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Recently I awoke to an epiphany -- literally; I was still in bed, half awake, when I began to wonder why the nuances of another ethnic dance, Salsa, seemed to come more easily to dancers, including myself, than those of Raks Sharki.  Then it occurred to me that Salsa is typically first learned as a social dance, after which those who are so inclined will take it to the stage or the competitive arena.  In social dance, we are not so concerned with appearance, rather we begin to inges...

This is Princess Farhana's blog entry from July 30, 2009.  She very articularly expands on the sentiments that I expressed last month.  Please take the time to read it...Shaia

Like the rest of the world, the belly dance community is changing rapidly. Modern technology, globalization, forward thinking, trends and the inclination towards Westernization in the countries of the Middle East and North Africa are all contributing to these...

In recent years it has come to my attention that many new belly dancers are drawn to fusion, and practice this dance form without ever learning the roots of the dance -- folkloric, Raks Beledi, Raks Sharqi.  Today I read this statement from esteemed instructor and performer Nourhan Sharif:

" For years I was fearful of the future of organic Egyptian Dance as there is so much fusion around and confusion abound... while fusion is fun it is indeed departure...we need to ...