Sunday morning musings 💛 This beautiful Tilak Kamod composition sung by @songbirdtunes has been playing on repeat. The sun was so lovely today and the studio was empty, so I had to take a moment to flow to it 🌊
Please overlook any mistakes I'm still learning 🥰
Also how do you translate 'sakhi' to english???
It’s International Dance Day! 💜 (perfect day to post this one that we shot on a cold winter day, transmuting turmoil in the only way we know how)
Lighting and camera queen @roye.e 🫶🏼
I do not own the music
🌸🌻🌷
ok I have loved this song for years in all of its different versions and voices, and even begun putting a piece together for fun in 2021 (on the coke studio version). Never finished it because I never felt good enough but thought some day i should revisit it. And now this version is trending and it makes my heart happy that it came full circle :)
#sakalban#kathak#bellydance#bellyfusion
The rocks became my friends and my friends became my rocks. How fortunate am I to have experienced these ancient formations (the most ancient of all being the Bellagio in Vegas ofc) and to have allowed myself to be held by them! And also how lucky am I to have these little creatures to crawl with (three of whom can drive thankfully), my found family ❤️🐉🚗
Pictures 5 & 7 by @space_cowboy_3000
Woke up today remembering that i am surrounded by love, and have people and things in my life that i love to love. Looking at the sun & snow from my window made me want to be gentle with myself to undo the self-criticism i've been defaulting to. Even though its hard to remember when you're in survival mode, there's always some smiles and stories beyond the big struggles and fears.
Shot this last year with @roye.e@eggroe.studio
Couldn't resist bringing the veil to this beautiful version of jashn-e-bahara by @subhechhamusic
Fun fact I used to steal @a.tukol 's ipod when i was 8 to listen to this song on repeat lol 🌸
Improvised for the first time to live music on stage last Sunday at @djamnyc ! I was surprised by how after the first minute or so I felt so at home on stage and connected to the wonderful El Asdiqa band as they played.
The first video is of me dancing to an Enta Omri that I knew like the back of my hand, but the second video you can see me look at the band in mild smiley panic as I realize I have no idea what they’re playing. But so fun!! Learning acceptance, taking up space, committing to the bit, and I can’t wait for more of this ❤️
Huge hugs of gratitude to @kaeshichai for believing in me 🤍
📷 @michael.ortiz.artist 🙏🏽
And thank you to the frens who came to watch 🫶🏽
December 2023’s @bellyqueenschool showcase marked 1 year for me of performing in nyc!! 2023 was not easy but if there’s one thing that emerged as a pillar for me it was dance. Thinking about baby me from two Decembers ago in a group piece, fresh from my birthday week and deer in headlights around all the amazing bellyqueens. Also thinking about two Septembers ago in 2022, when I took my first in person belly dance course with @irinaakulenkodancer and thought I’d do it for a month for fun and then stop. Spoiler alert she did not stop. Anyway, this past year has been the biggest dance filled blessing and I’m so excited for more. This community is so warm and encouraging and I’m so grateful for the friends I’ve made so far. Thank you to every teacher I’ve taken a class with- I’ve absorbed more than I can account for with my lil notes. I’ve learned to trust myself and my body in new and unexpected ways. And thank you to each teacher that let me share stage with them and created opportunities to share this art with audiences- Irina @brennzilla@kaeshichai@jbellyburn ❤️
Photos by @michael.ortiz.artist@curtispan and friends :-)
A collection of some of my favorite moments from my *first solo* in NYC earlier this month 💖
Last month, @roye.e asked if I would perform a solo at @succulenceart . With not much time to prep, I thought it best to stick to a reliable, upbeat Arabic pop track that I could improvise to. But every day I was reading the news, holding space for friends who were scared and grieving, and trying to understand why history was repeating itself. It felt wrong to be “bellydancing” when the Arab communities that I owed my practice to were in pain.
With only a few days of practice (and only some bits choreographed), in a costume that my mother lovingly custom-made for me, I performed a solo after a very long time. I was shaking onstage from the heaviness of the emotion I felt, and as I heard later, people in the audience felt it too. The surrender you feel onstage is really something to cherish. My skirt slipped and I made many technical mistakes but this is the first of many learning experiences.
The link to the full video is in my bio, if you’d like to watch it :) Thank you to the many people who took videos so I could stitch it together ❤️
Grateful for the community of beautiful artists and friends amidst whose pieces I got to dance. And special thank you to Pallavi didi for the training and inspiration leading right up to this solo :)
I would love to perform this piece again and until then, posting this here as a prayer for peace.
Music featured: Man Kunto by @orchestralqawwaliproject
