Yallah Raqs
113 episodes - English - Latest episode: 8 months ago - ★★★★★ - 17 ratingsYallah Raqs is a podcast made to help you design YOUR personal practice by learning about the practices of others. Each guest shares their experience with their practice along with practical tips you can take away to experiment with in your own dance space. Come create a personal bellydance practice that is tailored to your life, and is just as unique as you are.
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Episodes
What is Folklore with Sheyla
November 04, 2023 05:20 - 19 minutes - 27.5 MBSheyla is a dancer from the Czech Republic who fell in love with Egypt and especially the folklore of the country. Funoon Shaabeya, her latest documentary film focuses on Egyptian traditional artists and folklore, which she’ll be discussing with us today She’ll explore the significance of folklore, the importance of studying with people from the cultures, and how we can approach this heritage with respect and appreciation while dancing folklore. It’s foundational to any style of bellydance...
What is Tarab with Zara Dance
November 04, 2023 05:10 - 10 minutes - 13.9 MBToday? Zara Dance joins us to talk about the concept of Tarab. These are some of my favorite words. Words that simply don’t have a translation in other languages. Every language has a word or phrase or saying that just doesn’t have a direct translation. And while that’s beautiful, it can also cause some misconceptions. Join Zara as she talks about what Tarab is and answers a oft-asked question. Can you only do it to Umm Kulthom music? You can find links to all Zara’s amazing work at theb...
Arabic Music & Poetry with Francesc
November 04, 2023 05:09 - 10 minutes - 14.2 MBToday Francesca is going to take us on a little journey, using a song. Francesca has her degree in Oriental Languages and Literature for Arabic, and is using her knowledge to bring us how Arabic poetry has had, and continues to have a lasting influence on the lyrics of modern arabic songs. Knowing some of this background helps us to better understand the emotional impact of these songs and appreciate they beauty of the lyrics. The song she’ll use briefly as an example here is Zoom Sur Oum...
Burning Questions with Dawn Devine
October 29, 2023 18:00 - 18 minutes - 25.6 MBToday we have Dawn Devine with and awesome Q &A . Dawn is a costumer and historian well known for some of her books, including The Cloth of Egypt, All about Assuit, and Zills, Music on your Fingertips. If you’ve followed Dawn for a while you may be part of her group on Facebook, which she polled for some Must Answer questions, and today she’s giving you the answers. Does Dawn dance? Is she ever going to publish her master’s thesis? What about reprints of some of her previous titles tha...
Warming Up & Cooling Down with The Dance Safe Project
October 29, 2023 06:00 - 15 minutes - 22 MBToday we have Melbourne, Australian based creator of The Dance Safe Project, Prue, joining us to chat all about warmups and cooldowns. Sometimes the practices that will keep us dancing the longest are the easiest to implement, and the easiest to skip when you’re on a tight schedule. Prue goes into why warm ups and cool downs are so important, and talks a bit about how we can make these practices more accessible to everyone with just a couple of modifications. And if you’re looking for a q...
Creating Practice with Lisa-Jean
October 28, 2023 17:44 - 17 minutes - 23.5 MBToday we have Lisa-Jean here to talk to us about creating a practice. A busy mom of three, Lisa-Jean realized that very few dancers actually TEACH us how to practice, or how to fit time into our busy schedules to dance. And I’m so on board, it’s one of the reasons we’ve created so many of the resources we have around here at the Bellydance Bundle! Lisa chats with you today about getting specific on your dance goals, finding the time to practice, and one big shift in how you structure you...
The Bold Bellydancer Shift with April Rose
October 25, 2023 05:06 - 19 minutes - 26.6 MBApril Rose will be sharing a portion of her Bold Bellydancer Shift Workshop. If you haven’t followed her before April is an Austin-based interdisciplinary artist, teacher, and performer of bellydance, transcultural dance, frame drum, and finger cymbals. She’s absolutely wonderful and her approach to dance and art and life are truly inspirational. In this portion of her Bold Bellydancer Shift Workshop she’ll share with you several reasons she believes a paradigm shift is happening in ...
Believing in your Business with Oreet
October 22, 2023 23:15 - 9 minutes - 12.6 MBToday is a MUST listen if you have any kind of bellydance business. And like our guest says, if you’re getting paid at all? Then you have a business And she couldn’t be more right Join Oreet for a fantastic episode where you are going to be taking some SERIOUS action steps. Oreet is the creator of Sharqui and offers coaching and mentorship as part of her Teacher training. Today she's going to get you to take the fundamental first step in your business. Believing in yourself. Then she’ll help...
Disability Basics with Minda Mae
October 21, 2023 21:00 - 8 minutes - 12.1 MBToday we have Minda Mae joining us from Minneapolis! She is the founder of the DisabiliTease Academy, the first virtual school specifically geared towards performers with disabilites and their allies. She’s also the first wheelchair-using burlesque performer in Minnesota. Through her work she helps students advocate for themselves and teachers show up more inclusively for their students. Here in our mini episode she’ll go through some of the basics, what is a disability? Accessibiilty? Acc...
Multi-Tonal Zills with Drake
October 21, 2023 09:34 - 11 minutes - 15.7 MBToday you’ll be spending some time with Drake, an interdisciplinary bellydance researcher and performer based in the Chicago area. He joins us today to chat a little bit about Multi tonal cymbals and how to integrate them into your dance. He’ll go over what Multi-tonal playing is, how to play zills even if you’re not dancing to middle eastern music, and a way that you can scale any multi-tonal playing to your level. Find your zills and join in with today's episode! You can check out a vi...
Embodied movement with Rahel
October 20, 2023 17:17 - 16 minutes - 23 MBWhile Rahel specializes in Raqs Sharqi, Today she’ll be joining us to talk about her work in trauma-informed, mindfulness-based somatic practices and how she’s brought that to the table to support both dancers and non-dancers alike And she has so much great info to share. She’ll go through what somatics is, and some of the history of it, as well as diving into what it means to be embodied. We’ll spend some time today being a bit more cognitive about our bodies by even thinking ABOUT the fa...
All or Nothing Thinking with Siobhan Camille
October 19, 2023 08:51 - 13 minutes - 19.1 MBToday we have the founder of Greenstone Dance Arts, Siobhan Camille. If you’ve heard her on the podcast before, or you follow her you’ll already know, but for anyone just meeting Siobhan for the first time, she’s got an extensive background in exercise science with postgrad degrees in both Exercise Prescription and Rehabilitation Science. And while this creates her unique approach to teaching, today she’s gonna be talking a bit more about something near and dear to my heart. Habits. It m...
Emotion & Theatricality with Sahira
October 18, 2023 07:35 - 18 minutes - 25.7 MBToday we have Sahira here to chat all about adding emotion and some theatricality to your dance. Sahira is a dancer in Houston who teaches both locally and has a fantastic online dance school. She’s known for her finger cymbals, her fantastic personality, and of course for being able to absolutely draw you in while she’s dancing. And the key to that? Bringing that emotion to your dance! How many times have you been told to stare “past” the audience? Well not anymore! Sahira shares her the...
Connection through Live Music with Athena Howe and Adam Rivière
October 17, 2023 16:58 - 18 minutes - 25 MBToday we have the wonderful Athena Howe and Adam Rivière to chat allllll about live music with ya’ll! Athena is a Columbus, Ohio-based dancer who just like many of us, fell in love with the costuming and glamour of belly dance, and then fell head over heals for the music and culture. Especially live music!! Adam is a world percussionist, audio engineer and composer with almost 40 years of experience and often plays shows with bellydancers Together, the two have performed and taught at f...
Indian Fusion Dance with Debapriya Das
October 15, 2023 06:38 - 8 minutes - 12.4 MBToday we welcome Debpariya Das to the podcast. Joining us from Bangalore, India, she’s here to share a little bit about her journey as an Oriental Bellydancer and her philosophies around fusing Indian Dance and Bellydance together. She’ll share with us her views on how culture plays into the fusion of the dances, the importance of solid foundations in each style, and some of what she’ll be bringing to the 2023 Bundle around these topics. Check out the show notes page at www.thebelly...
Pilates & Dance with Ashley Rhianne
October 13, 2023 08:55 - 12 minutes - 16.7 MBWelcome to this mini-episode of Yallah Raqs! Today Ashley Rhianne is going to tell us a bit about her journey to becoming a dancer and a pilates instructor. She’ll be sharing what set her on her path, the benefits she’s seen in her own dance through the addition of cross-training in pilates and hows she’s seen pilates change her students dances as well. Links to follow Ashley online at both her Dance and her Pilates accounts can be found on the episode page at www.thebellydancebundle.c...
2023 Bundle Season Intro
October 13, 2023 08:18 - 2 minutes - 2.83 MBThis season is gonna be a bit different, so here's a little into to this Bundle Season!
What’s It Like to Travel as a Black Bellydancer?
February 23, 2022 19:58 - 57 minutes - 106 MBEbony and Tiffany sit down with brilliant dancers Raqs Razi, Lara Adrienne, Donna Mejia, Lotus Niraja and Nefertiti for an inspiring conversation about, and celebration of, their opportunities, learnings and stories of travel as Black artists. Enjoy musings on favorite travel destinations and some wild excursion tales. They discuss working in a country of origin of this dance, exotisism and so much more. We hope this discussion inspires you, as well. Shownotes at: www.thebellydanceb...
Is Bellydance Different on Black Bodies?
February 14, 2022 20:24 - 52 minutes - 96.2 MBEbony and Tiffany get together with incredible dancers Sadira LadyLiquid, Chudney, Nefertiti and Omoladun for a chat about what’s different about being Black in the bellydance world. They muse about Black hair, being one of the only Black dancers in classes and competitions and finally having the feeling of belonging. Listen in as they talk about unique costuming concerns and touch upon differences in body types. We hope our discussion inspires you, as well. Shownotes at www.thebell...
Who is That Beautiful Black Dancer?
February 08, 2022 10:00 - 49 minutes - 91.5 MBEbony and Tiffany sit down with brilliant dancers Danielle Hutton, Lara Adriene, Raqs Razi, Nefertiti and Iona for a lively conversation about, and CELEBRATION of, seeing ourselves, Black dancers, in the spotlight. Listen in as they relate about their first time seeing a pro Black bellydancer and what that meant for them. They discuss imposter syndrome, encouraging one another and so much more. We hope this discussion inspires you, as well. Get the shownotes at www.thebellydancebundle.com/90
Golden Era with Badriyah
October 23, 2021 21:52 - 28 minutes - 51.6 MBBadriyah is well known for her work putting together the Golden Era Museum and I’m super excited to have her on today’s podcast speaking more about the Museum and her obsession with the Golden Era. From the first piece of her collection to the dance characteristics of the Golden Era itself we get into the Golden Era through the decades in today’s episode. Talking to someone who is clearly so passionate about what they do is a joy and an honor and I am so thankful the the work that Badriyah...
Musicality & Expression with Mercedes Nieto -Part2
October 22, 2021 08:57 - 39 minutes - 73.3 MBPart 2 of 2 How do you express the music? For Mercedes Nieto, expression and musicality are at the heart of her style, and she joins us today to give us a peak into her process and how she works with her students to grow their ability to express through their dance. What is the music telling you? How do you feel about it? And how can you build that into your dance? Mercedes dives into how you can take these questions and an understanding of how your body likes to move and combine them in...
Musicality & Expression with Mercedes Nieto - Part 1
October 22, 2021 08:56 - 36 minutes - 67.8 MBPart 1 of 2 How do you express the music? For Mercedes Nieto, expression and musicality are at the heart of her style, and she joins us today to give us a peak into her process and how she works with her students to grow their ability to express through their dance. What is the music telling you? How do you feel about it? And how can you build that into your dance? Mercedes dives into how you can take these questions and an understanding of how your body likes to move and combine them in...
Listen from the Heart with Katayoun
October 21, 2021 14:14 - 39 minutes - 72.8 MBFinding our own unique voice within this dance form is something that a LOT of us struggle with, but it comes down to one thing. How we hear and interpret the music. And to do that? It’s super helpful to have a basis of knowledge about the music to draw from! Today Katayoun is hanging out with us to discuss the beauty and richness of Arabic music and gives us some tips that we can use to really start to internalize the music and let our bodies respond. It’s a fascinating topic, a...
Moroccan Schikkatt & Chaaibi with Nawarra of Morocco
October 20, 2021 08:53 - 44 minutes - 81.3 MBToday we have a special treat! Nawarra of Morocco joins us to talk about the different dances of Morocco, specifically today the Shikkat and the Chaabi! Much like any country Morocco is a diverse nation with many many different styles of dance, and, hoping to learn more about the North African part of MENAHT, we’re super excited to bring you this resource for learning more specifically about these two dances of Morocco! Nawarra was born and raised in Casablanca, is a N/A dance Researcher, ...
Traveling Steps with Chudney
October 19, 2021 16:19 - 20 minutes - 37.5 MBToday’s episode is all about making your traveling steps musical and our Guest Chudney is absolutely one of my personal favorites when it comes to musicality. Traveling on anything but the beat can be really tricky, but being able to interpret different parts of the music through our movements around our dance space is an amazing layer that we can add that really takes our musicality to the next level. Join Chudney and I as we talk a bit about how to work with traveling steps, even in sm...
Feedback & The Creative Process with Adrianne
October 18, 2021 06:38 - 47 minutes - 86.7 MBGetting feedback is mostly terrifying for dancers. I get it, I’ve been there, and so has today’s guest Adrianne. We start off talking about the creative process and then dive deep into the feedback and critique part that comes with any kind of creation. Drawing on her background in art school Adrianne shares some tips and tricks for asking for, giving, and receiving feedback on your piece. When it’s appropriate, what you can do with it when you get it, and how to distance you...
Drum Solos with Victoria Teel
October 18, 2021 06:27 - 30 minutes - 56.1 MBEver decide to start a drum solo choreography, hit the dance floor, start the music, then freeze on where to start? With the music happening all over the place where do you even begin? And how do you slow down when it feels like the music is pushing you to go fast? Victoria Teel is joining us in the 2021 Bellydance Bundle to teach us a Drumsolo choreography so we’ve invited her to the show to see what advice she has for those of us struggling with where to start and how to slow down ...
Creative Shapes with Mahin
October 17, 2021 05:29 - 35 minutes - 66 MBToday we’re here to talk about something foundational that is layered into everything that you do. Shapes! Mahin joins us to talk about her thoughts around creative shapes, from the foundations of the shapes themselves in the dance to how we can layer them together with different parts of our bodies and on different planes to create new and unique expressions of the music. There are infinite ways to approach any shape and any combinations of shapes, it’s what makes our dance so interestin...
Mindset with Eshe
October 16, 2021 05:00 - 39 minutes - 71.6 MBEver find yourself saying bad things about your dancing when you watch a video from your practice? Or find yourself extremely nervous before an event? Today we have Eshe on the Podcast to share some of her stories around changing her mindset when it came not only to dance performances, but practices and being in the business of dance as well! So much of what we do as dancers relies on technique and putting in the hours to hone our craft. But what we don’t realize a lot of times is that ...
Learning through Choreography with Jillina
October 15, 2021 04:57 - 39 minutes - 73.2 MBDo you love learning choreographies? How do you translate them back into your personal dance? This year we’ve talked quite a bit about how we can see improvements in our dance and that a LOT of us rely on choreographies to see progress in the short term. And while that’s awesome it’s often harder to see those skills translate into other dances and become part of our general repertoire. So today we’ve invited Jillina onto the podcast to give us some insights on how we can take the choreogra...
Zills with Sahira
October 14, 2021 03:03 - 35 minutes - 65.2 MBDid you start playing zills when you were a baby bellydancer? Or did you start later in your dance journey? Or maybe you haven’t picked them up yet! Join Sahira and myself today as we chat all things Zills. Sahira has had a passion for these beautiful little instruments since the beginning and is determined to get everyone else as in love with them as she is. A worthy goal, to make everyone as much of a zill nerd as her! Whether you’re comfortable with zills already or just starting you...
Combo Creation with Ebony Qualls
October 13, 2021 00:16 - 28 minutes - 51.4 MBSo, I don’t know about you, but there was QUITE a while where I struggled to come up with combos. How to attach moves together, putting them to music, ugh, it felt like some magical skill that other people seemed to have in droves, but that I was holding the book upside down and backwards on. Ebony is one of those amazing people. With her Urban Fusion Technique & Choreography class, which you’ll get to try in the 2021 Bundle, she is constantly coming up with new combos and dances to chal...
Sa‘idi with Diana Soto
October 12, 2021 05:27 - 35 minutes - 64.7 MBInnovation is rooted in tradition. Today’s podcast Guest Diana holds that idea to heart as she talks to us about Sa’idi dance, particularly using an assaya. From the common struggles she sees when it comes to dancing with assaya or canes to how we can work through those moments to create something amazing, Diana walks us through her stylings of Sa’idi dance in today’s episode. When it comes to props you don’t want to hide behind them, you want to make them dance alongside you and we dive ...
Endurance with Oreet of Sharqui
October 11, 2021 16:44 - 21 minutes - 39.1 MBHave you ever been dancing at a restaurant or just noodling about in your dance space and been surprised how after just a short period of time you’re exhausted? That’s what we’re here to talk about today. Endurance. Today we’re talking to Oreet from Sharqi about adding this element to our practices. What’s going on, the different types of endurance and what we can work on to increase the amount of time we spend dancing! Shownotes: www.thebellydancebundle.com/76
Improv As Play - Heather Henna Louise
October 10, 2021 02:58 - 37 minutes - 68.8 MBImprovisation is tricky. And oftentimes scary. It’s a skill in and of itself that we grow as dancers. But it’s one that as we start often fills us with a bit of dread. Heather Henna Louise joins me today to talk about Improvisation and turning it into PLAY. We talk mindset, and how the story we tell ourselves? It matters! We answer questions like: Where do we start with improv? What do we do when we lock up in fear during a song? What do we do with the worries about the audience j...
Mejance Magic - Melissa Gamal
October 09, 2021 15:20 - 37 minutes - 69.5 MBLet’s take it back today to define some terms. What is a mejance? What does one sound like? How can you tell if this piece in your music library is one?! Melissa Gamal joins us today to talk about Mejances, the subject of her course in the 2021 Bundle. And she’s not the only one. Mejances have been becoming more and more popular over the past couple of decades and this year we’ve got two in the Bundle! Melissa share her knowledge around Mejances with us today including what they are, f...
Stage Presence with Sadie
October 08, 2021 04:57 - 39 minutes - 72.6 MBSadie joins us today to talk about Stage Presence. Her workshop in the 2021 Bundle, Purpose, presence, and power centers around the concept of Stage Presence and HOW we show up. Not necessarily what we do when we get there. Dance relies a lot on technique, and that part of your journey is always getting honed and focused on, but what about the other big thing that plays into your dance? From your practice to performances there’s another piece that carries just as much weight. Your mindse...
Mapping the Music w/ Alia Thabit
October 07, 2021 06:31 - 34 minutes - 63.7 MBHow well do you know your music? Alia joins us today to talk about mapping our music. When it works, what it helps with, and how to use it to create art with our performances. From helping improv be a little bit less scary to telling entire stories with our dance, music mapping is a tool that you can use to help your dance become what you envision. Finding the confidence when you’re dancing can be hard, and finding that confidence in improv? Even harder for some of us. Have a listen to t...
Anatomy for Bellydancers with Prue
October 06, 2021 15:26 - 36 minutes - 66.3 MBDo you want to have a better understanding of how the body works so that you can reach a new level of dance? With a classical background in ballet & a lifelong advocate for dance, Prue's mission is for the joy of dance to be accessible to everyone. Having had struggles with injury throughout her career, she is a firm believer that injury prevention is key to ensuring longevity in dance for professionals, teachers, and students alike. Prue draws on her 20 + years of experience in danc...
Raq The Barre - Soraya
October 05, 2021 03:59 - 42 minutes - 77.9 MBIf you want to step up your belly dance practice with some strengthening elements guarenteed to help technique? Then this episode with Soraya will be perfect for you. With over 20 years in the fitness industry and a lifetime as a belly dance practitioner, both culturally and as an enthusiast, Soraya is also the creator of the patented RAQISA® Belly Dance Training Mat and Balance Plate and the Raq The Barre program. Soraya draws from her Lebonese background to enrich her cultural and...
Dance Movement with Amanda Rose
October 04, 2021 06:11 - 34 minutes - 63.8 MBToday on the podcast we talk about dance & movement! Amanda Rose joins me as we chat a bit about her work in Dance Movement Therapy (where she has her masters) and the ways that she has brought some of this learning into the bellydance space with her Move, Connect, Express, and Grow classes. While we're learning this dance we often focus on the technique and the movements and getting that all just right. And in the process forget what our body wants. We lose the ability to check in, to ...
The Feeling of Beledi with Jesenia
October 03, 2021 07:29 - 38 minutes - 71.1 MBWhat does dancing Beledi remind you of? Jesenia and I join forces to chat about this in today's episode of Yallah Raqs. Does it remind you of a moment of connection? Of strength? Of dancing in your mother's kitchen? Beledi can be so many things, but in this episode? We talk about the feelings. What does Beledi FEEL like? What does it remind you of when you're dancing and working in this style? We cover a lot in this episode, from competition to taking feedback, and from beledi p...
Veilwork with Aziza
October 02, 2021 06:25 - 29 minutes - 53.2 MBEver feel like your head is a magnet for your veil? Join Aziza and myself as we chat veil today. Some best practices, picking the right veil, and of course ways that you can keep that veil from thinking your face is magnetic. From the elements that define Aziza's style to some tips to make sure your veil is working WITH you instead of against you, this episode of full of amazing tips to help you make your practice a little less stressful. Last year you all requested more Prop classes and...
Shimmies & Strength with Siobhan Camille
October 01, 2021 04:09 - 44 minutes - 81 MBIt’s time to Shimmy with Siobhan Camille of Greenstone Bellydance! We are going to be talking about something that we all work on from the beginning of our journey into forever. Shimmies! There’s always something more to learn, layer, or experiment with when it comes to shimmies and today, Siobhan is going to be talking to us about the role that strength plays when it comes to shaking those hips! Her course for the 2021 Bundle is Shimmy & Strength, and you’re not going to want to miss it...
Turning with Rosa Noreen
September 30, 2021 06:43 - 34 minutes - 63.5 MBTurning is my nemisis. So I am SUPER excited to chat today with Rosa Noreen about her course for the 2021 Bundle, Turn from the Hip. With Rosa's background in Ballet, she does something magical. She bridges the gap for a lot of us who didn't have classical training in the western styles of dance before coming to the Middle Eastern Dance Scene. Turning can be super difficult, and Rosa breaks down some of the mechanics, the mindset, and the tools that we can use to take our turns to th...
Tracking your Dance with Tiffany
September 29, 2021 10:00 - 13 minutes - 24.2 MBThere is so much to be learned from tracking your dance, and yet so many dancers don't engage in this method of measuring their progress. Drawing on the experience of dancers, and her own experience cross training in weight lifting, Tiffany has created a new freebie - Track Your Dance, See Your Progress that is designed to help dancers work with tracking their dance so that they can measure the progress in their dance over months, not years, in their practices. You can get your free copy of...
Season 3 Starts Next Week!
September 22, 2021 22:12 - 3 minutes - 6.85 MBWe're back for another season of Yallah Raqs! Get hyped for this year's #21daysofbellydance challenge and grab our new Dance Tracker - https://www.thebellydancebundle.com/tracker You can check out who is teaching in this year's Bellydance Bundle on the site! www.thebellydancebundle.com I can't wait to get back to dancing and learning with you all!
Rhythms with Siobhan Camille
December 02, 2020 18:42 - 36 minutes - 67.7 MBSiobhan Camille joins us today to discuss the learning of Middle Eastern Rhythms. For those of us who are not from the culture of this dance, we weren't necessarily raised on this music, on these styles. And there are so many ways in which it differs from the popular musics of our own cultures. It can be difficult to "train" your ear, as it were to listen to these new beat and sounds. To new instruments and to take all of that and internalize it so that you can represent that music throug...
Imposter Syndrome with Sahira
November 17, 2020 15:18 - 45 minutes - 82.8 MBHave you ever felt like you don’t belong? Like you’re not really supposed to be here? Like once someone notices you’ll get your dance card revoked? You totally do belong here You’re total enough And Three. Today’s guest has some advice about that! Sahira has been working over the past several months beta-testing and creating her new course, Designing Your Ideal Online Classroom. And now it’s finished! And before you wonder what that has to do with my three points above? You see, the cou...