Belly Dance Life

Iana Komarnytska
  • 4.9 (55)
  • Performing Arts
  • Updated Weekly

All insights into belly dance lifestyle

  1. 4d ago

    Haifa: What It Took to Be Able to Teach Belly Dance Openly in Kuwait

    Haifa is a Kuwaiti dance artist, Certified BMD belly dance instructor, and founder of The Rhythm Academy for Performing Arts, with 27 years of experience in Oriental dance. Recognized as one of Kuwait’s pioneering dance educators, she was among the early women to openly present and teach Oriental dance as a legitimate art form and wellness practice despite experiencing significant social resistance shaped by cultural traditions and expectations. Rather than allowing these challenges to define her path, Haifa met them with patience, resilience, and unwavering determination, inspiring many women who later followed a similar path into dance training.  Throughout her career, Haifa has worked to promote a respectful and culturally conscious understanding of dance while emphasizing its role in self-expression, body awareness, confidence, femininity, and emotional well-being. Through The Rhythm Academy, she has helped create greater space for women in Kuwait to experience and study dance, while also bringing international artists and master teachers to the local community. Her work reflects nearly three decades of commitment to expanding the possibilities for women to engage with dance as both an art and a meaningful way to reconnect with their bodies, embrace their femininity, express themselves freely, and develop greater confidence and presence. In this episode you will learn about: - What makes Kuwaiti dance fundamentally different from Egyptian belly dance - How social media helped revive interest in preserving Kuwaiti dance - How Haifa became one of the first women to speak publicly about belly dance in Kuwaiti media, and how speaking about dance led to legal complaints and even threats of jail - Why women in her classes often come for femininity and self-acceptance more than technique - How she learned to market belly dance in a way that speaks to a conservative cultural environment Show Notes to this episode: Find Haifa on Instagram, and TikTok. Details the BDE shows and training programs are available at www.JoinBDE.com Follow Iana on Instagram, FB, and Youtube . Check out her online classes and intensives at the Iana Dance Club. For more information about sponsorship ads on the podcast, email to info@ianadance.com. Podcast: www.ianadance.com/podcast

  2. Sep 22

    Devin Alfather: When One Dance Form Is Not Enough for Everything You Want to Say

    Devin Alfather is a multidisciplinary dancer and entertainer specializing in theatrical Fusion Bellydance, Egyptian Raqs Sharqi, MENAHT and world fusion dances, as well as burlesque, circus, fire performance, and other dance forms. A multi-award-winning performer and instructor, she is dedicated to both technical development and deeper understanding of the cultural sources behind the forms she studies. Her performances often combine belly dance with theatrical storytelling, props, fire, balancing work, veil, zills, Isis wings, and other visual elements, allowing her to create highly distinctive experiences for a wide range of events. Alongside performing across Texas and beyond, Devin teaches workshops for detail-oriented dancers and continues to study source materials and artists while developing her own multidisciplinary approach to movement and performance. In this episode you will learn about: - How belly dance, circus, burlesque, and theatrical storytelling can coexist in one career - Why diversifying your performance skills can create more professional opportunities - How storytelling influences everything from movement to costume design - What drag and burlesque taught Devin about the incredible power of stillness - Why complex layering requires more relaxation, not more tension Show Notes to this episode: Find Devin Alfather on Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, and website, as well as her Patreon account HERE. Details the BDE shows and training programs are available at www.JoinBDE.com Follow Iana on Instagram, FB, and Youtube . Check out her online classes and intensives at the Iana Dance Club. For more information about sponsorship ads on the podcast, email to info@ianadance.com. Podcast: www.ianadance.com/podcast

  3. Sep 15

    Silvia Brazzoli: Dancing Through Miscarriage and Rediscovering Your New Self

    Silvia Brazzoli is an international belly dance artist, instructor, artistic director, yoga teacher, and visual artist based in Italy. She began studying oriental dance at the age of 18 and has since performed and taught across Europe, Asia, Africa, and the Americas. Known for her elegant, feminine style and empowering approach to teaching, Silvia continues to explore oriental dance and other movement traditions as part of her ongoing artistic development. In Italy, she runs her own school and directs the Silvia Raqs Group, while also organizing events and retreats. She has received numerous international competition titles and has performed with world-renowned companies including Jillina Carlano’s Bellydance Evolution and Manca Pavli’s Amaya Dance Company. Her work brings together dance, yoga, musicality, body awareness, creativity, and a strong belief in the lifelong evolution of the dancer. In this episode you will learn about: - How grief completely reshaped Silvia’s relationship with dance - What it feels like to fall out of love with dance and find your way back - Why talking openly about miscarriage matters in a women-dominated dance community - Why studying Arabic transformed the way she hears and interprets music - What local gigs teach you that festival stages never will Show Notes to this episode: Find Silvia Brazzoli and her events on Instagram, Facebook, Youtube, and website, as well as check her NEW BOOK here. Previous interview with Silvia Brazzoli: Ep 245 - Silvia Brazzoli - Therapeutic Effect Of Belly Dance Details the BDE shows and training programs are available at www.JoinBDE.com Check Iana’s online platform the Iana Dance Club HERE. Follow Iana on Instagram, FB, and Youtube . Check out her online classes and intensives at the Iana Dance Club. Find information on how you can support Ukraine and Ukrainian belly dancers HERE. Podcast: www.ianadance.com/podcast

  4. Sep 8

    Moria Chappell: The Uncomfortable History of Sexuality and Dance

    Moria Chappell is an internationally renowned performance artist, dance instructor, researcher, artistic director, and costume designer specializing in Fusion and Experimental Belly Dance, Temple Dance, and Indian Odissi Classical Dance. Over more than two decades, she has performed, taught, and researched ancient dance traditions in over 50 countries, exploring connections between movement, ritual, mythology, and ancient trade routes. A principal dancer and later Artistic Director of the Bellydance Superstars from 2005–2015, Moria is known for her archetypal performance style and Muscular Belly Dance Technique, emphasizing precision, isolation, and individual expression. She is also a principal dancer, teacher, and Assistant Director of the Urvasi Dance Ensemble, studying the Mahari tradition of Odissi under Dr. Ratna Roy. Her work brings together movement research, theatrical production, and a lifelong fascination with the ancient roots of dance. In this episode you will learn about: - Why Moria believes ancient dances were connected through trade, migration, and shared ritual practices - How ancient societies used dance for far more than entertainment - Why sexuality, fertility, spirituality, and dance became so deeply intertwined - How historical associations with sexuality continue to shape stigma around belly dance - How a severe spinal injury completely changed her relationship with her body and teaching Show Notes to this episode: Find Moria Chappell on Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, and website, as well as her Patreon account HERE. Details the BDE shows and training programs are available at www.JoinBDE.com Check Iana’s online platform the Iana Dance Club HERE. Follow Iana on Instagram, FB, and Youtube . Check out her online classes and intensives at the Iana Dance Club. Find information on how you can support Ukraine and Ukrainian belly dancers HERE. Podcast: www.ianadance.com/podcast

  5. Sep 1

    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, awalim, ghawazi, and other Egyptian folk and traditional dances, her work focuses on understanding dance within its broader sociocultural and historical context. With academic degrees in anthropology and history, Nisaa has studied with internationally renowned artists as well as Egyptian traditional entertainers and has been teaching Egyptian dance since 2003. Her research into the history of Egyptian dance and its professional practitioners led to the publication of Egyptian Belly Dance in Transition: The Raqs Sharqi Revolution, 1890–1930 and her latest book, Raqs in the City: The Belly Dance Landscape of Cairo. Through her teaching, performance, and research, Nisaa works to deepen understanding of Egyptian dance as both a living art form and a reflection of the history and culture that shaped it. In this episode you will learn about: - What most dancers got wrong about Egypt’s Delta Ghawazi - Why traditional styles deserve the same depth of study as Raqs Sharqi - What the disappearance of Muhammad Ali Street changed in Egypt’s dance industry - How class and gentrification influence where Egyptian dance is presented today - Why professional dancers in Egypt still carry a powerful social stigma & how outsiders can misjudge Egyptian dancers without understanding their reality Show Notes to this episode: Find Nisaa (Heather D. Ward) on Instagram, FB, YouTube, and website. Previous interview with Nisaa: Ep 236. Nisaa (Heather D. Ward): Detaching Opinions From Historical Realities Details the BDE shows and training programs are available at www.JoinBDE.com Check Iana’s online platform the Iana Dance Club HERE. Follow Iana on Instagram, FB, and Youtube . Check out her online classes and intensives at the Iana Dance Club. Find information on how you can support Ukraine and Ukrainian belly dancers HERE. Podcast: www.ianadance.com/podcast

  6. Aug 25

    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 Australia, she first connected with Arabic music and dance through Sydney’s Lebanese community before beginning her formal belly dance training as a teenager. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Dance with a major in Contemporary Choreography and has extensive training in Raqs Sharqi, ballet, jazz, contemporary, flamenco, and Persian dance. Her career has included professional performance in Sydney’s Arabic live music scene, international study across Egypt, Lebanon, Germany, and New York, and the founding of the Hathor Persian Dance Ensemble. Today, her work centers on musicality, improvisation, artistic individuality, and the relationship between dancer and live musician, while she also creates accessible movement programs for seniors, mixed-ability participants, and culturally diverse communities. In this episode you will learn about: - What Sydney’s Arabic nightlife looked like when full live bands were everywhere - Why dancing to live music feels completely different from recorded tracks - What to do with stage anxiety before a live performance - How to practice improvisation before you ever step onstage - How grief, life changes, and personal experiences inevitably enter our dancing Show Notes to this episode: Find Jrisi Jusakos on Instagram, YouTube, and website, as well as her Hathor Dance Studio on Facebook. Details the BDE shows and training programs are available at www.JoinBDE.com Check Iana’s online platform the Iana Dance Club HERE. Follow Iana on Instagram, FB, and Youtube . Check out her online classes and intensives at the Iana Dance Club. Find information on how you can support Ukraine and Ukrainian belly dancers HERE. Podcast: www.ianadance.com/podcast

  7. Aug 18

    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 Arabic dance and music and their connection to her own heritage, she has spent more than 14 years performing and teaching throughout Chicago and across the United States, while also participating in cultural events, community fundraisers, and dance festivals as both a dancer and musician. Her approach to Oriental dance goes beyond movement, incorporating music, regional traditions, and cultural context. Through her teaching and professional performances, Phaedra is dedicated to increasing awareness, appreciation, and understanding of Middle Eastern dance and sharing the richness of her cultural heritage with wider audiences. In this episode you will learn about: - The fact that many dancers were never actually taught how to practice - Why private lessons can accelerate a dancer’s individual growth - How to make choreography look spontaneous instead of rehearsed - The role of breath, tension, and release in bringing movement to life - How “soft focus” can help group dancers move as one unit Show Notes to this episode: Find Phaedra Darwish on Facebook, Instagram, and website. Details the BDE shows and training programs are available at www.JoinBDE.com Check Iana’s online platform the Iana Dance Club HERE. Follow Iana on Instagram, FB, and Youtube . Check out her online classes and intensives at the Iana Dance Club. Find information on how you can support Ukraine and Ukrainian belly dancers HERE. Podcast: www.ianadance.com/podcast

  8. Aug 11

    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 and the organizer of the Isfahan Bellydance Festival. An international judge and mentor to numerous Ukrainian champions and stage stars, Olena is recognized for her dedication to developing the next generation of dancers. She is also a winner of multiple national and international competitions, including first place at the Nile Group Festival in Cairo in both the Folklore Duet (2011) and Solo (2012) categories, and continues to teach and perform at festivals around the world. In this episode you will learn about: - The qualities every student should look for in a great teacher - Why learning to be a student is just as important as learning to dance - The importance of knowing when it's time to let a student grow independently - Why starting belly dance at 30 is not too late to succeed - How the war in Ukraine changed life for dancers and dance schools Show Notes to this episode: Find Olena Sinelnikova on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube. Details the BDE shows and training programs are available at www.JoinBDE.com Check Iana’s online platform the Iana Dance Club HERE. Follow Iana on Instagram, FB, and Youtube . Check out her online classes and intensives at the Iana Dance Club. Find information on how you can support Ukraine and Ukrainian belly dancers HERE. Podcast: www.ianadance.com/podcast

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About

All insights into belly dance lifestyle

Information

  • Creator
    Iana Komarnytska
  • Years Active
    2018 - 2026
  • Episodes
    300
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © 2019. Iana Dance
  • Show Website
    Belly Dance Life

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