The first step at my pioneer and newest baby course "The Secrets of Egyptian Dance" was taken yesterday in Lisbon.
I cannot describe through words all the LIGHTS and DOORS that we created together and how rewarding it is to SHARE with the WORLD the secrets I learnt directly from the Great School of Egypt´s Mysteries.
All this material was already inside me and living, performing, observing and feeling Egypt only re-awakened it all. Egypt does not GIVE something magical to whoever does not carry that magic inside. It just re-awakens it.
Through the last years of performing and teaching in Egypt and, more recently, all over the world I´ve observed that many of the ESSENTIAL things that made Egyptian Dance what it REALLY is (with that eternal MAGIC touch that seems to be extinct, even or specially in Egypt) were not known by dancers - amateurs and professionals. Technique was there - more or less; theoric knowledge of the cultural context and music was there - in some cases. But the ESSENCE that I took for granted (because it is a second nature to me or it BECAME a second nature while I bloomed inside my work in Egypt) were totally unknown.
This Course - The Secrets of Egyptian Dance - was born out of this observation and the faults I identified everywhere (and I mean EVERYWHERE, even in the countries where Oriental Dance is most developed).
What makes egyptian dance REALLY MAGICAL? What was that the last generation of true Raks Sharki egyptian dancers (like Souhair Zaki with whom I had the honor of studying) had that made us breathless, touched in the deepest part of our hearts and souls?!
Oh, dears: we´re heading for the ANSWER and the incredible JOURNEY that goes along with it.
Naming, structuring, finding a way to put into PRACTICE those SECRETS I have gathered inside myself was the first phase of this project. Starting to teach it - yesterday, in Lisbon - was the second phase and NOW there is only FLOWERS growing in my garden and so many people to share them with.
In Love*.
"And the Great Mother said:
Come my child and give me all that you are.
I am not afraid of your strength and darkness,
of your fear and pain.
Give me your tears. They will be my rushing
rivers and roaring oceans.
Give me your rage. It will erupt into my molten
volcanoes and rolling thunder.
Give me your tired spirit. I will lay it to rest in
my soft meadows.
Give me your hopes and dreams. I will plant a field of sunflowers and arch rainbows in the sky.
You are not too much for me. My arms and heart
welcome your true fullness.
There is room in my world for all of you,
all that you are.
I will cradle you in the boughs of my ancient redwoods
and the valleys of my gentle rolling hills.
My soft winds will sing you lullabies and
soothe your burdened heart.
Release your deep pain.You are not alone
and you have never been alone."
Linda Reuther "Homecoming"
Via: Susana Tomás
All this material was already inside me and living, performing, observing and feeling Egypt only re-awakened it all. Egypt does not GIVE something magical to whoever does not carry that magic inside. It just re-awakens it.
Through the last years of performing and teaching in Egypt and, more recently, all over the world I´ve observed that many of the ESSENTIAL things that made Egyptian Dance what it REALLY is (with that eternal MAGIC touch that seems to be extinct, even or specially in Egypt) were not known by dancers - amateurs and professionals. Technique was there - more or less; theoric knowledge of the cultural context and music was there - in some cases. But the ESSENCE that I took for granted (because it is a second nature to me or it BECAME a second nature while I bloomed inside my work in Egypt) were totally unknown.
This Course - The Secrets of Egyptian Dance - was born out of this observation and the faults I identified everywhere (and I mean EVERYWHERE, even in the countries where Oriental Dance is most developed).
What makes egyptian dance REALLY MAGICAL? What was that the last generation of true Raks Sharki egyptian dancers (like Souhair Zaki with whom I had the honor of studying) had that made us breathless, touched in the deepest part of our hearts and souls?!
Oh, dears: we´re heading for the ANSWER and the incredible JOURNEY that goes along with it.
Naming, structuring, finding a way to put into PRACTICE those SECRETS I have gathered inside myself was the first phase of this project. Starting to teach it - yesterday, in Lisbon - was the second phase and NOW there is only FLOWERS growing in my garden and so many people to share them with.
In Love*.
Come my child and give me all that you are.
I am not afraid of your strength and darkness,
of your fear and pain.
Give me your tears. They will be my rushing
rivers and roaring oceans.
Give me your rage. It will erupt into my molten
volcanoes and rolling thunder.
Give me your tired spirit. I will lay it to rest in
my soft meadows.
Give me your hopes and dreams. I will plant a field of sunflowers and arch rainbows in the sky.
You are not too much for me. My arms and heart
welcome your true fullness.
There is room in my world for all of you,
all that you are.
I will cradle you in the boughs of my ancient redwoods
and the valleys of my gentle rolling hills.
My soft winds will sing you lullabies and
soothe your burdened heart.
Release your deep pain.You are not alone
and you have never been alone."
Linda Reuther "Homecoming"
Via: Susana Tomás
1 comment:
Hi Again Joana
Your blog is active like you.
I like the title "baby course", it looks nice :),
so you manage to give us pieces of your project here in the blog? or that project will be totally a part of your new book that you were talking about?
You studied Souhair Zaki style too? Nice experience indeed.She had a special passionate way of moving and shaking (one of our our egyptian dance legends and they are much, that a pride actually-also a pride that we have aperson like you to be an successor of them).
But do you really think that oriental bellydancing had it's current place in peoples admiration cause it keeps an ancient style inside it that was extinct? or its difficulty and high control of body moves makes it attractive? or both?
Bellydance is something very famous and difficult to learn and to perform anyways LOL
have a good time. cheers
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