Belly Dance Life

Ep 390. Nisaa (Heather D. Ward): How Egypt Celebrates Belly Dance While Stigmatizing Its Dancers

Nisaa (Heather D. Ward) is an instructor, performer, and researcher of Egyptian dance based in St. Louis, Missouri. Specializing in Egyptian raqs sharqi as well as baladi

Ep 389. Jrisi Jusakos: How to Dance With Musicians Instead of Just Dancing to Music

Jrisi Jusakos is an Australian dancer, choreographer, educator, and producer with more than 35 years of experience in dance. Born in Chile to a Greek family and raised in

Ep 388. Phaedra Darwish: What Belly Dancers Can Borrow From the Western System of Music Education

Phaedra Darwish is a Chicago-based dancer, musician, instructor, and cultural advocate with a background in instrumental and vocal music and musical theatre. Inspired by

Ep 387. Olena Sinelnikova: The Teacher Who Knows How to Create Stars

Olena Sinelnikova is an internationally acclaimed belly dancer, choreographer, and instructor from Ukraine. She is the founder and director of the Isfahan Dance School an

Ep 386. Kira Lebedeva: When Your Dance Career Outgrows Just Performing

Kira Lebedeva is a Tribal Fusion belly dancer, yoga instructor, and mentor from Lviv, Ukraine, with over 16 years of experience in dance and more than a decade of teachin

Ep 385. Maris: What a Real Working Day Looks Like for a Professional Dancer in Cairo

Maris is an Estonian belly dancer, instructor, performer, and recording artist who has built an international career across Europe and the Middle East. After beginning he

Ep 384. Nadia Sueoka: What Happens When Japanese Art Meets Middle Eastern Dance?

Nadia Sueoka is a Japanese belly dancer, choreographer, and instructor based in Singapore, with an international career spanning performances, teaching, and choreography

Ep 383. Ruxandra: Shocking Stories About Belly Dance Realities in Romania

Ruxandra is a Romanian Oriental dance instructor, performer, choreographer, promoter, and storyteller. A graduate of the Floria Capsalli Choreography High School in Bucha

Ep 382. Petite Jamilla: From Bellydance Superstars to Mother of Four

Petite Jamilla is an internationally acclaimed belly dancer, choreographer, instructor, and performer who began her professional career at just 15 years old. Trained from

Ep 381. Samantha Karim: Redefining Confidence Through Belly Dance & Why So Many Dancers Are Afraid to Take Up Space

Samantha Karim is an award-winning belly dancer, speaker, coach, and educator dedicated to helping women build confidence, overcome perfectionism, and embrace authentic s

Ep 380. Katalin Schäfer: ADHD, Neurodiversity, Motherhood, and the Unexpected Power of Dance

Katalin Schäfer is a Hungarian dancer, choreographer, teacher, costume designer, and psychology student whose work bridges Middle Eastern dance, modern fusion, somatic mo

Ep 379. Sahra Saeeda (Sahra C Kent): From Meeting Farida Fahmy as Her University Classmate to Creating the Iconic “Journey Through Egypt” Program

Sahra Saeeda (Sahra C Kent) is an internationally respected belly dancer, researcher, teacher, and choreographer whose career bridges performance, anthropology, and deep

Ep 378. Serkan Tutar: When Judgment Says More About the Viewer Than the Dancer

Serkan Tutar is an internationally award-winning Turkish belly dancer, teacher, choreographer, and festival organizer known for his dynamic stage presence and multicultur

Ep 377. Ahmed Refaat: Finding Your Personal Style in Egyptian Folklore

Ahmed Refaat is an Egyptian folkloric dancer, choreographer, and master teacher with over 35 years of experience dedicated to preserving and sharing the richness of Egypt

Ep 376. Sara Pappalardo: The Difference Between Constant Encouragement and Real Teaching

Sara Pappalardo is an Italian Oriental and Bollywood dancer, choreographer, teacher, and festival organizer based in Catania, Sicily. Founder of the dance school Tery al

Ep 375. Verona Kemet (Veronika Kremenskaya): Between Ukrainian Training and Egyptian Style

Verona Kemet (Veronika Kremenskaya) is a Ukrainian belly dancer, known for her strong musicality, expressive style, and deep connection to Egyptian dance aesthetics. She

Ep 374. Süreya: The Fine Line Between Being Passionate & Pushing Too Hard in Belly Dance

Süreya is a London-based, internationally recognized Turkish belly dancer, choreographer, and instructor known for her dynamic stage presence, strong musicality, and vers

Ep 373. Sharon Mesguich: How Much Does It Cost to Organize a Festival & What It Takes to Create a True Artistry on Stage

Sharon Mesguich is a French, Tunisian, and Algerian belly dance artist, teacher, and festival organizer known for her dynamic stage presence and deep connection to Egypti

Ep 372. Maha Al Musa: Belly Dance as Preparation for Childbirth and Guiding Practice Through Menopause

Maha Al Musa is an award-winning international childbirth educator, speaker, and the founder of EmbodyBirth and BellydanceBirth®, a pioneering approach to pregnancy and b

Ep 371. April Rose: From Connection to Isolation in Belly Dance and Searching Our Way Back

April Rose is a belly dancer, teacher, and creator of the Dance Cohesion method, known for her precise technique, integration of finger cymbals and frame drum, and emphas