Spotlight Dancer/Troupe
Marjani

Many of us in the West have been lucky enough to discover this incredible dance form of the East, and with it have confronted the strange ways in which it is often perceived in our culture. Understanding why this is means understanding the history of Oriental dance, both in the places where it originates and in the Western contexts in which it is often performed, along with the uneasy relationship that has long existed between the West and the Middle East. This premise grounds the research for Georgia Conover’s 238-page masters thesis, published in late 2007, which investigates how “belly dance” is frequently (mis)represented and how it has been adapted to Western contexts. Her master’s thesis can be found at http://etd.lib.fsu.edu/theses/available/etd-11122007-104619/

Georgia grew up studying jazz and modern dance but did not stumble into her first “belly dance” class until she was 22. She was immediately hooked and, by the time she was 25, she was a teacher, a regular restaurant dancer, and a stage performer with Troupe Arabesque…and she was dancing under the stage name Marjani. Marjani became known for her precision and fluidity and because of her talent with the zills, sword, cane, veil, firepot and double veils. Her style is predominantly Egyptian with some Lebanese and Western influences although, more recently, she has begun experimenting with the more blended, American fusion styles that have become popular in the past decade. 

Marjani says some of her favorite dance memories come from her time in Florida, when she was regularly asked to perform at the small family parties held by Egyptians living in her community. It was through dancing in these smaller venues, and talking with the men and women who grew up shimmying their shoulders and twisting their hips, that she was able to really understand the joy and celebration of this dance.

In 2005, Marjani moved to Tucson, Arizona, where she taught classes at the YMCA and began taking lessons and performing with Kathryn Ferguson’s troupe. At the same time, she was pursuing a master’s degree in cultural geography. Once she got into her research, and discovered she had a lot fewer hours to devote to dancing, she took time off…but not for long. To keep up her skills and to fill the dancing void, Marjani began filling in for local dancers at restaurants around Tucson. What was to be a periodic indulgence became an almost weekly occurrence and soon Marjani was performing regularly at fund-raisers, haflas, restaurants and hookah lounges. As of now, she has graduated with her master’s degree and plans to keep working toward her Ph.D. in geography. In addition to her many performances, she also teaches several dance classes in Tucson along with regular private lessons. As an instructor, Marjani teaches not only technique, but also culture and history of this beautiful dance form. Her class and performance schedule is available on her MySpace page at www.myspace.com/MarjaniDances.

To contact Marjani:
email: MarjaniDances@gmail.com
website: www.myspace.com/MarjaniDances

Photos by Chris Martinez

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