Belly Dance Podcast A Little Lighter

Most dance in our era is performative, but dance can do so much more. Harlem High School Assistant Principle and dance teacher Kierra Foster-Ba talks about dances for healing, transformation, connection, and acceptance.

Salit of NYC on the sisterhood of belly dancers, the politics that divide our community of Arabic music lovers, and how focusing on our belly dance technique rather than our appearance brings us more happiness.

Dr. Valerie Poppel, aka Nefertiti, is a Clinical Sexologist and belly dancer who lived in Cairo. Find out what Nef warned about Soul Ties when she was featured in Cosmo yet again and how shimmying can improve our sexual health.

Author of 22+ belly dance costuming books, Dawn Devine talks about current belly dance fashion trends in Egypt and Turkey, how to make assuit fabric feel good on your skin, and how to get more out of your belly dance costumes.

Being injured is part of every dancer's life, and all dancers want relief from pain. Pema teaches how to befriend our pain, forgive ourselves for getting hurt, and turn poison into medicine.

Melodia of Melodia Designs has been designing amazing dance wear and comfortable-AND-sexy street clothes for over 20 years. But do you know about her intriguing dance past with the Belly Dance Superstars and Urban Tribal Dance Company? Listen and find out!

World-famous Egyptian raqs sharqi dancer Randa Kamel on the importance of belly dancing to live music, feeling the music, and why oriental dance developed in Egypt.

The nightclubs were open, famous Egyptian dancers including Randa Kamel and Aziza of Cairo performed, live bands played, and belly dance costume shopping continued. Hear about Naimah of Baltimore's adventures on Black Cat Belly Dance Tour in 2021.

NYC raqs sharqi dancer Natalie of Puerto Rico shares how to belly dance authentically to mahraganat and shaabi, as well as her love for Egyptian colloquial Arabic, culture and daily life.

Get inspired by the health, beauty and dance tips from some of the most influential belly dancers in the world who were interviewed on this belly dance podcast in 2021. Feel grateful, make a dance goal, drink some water, and dance yourself down the sidewalk.

Learn some of the secrets of recreating Golden Era belly dance moves and costumes from Badriyah. Find out the best belly dance scenes from classical Egyptian movies with Samia Gamal, Naima Akef, Taheya Carioca and hear Badriyah's dreams of opening a Belly Dance Museum.

New York City dancer Danielle Hutton speaks on magical intentions, powerful productions, and why washing your hair on Venus's Day is a damn good idea.

Belly Dance Superstars Choreographer Jillina Carlano on courage, contribution, and marinating yourself in music. From performing in prison, touring the planet and stumbling forward through the reckoning in the dance community. This is an amazing podcast interview.

Brooklyn-born belly dancer and fusion artist Brenna Crowley tells us how she went from looking down at the ground to strutting sidewalks like a runway model and dancing like a superhero.

Award winning belly dancer Amanda Hart talks about how "A little progress each day adds up to big results", her own growth from being part of Jillina's Belly Dance Experience, and her love for the Lebanese singer Fairuz. (Results quote from Satya Nani)

Trans masculine belly dancer Kamrah of Chicago talks about key differences in Egyptian and Lebanese belly dance and highlights a big mistake that many of us make when dancing with a sword...

The founder of FCBD Style speaks on the origin of ATS costuming, cultural appropriation, and the shift back to the name FCBD.

What is the difference between Popping and Locking? Find out from this amazing fusion belly dancer who has toured with Belly Dance Superstars, Belly Dance Evolution, choreographed for Zoe Jakes's shows, and is featured on Rachel Brice's Datura Online. This show is packed with deep health and beauty secrets as well as a love for festivals and shenanigans.

Hear how Eshe travelled to Turkey to study with belly dance legends Sema Yildiz and Princess Banu, why the word "Roman" needs to replace the G* word, and why Fifi Abdou's new performances on Instagram may be even better than her iconic dance performances.

Forget about writing a useless New Years Resolution. Here's a better way for dancers to prepare for the best year of our lives. Listen and find out what it is! This episode gives you time to reflect and create.

"Hafla Prince" Carmine Guida of NYC has played oud, cümbüs and percussion for thousands of delighted belly dancers. Hear Carmine's tips for helping the band love to play for you and for making  it super fun.

Healing yourself is possible, even in rich dark nights of the soul. Find out how Ceremonial Botanical Bodywork practitioner Rachel Fisher heals, how she became friends with Rachel Brice, and hear how she got 250,000 followers on social media and then let them go.

I met Erin in my first belly dance class in 2000 at Cornell. For 20 years we danced together on stages, streets and around fires. Erin passed away in May 2020 during the Covid Era, and I continue seeking a dance floor that can help heal the pain.

Singing belly dancer Helen of South Florida gives us some tone-at-home fitness tips we forgot about and shares how she moved past fear to create her own online dance program and write "Belly Dance Business 101".

Tired of feeling tight and stressed? One of the world's most down to earth Buddhist teachers shows us how to soften, relax, create space, and find meaning in our dance lives and daily lives.

Veil poi innovator Maëlle shares belly dance secrets from the Lebanese night clubs of Brussels, palaces of Dubai, and Suhaila Salimpour's dance studios. Hear her story.

For 12 years Sabriye performed all over the Gulf and North Africa. Hear her tips for keeping the soul in Saidi and how to do Khaleeji hair throw moves safely.

Flashy Floridian Belly Dancer Ciana talks about the difference between dance cardio classes and straight up belly dance classes, the importance of foundational strength for preventing injury and aiding expression, and how much fun it is to wear big drag lashes when you dance.

What should we call tribal fusion now that Indigenous leaders have spoken? Professor Keyes from the Salimpour School hashes out what educated belly dancers should know.

Find out how podcast host Iana Komarnytska has made her passion for Middle Eastern dance into an abundant business, get tips for creating a clear website, and hear why it is so important for belly dancers to study folk dance styles.

Find out how Suhaila, Jamila and The Salimpour School have shaped the history of belly dance and fused elements of hip hop dance with traditional Middle Eastern Dance.

Hear Naimah's tips on great eye makeup and how to get your dance costume to stay in place. And find out how modeling and studying burlesque can help us belly dancer better.

New York City Belly Dancer Kaeshi talks about touring the world as a dancer, screaming when dancing, and Beauty Reimagined. And her doumbek playing husband Brad Mack gives us tips on how to become a better performer.

Third generation belly dance star Isabella shares what she learned from Suhaila and Jamila Salimpour, talks about the magic of Bal Anat, and reflects on dancing illegally in Egypt at 8 years old.

New York City belly dancer Zobeida on Anahid Sofian's floor work, how to dance to 9/8 Turkish Roma style and how to find time to dance when you have kids.

California belly dancer and twerking instructor Cera Byer talks about fearless improvisation, clear choreography, and taking "exquisite care" of ourselves.

Find out why Suhaila walked off the nightclub stage at 28, how we can show respect for the cultural origins of belly dance, and how her mother Jamila Salimpour danced her cooking.

Here's some treatment for Coronavirus depression: Join the Dancing with Myself Movement, try Belly Dance Chi Gong, and relieve stress by laughing like crazy Laughing Yoga style.

Suhaila's student and friend Anna Horn shares some of the surprising elements of Suhaila's format, reminisces about Jamila Salimpour's finger cymbals, and shows us how the pets we love can inspire us to dance.

Hear how murder mystery writer Jo loves the process of preparing for a performance even more than the show and values sharing experiences with other dancers more than perfection in the spotlight. And she likes to set drinks on fire...

Want to feel beautiful and juicy in your body? Listen to this. Let's reveal what belly dancers can learn from burlesque culture and find ways to take exquisite of ourselves.

Find out what makes Egyptian dancers look authentic and what makes Western dancers look a little fake, what makes dancers sexy, and why belly dancers in the Middle East are still stigmatized.

Dance feeds our feminine, and the child inside of us longs for the freedom to play dress up and dance. But problems can stop us from dancing. Hear from Tony Robbins and his wife Sage how we can turn problems into gifts and create habits that make us happier.

Learn this essential tip for any dancer who plays zills, dance confidently to the droning medieval keyed fiddle we call the hurdy gurdy, and have fun hearing the wild Renaissance Festival times of musician and dancer Roxanne Dresden Bruscha.

Jill Parker shares what she wishes she knew when she first started dancing with Fat Chance Belly Dance, talks about tattoos, beauty secrets, and the sorcery of dance.

Where did belly dance come from? Who are the most famous belly dancers? What are the different styles of belly dance? This podcast will answer so many of your questions, and you'll love it.

Celebrate 1970s Strictly Belly Dance records by Eddie the Sheik, admire the moves of Egyptian belly dance star Mona Said, and take a peek into stigma and the gritty lives of many belly dancers in Cairo now.

Johanna relives the breast cancer diagnosis that birthed her first dance studio and expanded her commitment to community. She shares her secret to layering a shimmy and undulation, and also urges us to meditate by focusing on 1 thing at a time.

Johanna of Hip Expressions helps us stop and take a breath, tells us her secrets to building great dance music playlists, and she shares some very fun and surprising danceable songs that you will love.

These loved Turkish, Rom and Arabic songs are a must-know for belly dancers, especially if you want to be ready to dance to a live band!  Learn about the maqamat, rhythms, translations and ways to dance to Katibim, Al Ain Molayaitin, and Rompi Rompi.

Why is it so hard to say "dancers" instead of "ladies"? Male dancers have to train even harder not to be a spectacle, and lady dancers can help too. Listen to Hakan tell us how.

From Badia Masabni's night clubs to belly dance movie stars like Samia Gamal, and from Suhalia up through the Women's Rights Movement. The 2nd show on the History of Belly Dance.

Folkloric Fusion Belly Dancer Maria Hamer of the Hamer Sisters talks about collaborating with Tribal Fusion stars Jill Parker, Zoe Jakes, and Mardi Love as well as how she spins and incorporates silk into her belly dance costumes.

Improvising to live drums around a fire at a festival like Pennsic can turn a studio-trained belly dancer into a belly dancer who knows what’s up.

As a drummer in some of the best belly dance bands in New York, Casey teaches us about the soul of belly dance rhythms in the belly dance classic song Laylet Hob, what drummers like to see in dancers, and how to fully enjoy dancing and life.

Travel back in time to belly dance like Ghawazee and Awalim dancers from Egypt, Ouled Nail dancers from Algeria, and Rom dancers who developed the art of belly dance centuries before us.

Discover Dalia's secrets on doing belly dance fusion well, find out why she dances Flamenco Arabe on beautiful angles, and know what to do next time your inner voice says, "I'm not sexy enough".

Learn how to do an earth shaking shimmy to the powerful 2-headed bass drum the davul (aka tabl beledi), improv with your belly dance friends like a Turk in a circle dance, and get a super dance bra strap tip from Farha.

Find out why chatting in the dressing room is a good habit to quit, get yourself a gold or silver bra and belt, and discover what’s so confusing about Foq Elna Khel.

Free your hair with featured dancer Elisheva, add a fun new drum solo to your repertoire, and get 11 easy belly dance hairdo ideas you can try.

Find out why Arabic speakers call their lover “my eye”, fend off the evil eye, get the low-down on the classic belly dance song Habibi ya Einy, and get tips on how to wear false eyelashes.

Dancers have been using henna on hair and skin for thousands of years. Learn how to henna your hair like an ancient Egyptian and see why this natural beauty treatment is still used today.

Learn how to make a dance video with super simple gear and get tips on editing and sharing your dance video. Try the damn sexy dance move “Shoulder Peek Mayas” and do a little dancing next time you are waiting on the phone.

Belly dance to rocking music from the Balkans, try the Čoček Hip Tip, and dance while you hold hands with people you love.

Find out how to learn Kalbelia dance from gypsies in Rajasthan. Get your travel dance costume together, and dance in a beautiful place at sunrise.

Meet the ancient grandmother of the tambourine, really get the meaning of the gorgeous old song Lamma Bada, and think twice before wearing that coin belt when you belly dance.

Know what to say when a fellow belly dancer is killin’ it on stage, do the money shower clap to the famous song Caje Sukarije, and rock a belly chain like Jill Parker.

Find out which belly dance skirt to wear and which one to skip, incorporate skirt moves into your floor work, and learn this secret of storing your big 10 and 25 yard skirts. Try counting a 9/8 rhythm 4 different ways and enjoy 3 different versions of the Turkish song Rampi Rampi.

Do the Greek belly dance move “Boubouka’s Backside” from an old movie to the classic Greek belly dance song “Scandalous Tsiftetelli”. Drizzle on some tahini, strike a postcard pose and open to the muse.

Welcome to the hair episode! Learn how to move your hair when you belly dance to a trance-inducing beat, try the “Khaliji Sideways Hair Sway”, and turn your next shower into a stress-relieving ritual.
DANCEABLE RITUAL: Cleansing Your Hair and Mind
 

Washing our hair is a chance to cleanse our minds and enjoy massaging and detangling our thoughts, even if it’s just a quick shower.

 

A paraphrased Buddhist proverb inspired this danceable ritual. It is, “Remember that when you cleanse your body you can also cleanse your mind.”

 

Next time you wash your hair, do more than just the regular mindless or preoccupied wash. Try washing your hair as a danceable ritual. This can mean doing a few dance moves while you do your regular routine or having a whole ritual for the duration of the shower.

 

If you want try a whole ritual, here are some ideas…

 

Make the whole process leading up to washing your hair a dance as well. Remove clothes artfully, turn the water on with soft hands, and step into the tub with a pointed toe and graceful arm. Thank the water with prayer hands, and raise them up as lotus hands beneath the water source. Smooth your hair. You can even do the “Dripping in Gold” move from show number 4!

 

Relax your face. Welcome the shampoo into your hand as a gift from above. As you put the bottle down, also release any thoughts that are not serving you. Let them wash away from you. Massage the shampoo into your hair with both hands. Dance to the music of the soap. As you rinse it out, do down mayas with the water running down your hips. Again, wash off whatever is not serving you. Release it. If you use conditioner, reach for it. Accept the gift of the conditioner. Release tension a third time as you set the bottle down. Untangle your thoughts while you untangle your hair, breathing in infinite space. When you are done, do wrist circles as your hand floats to turn the water off.

 

As you step out, take hold of your towel with 2 hands like it’s a veil. Throw it up and over yourself. Dry off your hair and body gently. Wrap yourself in the towel and take a beautiful bow, knowing you just danced with all of those doing hair washing rituals the world over. Ta da! It’s better if you have 10 minutes to take a danceable ritual shower, but even if you have just 3 minutes to shower, you can dance for part of it.

 

I lived in Asia for years, and was often in places where people bathe outdoors with their clothes on. Those are the perfect places to watch more mundane hair washing rituals. I like to reflect on the time young woman whipped her hair out of the water while bathing under a bridge in Bali. The women twisting and squeezing their long black hair in the river in Southern India beside the bathing town elephant Lakshmi. Standing on the Lao side of the Mekhong in my bathing garment washing my hair as long motor boats puttered by.

 

In addition to being in areas where people bath outside, festivals often offer a peek into the different ways we can wash our hair. Decades ago at a Rainbow Gathering, my mother in law remembers being so impressed with how carefully a woman washed another woman’s hair. They are still friends and that is their first memory together. At Burning Man, the Sweaty Betty camp is known for washing the hair of strangers. This is a big deal, because at Burning Man everyone brings all of the water they will use and is also responsible for disposing of gray water. And the Playa dust gets into everything. My friend Katie and I washed each others’ hair in bottled water over our evaporation pool at Burning Man, very deliberately making every drop count. So special.

 

But we don’t have to be in a foreign place to have a comple...

Find out why dubstep songs like “Crave You” are great to dance to. Get tips on how to mix metals in your dance costumes. Try the belly dance move “Dripping in Gold”, and discover  delicious (golden) white miso sauce by dripping it on your dinner tonight.

Visualize yourself dancing in the streets to an oriental brass band influenced by Ottoman history and the Roma, and practice a beautiful pose when you pause.

Learn the story behind the classic debke Ya Ayn Mawlayiten, get ready to dance in the rain, and discover this simple trick for losing unwanted weight.

Wake up saying "I love my life", learn a fancy new veil move, detox with a parsley lemon drink, go thrift store shopping for your next costume piece, and find out why I want you to be happy and healthy and dance your whole life.