In
1995, I attended my first belly dance class with the late Saiqa (pictured at
left) and was instantly hooked. I was hungry for the dance and wanted to learn
as much as I could, so I attended classes four days a week with other teachers.
Belly dance opened up a whole new world to me, led to a lot of self-discovery
and guided me towards an exciting life path. Throughout the years, I have
studied with many instructors throughout the Bay Area and beyond. My studies
have also included finger cymbals and percussion, allowing me to become
well-rounded in the dance. It’s important to me to continue taking classes. I
find that the best teachers are also my peers, so I attend as many belly dance
events as possible, looking for styles and movements which speak to me. I also
watch a lot of instructional / performance DVDs.
In 2002, I began teaching belly dance classes at San Jose State
University through Associate Students. After several years, I started
holding classes at my beautiful home studio located in San Jose, CA. I
find teaching to be extremely challenging, but I am grateful to be able
to pass on all the movements and technique I have learned and developed.
It’s hard work, but teaching is also extremely rewarding. I love to see
students’ progress in their dance and to witness improvement in their
self-estee m.
These days, I enjoy dancing in small groups and troupes far better
than soloing because of the challenge of perfecting choreography while
dancing in formation “as one”. Raks al Khalil
(Dance of Friends) is my student troupe, we have been performing
together since 2006 (check us out on
YouTube).
We have had some truly magical moments together, and the past years have
been wonderful. I also dance in a lively duet with Sonja; we call
ourselves Shimmy & Shake. She is the dance partner I’ve always been
looking for,
we both love the dance, and share a playfulness during performances.
Until
recently,
I also danced with
Karavansaray Dance Company for almost eight years. I was drawn to it because my teacher
Amanda
used to be a member of
Hahbi’ Ru which I was a big fan of; when I heard Amanda was
beginning a troupe, I knew I wanted to be part of it. I enjoyed Amanda’s
complex routines and performing Near Eastern dance in its original and
true form. It’s been a pleasure learning the dances which are the
foundation to belly dance as we know it in the U.S.
Throughout the years, I have had the honor of performing in many
duets, trios, troupes and in various projects. I have had a lot of fun
and have learned so much from all these endeavors.
For me, so much of the dance is all about the costume. I enjoy
designing, fabricating and dressing up in costumes. A shy person by
nature, costuming helps me to become someone else, my ultra-alter ego –
Khajulah! I somehow feel hidden from my everyday self when I’m in
costume. With a flair for the traditional, I favor the ethnic style of
costume with a generous splash of flash. Dancing Diva Designs is the
name of my costuming company, where I am primarily doing custom work and
occasionally vending at various festivals. The most exciting part of the
work is seeing my costumes come to life on stage.
I have a degree in Photography with
a concentration in Commercial Photography. I am a freelance photographer
and graphic designer serving the belly dance community at large. I enjoy
dabbling in anything artistic: sculpture, painting, drawing, crafting
and graphic design. Most recently, I
have taken up clay wheel throwing, which, like belly dance, is not as
easy as it looks.
My life has been and continues to be enriched by belly dance. I’ve found
a way to express my artistic self with it and I’m so blessed to walk
this path. |