing large buildings in New York without a steel frame; it was built entirely of masonry. Although the exterior has been renovated several times throughout the past 120 years, the institution underwent a $60 million restoration and renovation effort that began in 1985. The job was tremendous and included fresh paint, new seats, carpeting and a new stage floor.

There are three auditoriums within Carnegie Hall. Stern Auditorium/Perelman Stage (also known as the Main Hall) seats 2,804 people, Weill Recital Hall is an elegant, intimate space that seats 268 people and Zankel Hall, Carnegies’ newest space, seats 599 patrons.

Belly Dance (Middle Eastern, aka Oriental Dance) at Carnegie

In addition to musical concerts, Carnegie Hall hosts a myriad of performing arts presentations including dance, even belly dance.

Of note, Ibrahim “Bobby” Farrah both taught Oriental dance at the International School of Dance, Carnegie Hall and presented his legendary dance company, Ibrahim Farrah Near East Dance Company, on the Perelman Stage.

Speaking of Bobby, Fahtiem trained and mentored under him. She grew and developed her own depth and understanding of Oriental Dance to our art form.  On her website is a quote from her inspiration: “Fahtiem brings a touch of class to Oriental Dance, as well as a delightful sauciness, making her not only a grand entertainer, but an artist as well. It’s no wonder that as a performer, teacher, and choreographer, she is so in demand.”  (Ibrahim Farrah).

It is no wonder, then, that she followed his guidance and graced the stage of this celebrated Hall.

A Benefit Concert to Turn Up the Peace

Inside the "Great Hall" of Carnegie Hall

Normally, when we think about peace, thoughts of world peace come to mind. However, that’s looking at the big picture … and sometimes, that view can be a little overwhelming.

Two pioneering spirits decided to take a different approach.

Phillip Kanakis and Nandapriya Sattva joined forces to create a not-for-profit organization called Turn Up the Peace. Their overriding philosophy is that peace is not merely the absence of war, but rather the compassion and good will that we, as fellow human beings, show ourselves, the planet around us all and all surrounding forms of life.

To achieve peace, according to Turn Up the Peace, it is essential to create permanent uplifting solutions to people in at-risk situations. For example, one current project is to provide food for communities in Sri Lanka by planting Jackfruit trees to grow fruit that can feed families for 100-200 years.

As you can imagine … achieving this vision takes money.

In order to kick start their efforts, Kanakis and Sattva created a Benefit Concert to raise funds for the initiative. This Benefit Concert premiered on one of the world’s greatest stages – the Isaac Stern Auditorium at Carnegie Hall.

Top World Talent – from Marla Maples to Chamber of Orchestra of New York to Dan Reed to Fahtiem

The evening began with world famous Marla Maples as the Master of Ceremonies. Her sunny personality known around the world for her co-hosting of Miss Universe Pageant, Miss USA Pageant and Fox after Breakfast, to name a few, set the tone for an enjoyable experience.

Acts included beautiful music from the Chamber Orchestra of New York, whose violinist, French Hornists, cellos and other members of the orchestra filled the Hall with rich notes filled with passion and joy and at times, stirred the audience to tears.

Dan Reed, known for his work as an opening act for RUN DMC, UB40, David Bowie, Bon Jovi and more, graced the stage with songs from his newest album Coming Up for Air. He played acoustic guitar and was accompanied by a fantastic drummer (whose drum was a wooden box that he used as a chair AND a drum). One song depicted the Wall in Jerusalem. His gritty voice sang out of Jews who prayed at the wall at sunset on the Sabbath and the Muslims who prayed at dawn on the other side.  The audience could feel the pain and tension and the longing for a peaceful co-existence; Dan literally transported us to the Holy Land.

Backstage at Carnegie Hall, Fahtiem with her dancers

Our lovely Fahtiem presented a gorgeous choreography featuring male modern dancers, ballerinas, jazz dancers and her own Oriental dance. The piece showcased veil work, Isis wings and dancers without any accessories.  The music was light, uplifting and beautiful. Fahtiem’s work highlighted her talent for beauty, grace and elegance by skillfully incorporating the different dance genres that honestly “put the magic into every step” in a magnificent, spellbinding performance.

From My Perspective

Fahtiem is one of my personal inspirations. Her dance is beautiful, she is a professional role model for dancers like me who seek to dance and teach for an entire lifetime and her personal life philosophies of creating the reality we want have resonant at a deep level for me.

As a friend and a colleague in Oriental Dance, it was such an honor to share this special, magical moment with Fahtiem. To share what is arguably the pinnacle of her career – to dance our art form on the Stern Auditorium of Carnegie Hall – was deeply meaningful and I thank her for the invitation to be a part of the experience with her. I am so proud of her and happy for her!!!!

Gilae, Fahtiem and Raksanna celebrate at Planet Hollywood, NYC

And in my personal opinion, it is not a stretch to say that the same spirit felt on the May 5 1891 … the official opening night at 881 Seventh Ave in Midtown Manhattan when Tchaikovsky set the stage for musical excellence … Fahtiem has once again set the standard for excellence in Oriental dance.

Rather than write about all of these fantastic experiences in one blog – and then not blog again for several weeks (life is busy!), I decided to write a blog on each one and I’ll post each week. That way, you can spend some free moments with me, if you’d like!

ChicagoRaks ™ 2010 – Featuring Momo Kadous

Gilae at the ChicagoRaks (TM) 2010 show

This year marks the fourth annual year for ChicagoRaks ™. My vision for this event is to bring Egypt to Chicago in an intimate setting where dancers from across the globe can study with a world-renowned Egyptian dance artists and showcase their talents for the artist in a fun setting. In addition to limiting the number of dancers to only thirty (30), I host dinners in my home or cocktail receptions to create a highly personalized experience where dancers can get to know the artist on the individual level, a rare opportunity in today’s world of mega conferences and festivals.

I first met Momo in Cairo about seven years ago. I had returned to the Land of the Pharaohs for Raqia Hassan’s Intensive Teachers Course, an amazing intensive where you immerse yourself in all aspects of the dance for ten days straight, dance eight hours a day and enjoy lectures in the evening in Cairo, Egypt. Momo, of course, is a featured instructor for this course.

During his workshop, Momo taught a mouthwatering Oriental choreography that was quintessentially his style – deep layering, interpretation of the grandest and the tiniest of details and utterly magnificent. I was completely inspired. Both his teaching style (demanding of our best, accepting no excuses and expecting the discipline typically found in a traditional ballet class) and his artistry touched me deeply on the soul level.

At the end of the Teacher’s Course, there is an opportunity to dance for our teachers. I decided to perform my award-winning choreography, Alfrec: An RE

Momo Kadous and Raksanna enjoying a relaxing moment

G Medley, that evening. With modern music that fused the many different folkloric styles to techno instrumentation, a brief taxim and a playful drum solo, I thought it was a perfect fit that showcased my personal style.

Momo, of course, was in the audience. He watched with thoughtful eyes and at times, I caught him nodding his head in approval and smiling. I was excited! That night, as I made my way back to my room, I passed Momo in the hallway of the hotel. He caught my eye and said quietly to me, “Raksanna, you have something very special. Please continue to train and develop. I look forward to seeing more from you in the future.” He nodded and quietly walked away.

I will never forget that moment – it was touching, humbling and oh, so exciting!

Fast forward and I found myself producing ChicagoRaks ™. My first year, I sponsored the delightful Faten Salama and she was such a win! For the second year, I decided to bring Momo – and it was fabulous! The girls LOVED him. Year three showcased the lovely Fahtiem from Los Angeles.

When I saw Momo in Cairo last December, we talked about what a great experience everyone had had when he had visited us. We both decided that it was time for him to return to Chicago and quickly made the appropriate arrangements. He agreed to teach his beautiful Oriental choreography and then have some fun with a drum solo and a modern pop song.

Dress rehearsal - the Shamaden dancers opened the 15-minute production number, an original Raksanna choreography that honors the beautiful genres of Egyptian dance

As registrations started coming in, I was so excited to see that we had dancers representing five States (Indiana, Illinois, Georgia, Wisconsin and California) and seven countries (Canada, Ireland, Japan, Poland, Thailand, Mexico and the United States) participating in the weekend festivities!

There was a special dinner for Momo at my house on Friday evening and then a cocktail reception with him on Saturday, prior to the show. Guests had the chance to meet Momo one-on-one and get to know this extraordinary legend and dance master on the personal level. In class, Momo kept dancers challenged and on their toes (literally) with amazing choreography, tantalizing technique and musicality that is top notch.

Ariel of Chicago performs a beautiful fan veil dance at ChicagoRaks (TM) 2010

Saturday’s gala show was held in an eclectic theater near downtown Chicago called The Viaduct. The lineup was a wonderful mixture of solos, duets and group numbers. Erika of Chicago kicked off the evening with an energetic Sha’abi dance; Diana the Dancer from Wisconsin performed a beautiful dance to “She,” Tammimi of Japan danced to a gorgeous Oriental number and Amani Jabril delighted the audience with a lovely wing piece.  My professional competition troupe, Raksanna and the Desert Flames, performed our award-winning number featuring swords, veils and wings to Dr. Samy Farag’s Habipti.

My production company had been hard at work over the spring and summer perfecting one of my original choreographies that was a tribute to Egypt. The sixteen minute number started off with Shamaden as a nod to the Pharonic times then moved to Alexandria for a Melaya Leff number. A soft, spiritual number came next to feature the Zar, followed by the joy of Nubia. A traditional Saidi stick dance came next and the piece culminated in a rousing drum solo. I dedicated the number to both Momo Kadous and Faten Salama for their deep inspiration to me.

The girls rocked it! My heart swelled with pride as Momo’s eyes lit up throughout the show – and in the end, when we presented him with a Chicago cap and a photo of us all, his remarks brought tears to my eyes. “Tonight, I have seen my country, Egypt, on the stage. The passion and the spirit of these dancers show this art is not just about the body … but this art is about the soul, about touching the audience with your spirit and bringing us each closer to our humanity.”

Momo Kadous and Raksanna, Sept 2010

Momo, thank you. Thank you for your inspiration, for those words of belief so many years ago and for your own spirit that brings me closer to my own humanity, allowing me to dig deeper into my own artistry. I will see you in a few weeks, back in the shadows of the Pyramids, as I study with you again.

Hugs and shimmies to you all,

Raksanna

Lynn and Raksanna at Chicago O'Hare, getting ready for take off!

June 19, 2010

I’m on my way to the world famous belly dance festival, Ahlan Wa Salan, sponsored by Raqia Hassan and  held in Cairo, Egypt each year. As a returning featured instructor, I am very excited to be on the way to a fantastic event! More than 1,000 dancers from across the world, representing all seven continents, gather in the shadow of the Pyramids to dance, learn, tour Egypt and meet new friends and colleagues. Raqia does an outstanding job at bringing together to top instructors with a variety of styles, highly professional tours and a fun-filled festival for serious dancers and hobbyists alike! I am honored and blessed to have the opportunity to teach and be a part of such a great event.

Each time I visit Egypt, I come back a different, deeper person and a stronger dancer. One of the things I love so much about teaching at the festival is the inspiration I get from the students who share my passion for the beautiful art form of belly dance – and the joy that comes from bonding with each other through ancient movements and artistic interpretation of fantastic melodies, pulsating rhythms and gorgeous instruments! It is ALL good!

This year, I am taking a small tour group with me. Lynn, Deb and Joy decided to come with me across the waters to the continent of Africa, the cradle of civilization. Deb and Joy departed from their home town in North Carolina yesterday and will arrive at the hotel in Cairo about six hours prior to Lynn and me. We departed from the Windy City of Chicago and arrive tomorrow morning at approximately 1 am. It takes a full 24 hours (with flight time and lay over) to make the trek across the world.

Lynn and I are now in London, enjoying a late breakfast and several cups of coffee. Lynn is a great person and so excited to go Egypt. She is staying for one week and her itinerary is filled with exciting, spectacular tours of the country. Lynn picked up a lecture series on Egypt and has made it all the way from the birth of the human race to the time of Alexandria the Great. It is such fun to experience her excitement for the trip! I’m glad she decided to come along!

Well, I promised to blog throughout the next three weeks. Stay posted for photos, snapshots and journal entries so that you can “travel along” with me!

Happiest of shimmies,
Raksanna