Spotlight Dancer/Troupe
Mahin

Mahin has been dancing, one form or another, since age 3. Her early years were spent learning classical ballet and tap, she then moved on to jazz and modern dance as a teenager. Her parents were very enthusiastic about live entertainment and frequently took the family out to all sorts of performances. As a child, Mahin’s favorite place to go was a Middle Eastern restaurant in Philadelphia which had a full band and dancers every night. Between visits, she had to be satisfied with her with her mother’s “Sherazade” vinyl LP and a pink chiffon curtain from her canopy bed.

In the early 90’s Mahin enjoyed going to Middle Eastern dance performances at the Renaissance Festival and the local Devonshire festival. A veil performance by Zina of Ali Baba one year particularly inspired her to start to learn this style from two friends who had also danced professionally. In 1996, her friend Paige recommended she study more formally with Jazmine. Mahin studied and danced with Jazmine for several years before moving to the east valley, and still considers Jazmine her mentor and on especially happy occasions, her dance partner.

Mahin dances primarily Egyptian style, both classic cabaret and folkloric styles. She adores the style and music of the Golden Age dancers. Souhair Zaki and Fifi Abdo are her particular favorites. She especially loves live music for performances and credits Gabby Tawil with guiding her musically for the past 8 years through the beautiful world of Egyptian classics. He is currently teaching her to play riqq.

Always a student, Mahin takes the opportunity to study with as many teachers as possible. Some of her most memorable learning experiences have been with Morocco, Momo Kadous, Khadejah & Moustafa El Oueslati, Sahra Saeedi, Princess Farhana and Sadie. She also finds that she grows nearly as much through teaching and genuinely enjoys helping women explore Arabic music and dance at whatever level is fulfilling to them. She prides herself on helping many dancers take on the zills and play them with confidence and musicality.

Mahin spent her early professional years primarily performing at valley restaurants, clubs and private parties. In 2005 she began to host Open Dance Nights to provide an opportunity for dancers to show their work to one another and the public in a casual setting, and enjoy some social dancing. Currently, Mahin is focusing on more thematic and theatrical dance events such as speaker Wendy Buonaventura, Fully Fusion Night , Completely Classics Night and the upcoming “One with the Music” project slated for late 2009. 

Two project especially dear to her heart are her Baraem Jamila and Zahr Jamil dance troupes and the Arizona chapter of the Middle Eastern Culture and Dance Association, Levant al Sonora. Baraem Jamila will be performing their current work, “A Tour of Egypt” at Cairo Caravan in June. Levant al Sonora was established in 2006 after Mahin, Tom Pettijohn, Karra Lawrence and Leah Polasik requested a charter from the national MECDA board. She has volunteered her time with this project since its inception and is proud to have helped host the Fall Festival of Music and Dance in November of 2008, Arizona’s largest locally produced Middle Eastern dance and music event.

This year, Mahin will graduate from ASU with honors and a Bachelor’s degree in Exercise Science. She intends to make herself available to the dance community for injury prevention and performance enhancement training. She will also be continuing her education for a Doctorate in Physical Therapy.

Contact Mahin:
website: http://www.mahinbellydance.com/
email: mahin@cox.net

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