belly dance podcasts

Hi all,

Today I am excited to share with you my two favorite belly dance podcasts I enjoy listening and get tonnes of information from. Continuous education on such a specific topic as Oriental dance/Folklore dance is incredibly important, especially, if you perform or teach it. The best way to keep up is to learn from the source, which means you have to travel to Egypt or take classes from master-teachers who lived and worked in Egypt for extended period of time. Since the essence of this dance style originates from this country, visiting it and getting in touch with the culture will transform your dance forever. But what if you don’t have the ability to travel or attend workshops often (Living in Australia is a serious geographical reason!). I have found a solution for myself, which by all means can not replace face-to-face training, however definitely broadens the spectrum of information about Middle Eastern dance, culture, lifestyle and more.

So here are two invaluable sources I get my information and inspiration from. These incredible ladies Iana Komarnytska (Toronto, Canada) and Nadira Jamal (Boston, USA) are contributing their time to create  amazing and informative podcasts! Regularly, the most sought-after, experienced dancers from all over the world appear there to share their insights and experiences. In some instances you can even be on a call, ask questions and get answers right off a star! Most of us don’t realise that behind the glamorous and sparkly costumes, pretty dancing and smiley faces we see on social media accounts of super-stars, there are some bitter experiences and struggles going on, so it’s very enlightening! The topics are so different that it doesn't matter whether you are looking to improve your cultutal knowledge, start a business, promote yourself outside of your local community or get a glimpse into Cairo's night life you will find aspects that are relevant to you.

1. Belly dance life podcast is produced by Iana Komarnytska can be found here:

        https://www.ianadance.com/bellydance-life/

Amongst the guest stars you can hear Sadie Marquardt talking about her educational programs; the incredibly talented Marta Korzun and Julia Farid sharing their dance journeys from the very beginning; The instagram superstar Cassandra Fox about staying true to yourself; Luna of Cairo about the current dance scene in Egypt, Ozgen about Turkish Roman dance and others!

 2. Belly dance geek podcast is produced by Nadira Jamal can be found here:

       https://www.bellydancegeek.com

Amongst the guest stars you can hear the legendary dance ethnologist and dancer Sahra Saeeda sharing her precious knowledge of Egyptian dance culture; the beautiful Shahrzad, who currently lives in Egypt shares the insight into her performing life; the incredible Alia Thabit (who’s book “Midnight at the crossroads. Has belly dance sold its soul?” transformed my dance and surely, dance of others) and many more!

You can subscribe to both podcasts as well as join newsletters and blogs to stay in touch with latest updates. I wish you a great time exploring it! Let’s all stay educated and keep dancing!