In 1984 she founded Santa Barbaras prestigious Middle Eastern dance company, SEHER, which, since 1995, has been the official dance ensemble of the UCSB Middle East Ensemble, the largest Middle East Ensemble in the US and the only one, which includes dance. [2], The people of the Iranian plateau have known dance in the forms of music, play, drama or religious rituals and have used instruments like mask, costumes of animals or plants, and musical instruments for rhythm, at least since the 6th millennium BC. June 2020 Our classes feature instructors with deep experience and/or heritage within the Middle East. Our technique classes feature detailed anatomical break-downs of movements so that students can gain a deeper understanding of the dance and their bodies. She is continuing her Middle Eastern dance career by performing all over the world in many different types of venues. a great interview with the amazing one and only Shahrzad. After her first trip to Morocco in 1985 she began regular Islamic studies at the Islamic center in Cologne, where she also did the Shahada. Aliya Friend . Official account for Shahrzad Studios Egyptian dance, music, and language training April 2020 Professional Atlanta Belly Dancer Magnolia We strive to add cultural context into our content to keep the arts connected to their origins. March 2020 document.documentElement.initCustomerAccountsModels++ Shahrazad spins, in the dark, wearing a dark blue costume with stars, above her head is a glowing planet earth. _W.storeCurrency = "USD"; h awareness. Flamenco:: Carmen de Torres, Seville, Spain. 3. In 1996 she met a Turkish dervish teacher, from whom she learned further techniques and a Moroccan Gnawa, Abdelmajid Domnati, with whom she studied and worked with for a year. _W.Commerce = _W.Commerce || {}; New Age. October 2022 . It is also the word in Azerbaijani for dance (Reqs). August 2020 Best Instructor, the 1995 Nafisa Gem Award for Best Instructor. She began dance classes at the age of ten which stoked the fire to become a dancer. Shahrazad went to Kathmandu, Nepal to study the so-called Charya dances, ancient temple dances depicting all known deities of the Buddhist pantheon. The temple dancer glides across the floor of the cave as if she were floating on air. Shahrzad Studios her. Belly dance is one of the few dance styles that is suitable for all ages and encourages people of all body types to join. Her first exposure learning basic temple dance movements, such as head sliding with eyeball movements came from her uncles. Shahrazads Indonesian uncles, having lived in Malaysia for many years, were also a heavy influence on her dance career. November 2020 Her career began in 1975, and since she has received many awards for her work as a performer, choreographer and instructor. She has traveled extensively to do in depth study about the music, dance, and cultural traditions surrounding both so that she can give students a deeper knowledge of the roots of belly dance as well as its modern uses. November 2016 147 followers. var ASSETS_BASE = '//cdn2.editmysite.com/'; She has traveled there seven times since 1985. Later that year she returned to dance in a large wedding. "Alexandra King is one of the most knowledgeble, dedicated and brilliantly inspirational women I know. document.dispatchEvent(initEvt); Alexandra King, Founder, Director. @ShahrzadStudios Interested in classes? I have always loved expressing myself through movement so I am always the happiest when I am just moving freely to the music, be it in class or on stage. 101K followers. ". Shahrzad is an internationally known dance performer and teacher specializing in Raqs Sharqi and various Middle Eastern and North African folk and social dance styles. In 2015 Shemoved to Egypt to live and work full time and has since made a career as a performer appearing in top night clubs as well as film and media. Shahrazad has learned the Arabic, Persian and Turkish language. June 2018 Her Father taught her philosophy, psychology and religion. They took her to dance shows and variety shows. "She is so settled and steeped in her physical and intellectual understanding of the art of belly dance that there is a relaxed natural way about her teaching. Shahrazad in The 3rd Awards of Belly Dance. She starts spinning, holding the planet above her head. This will help you learn how to use abdominal isolations seamlessly within the flow of your dance. The last time she was there she performed and taught in the Mena House at the International Festival for Middle Eastern Dance, organized in 1993 by Dietlinde Bedauia Karkutli. ~ UCSB Student. The Exquisite Art of Persian Classical Dance by Robyn C. Friend PhD. Her inspiration came growing up in a family with three generations of performing artists, including silent screen star, Molly King, Uncle Charlie King, (star of Melody of Broadway), her beloved mother, Broadway actress Peggy French, and her maternal grandparents, Edward and Virginia French, both composers and concert pianists. Belly Dance Wiki is a resource for all things related to the art of belly dancing. [4] As a result, many of the talented Persian dancers moved to the West and spread out mainly in Europe and the United States and a new generation of Iranian dancers and ballet artists have grown up in the Diaspora. Layalilili. @Shahrzad Studios Interested in classes? These ideas were then adapted and dances were choreographed in the show according to the themes she chose to display. Twelve of the planned twenty-one pictures premiered to an audience in 1998. [4] The Iranian national ballet company was dissolved and its members emigrated to different countries. 27 Ways to Wear a Belly Dance Veil - This would be great garb for the Texas Renaissance Festival, especially on the hot weekends! Shahrazad has been very thorough in her studies, but she also takes the artistic liberty to create new forms, all the while respecting the iconographical rules, to make the essentially foreign ideas presentable and understandable for a mostly western audience. January 2021 Enjoy access to our virtual library of classes and courses with new content added each month. I'm Shahrzad! The concept came to her in 1993 and was based on three levels: 1. Develop the muscles you need to achieve top-notch technique! She was very fortunate to meet musicians and singers from the Om Kalsoum Music Ensemble and dancers from the national ballet troupe. Since then, she has immersed herself in a variety of dance disciplines-including Modern Egyptian belly dance and many regional and folkloric dance styles from North Africa and the Middle East. } else if(document.documentElement.initCustomerAccountsModels === 0){ 2. The idea for the show came to Shahrazad easily, since her husband and the father of her young son is from West Africa. Ballet and Modern:: Julie McLeod, Santa Barbara, CA. Once to study the Pharaonic sites in Luxor. _W.setup_model_rpc({"rpc_namespace":"_W.CustomerAccounts.RPC","model_namespace":"_W.CustomerAccounts.BackboneModelData","collection_namespace":"_W.CustomerAccounts.BackboneCollectionData","bootstrap_namespace":"_W.CustomerAccounts.BackboneBootstrap","models":{"CustomerAccounts":{"_class":"CustomerAccounts.Model.CustomerAccounts","defaults":null,"validation":null,"types":null,"idAttribute":null,"keydefs":null}},"collections":{"CustomerAccounts":{"_class":"CustomerAccounts.Collection.CustomerAccounts"}},"bootstrap":[]}); November 2018 "She is a bawdy courtesan, star-making teacher, ground-breaking director and a provocative and engaging performer. This was also the first time she saw the whirling dervishes. _W.customerLocale = "pt_BR"; Persian and Uzbek:: Laurel Victoria Grey, Carolyn Krueger, Robin Friend, Shahrzad Khorsandi, Los Angleles, CA, Lebanese Dabka:: Hassan Harfouche, Los Angeles, CA, Turkish Folk:: Ahmet Luleci (Turkish folk), CA. April 2018 Great isolation and control comes from a high level of body awareness. We offer a variety of ways to study both online and in person to suit every student's needs. If it does not exist on the wiki yet, feel free to add your own information within the rules and guidelines. March 2019 She performed in 30 shows with them. Religious prohibition of dancing in Iran came with the spread of Islam, but it was spurred by historical events. The ageless huge statue of the stone goddess seems to greet her and welcome her to her temple. _W.Commerce.hasCart = false; [1] Raghs (also spelled as Raqs) is the Arabic word for dance, and is almost exclusively the word used for dance in Persian, as the Persian word for dance, paykubi, is no longer in common usage. _W.storeCountry = "US"; Nominated Best Instructor, 1998, International Academy of Middle Eastern Dance (IAMED). [5] Religious prohibition to dancing waxed and waned over the years, but after the Iranian Revolution in 1979 dancing was no longer allowed due to its frequent mixing of the sexes. Many people just move blindly without a deeper knowledge of the movements they are executing. International Dance Artist . Part of this time was during Ramadan, the traditional fasting month. Shahrzad breaks down her fundamental belly dance technique including the basics on movements like undulations, circles, figure 8's, hip drops, and more. I have a huge passion for Middle Eastern and North . During this time she was veiled at all times lived as much as possible in accordance to the Islamic rules. Shahrzad Studios 58.1K subscribers 60 videos Welcome to Shahrzad Studios! .wmobile-button { We have pre-recorded classes from beginner to professional leve. Shahrazads second trip to the south of Morocco lasted 6 weeks. Full Name Forms of belly dancing have been performed all around the world for over 6,000 years! @ShahrzadStudios Shahrzad dancing Shaabi.Interested in classes? _W.storeName = "Magnolia Bellydance"; 25 followers 25 videos Featured 06:38 Shahrzad Belly Dance Shahrzad and Marshall Belly Dance Drum Solo Most viewed 03:30 Shahrzad Belly Dance Shahrzad Drum Solo Belly Dance 04:58 Shahrzad Belly Dance var STYLE_PREFIX = 'wsite'; This project required much more than the normal preparations for a standard oriental dance show to make it work. Shahrzad is a professional belly dance teacher and performer, this is her official youtube channel for her videos of shows, classes, and more! Genres of dance in Iran vary depending on the area, culture, and language of the local people, and can range from sophisticated reconstructions of refined court dances to energetic folk dances.