I don’t think
there was ever a choice for me to be a dancer.
It was all that I ever wanted to be, so I must have been born like
that. I had a lot of energy as a child,
and needed to channel that energy. So, I
was enrolled in dance classes in ballet and tap when I was 6, but I dreamed
about being a belly dancer.
Middle Eastern
dance has always been a part of my life.
Being half-Iraqi, I was surrounded by the culture, seeing movies,
hearing music, and loving the beauty and grace of Oriental dance. My bedtime stories were the tales from the
Arabian Nights. So, when I actually began my dance career many things felt
familiar and natural, and the dance gave me so much confidence as a performer.
I knew instinctively that opportunities existed, as Middle Eastern dance is a
very social and celebratory dance. I am fortunate to have performed all over
the world, and often in very luxurious settings, but the dance brought me in
contact with every level of society. I
was surprised by how many great people I met – customers (both men and women),
other dancers, musicians. Many people
think of this dance form as a solo art, but another surprise is how well it
works to build a community among dancers -- building relationships.
The history of
this dance enriches my artistic vision, helping me grow, not only as an artist,
but as a person as well. It surprised me
how much I would like collaborating. I love the potential of the human body.
Dance allows us to release our feelings and emotions.
As dance
creators, it is our responsibility to translate and pass on the ancient dances
and folkloric dance traditions. Of the
many diverse folkloric dance styles in the Middle East, Egyptian and Iraqi
folklore are my favorites to perform.
And the Moroccan tray dance – I like prop balancing!
But then,
there are the challenges: technical support to get the work out to the world;
getting money to produce big shows, to produce one’s vision; scheduling dancers
to rehearse at the same time; choosing certain projects over others, and then
manifesting them on stage, with time to rehearse, time to develop, time to
rest; constructing and storing the opulent sets, props, costumes for
Arabian-themed shows.
Music has
always been a part of my life. I studied
violin and piano, and loved singing as a child.
I began creating my own music -- a new kind of music to merge cultures
and music, a fusion of East and West – because when I needed music it didn’t
exist at the time. I love the musicality
of the language of oriental music. To
me, it merges heaven and earth, with the ethereal sounds mixed with the
earthiness of drums. I try to create other worlds with my music, and make
people feel. Muses of love and beauty inspire me. Music transports us, freeing
us from what can be a very ugly world.
When I feel an impulse, I write – usually a lyric first, or a
theme. And when the composition is
finished, I choreograph a dance. It is impossible to manifest everything. “My body is a temple; dance is my
prayer. There are many rooms in my
temple—enter and be loved a thousand and one ways.”
