Sahra teaching during JtE-3 in Cairo, Egypt. 2015.
Throughout your journey as a bellydancer there have been many stages. From beginners to experts we’re constantly moving through different stages of knowledge in regards to our knowledge of movements, music, history, and the thousands of other facets that measure our proficiency and inspire our interest in this dance form.
With the spread of misinformation today about middle eastern and arabic cultures it is more important that it has ever been to be knowledgeable of the culture and history of our dance form.
For those of us who teach, we all constantly find ourselves talking about posture, breaking down movements, and explaining how the body works to our students. However, we may not find ourselves talking about the history of the dance. But we should.
Being able to answer our students, audiences, and friends questions, to give them insights on things to look up and research makes everyone feel more empowered and excited to research our dance!
The lived experience, knowledge, movements, and unique approach of JTE have made me a better and more discerning dance performer, student, researcher, and teacher. I’m doing a better job at serving the various communities this dance is a part of, and that means the world to me. I’m doing a better job honoring the dances, people, and cultures, this dance is a part of and, inshallah, because of that, dancing more beauty into the world.- Shiraz, JtE 1-4 Graduate – http://www.shirazdance.com/
Nubian Dancers performing at a JtE Party during JtE-4 2015
While the origins and ancient history of bellydance are widely debated and unproven we do investigate how performance dance has changed over the last 200+ years in Egypt. From the banishment of dancers by Mohammed Ali, to the elevation of dance to the national and international stage with Mahmoud Reda, Journey Through Egypt is a comprehensive course on the dances of Egypt and their known history.
To change the way that bellydance is seen by the mainstream public, we have to start with educating ourselves, and then educating our students and audiences to the best of our abilities.
Filled with stories, videos, images, and more, Journey Through Egypt is a course that is essential to any Middle Eastern Dance student, teacher, or performer who wants to know more about the history of their dance form.
I learned that dance and the cultural relationships surrounding the art form are infinitely more complex than I had even suspected, but not completely incomprehensible with the right guide. There is SO much I did not know – and did not know I did not know . Yet, rather than being terrified and overwhelmed by my lack of initial knowledge, I felt welcomed into a safe learning space. Sahra’s knowledge, humor and easy to follow methodology made the weekend fly by.- Paige, JTE 1 Graduate
While JtE-1 and 2 consist of classroom study and instruction, (with plenty of dance and hands on learning) JtE-3 and 4 involve actual travel to Egypt to immerse yourself in the culture.
Click below to read more about the different classes of Journey Through Egypt. JtE-1 & 2 take place all around the world throughout the year, while JtE-3 & 4 usually happen once a year, and take place in Cairo and Upper Egypt.