Spotlight Dancer/Troupe
The Egyptian Moon Dance Company
Hi everyone. And special thanks to you, Yasmina for
giving me the opportunity to tell you a little about our Company, the
wonderful women who are members of our Troupe, and about my life in Dance. We are the Egyptian Moon Dance Company based in and around the Harrisburg area of Pennsylvania. Our dance style of choice is Egyptian Raqs Sharqi.
Dance has always been an important part of my life. I grew up in the Borough Park section of Brooklyn, New York. Formal dance education began for me at the June Taylor School of Dance, in Manhattan. Attending the School made me aware of the possibilities of life in the Performing Arts. Not only was I able to see celebrities dropping by after performing in Broadway shows, I was able to observe real dancers the women of The June Taylor Dancers who graced the stage of the Jackie Gleason Show on television each week. To me, they were exotic, sophisticated, stunning creatures in leotards, fishnets, and tap shoes. It was magical to view the total process of what went into a show from audition, to rehearsal, to taping for television, to the final airing of the performance on a Saturday night.
The dancers, unaware of their influence, awakened in me in the yearning to be part of the quest of their shared vision. They guided me in the direction of what we all could become, as inspiring dancers and as women.
Middle Eastern and
especially Egyptian culture was a usual topic in our home. My Mother has
long had a passion for all things Egyptian, sharing this love with me
since I was a child. My Father worked for the Federal Government traveling
to and liaising with several Middle Eastern countries on a regular basis.
The dance was an extension of this life long interest, in addition to my
residence, and travel in the Middle East. In 1990, I was living near Leeds in the North of England. I was able to join a local Middle Eastern Dance class. The teacher was knowledgeable and opened the door to a new world for me.
I was fortunate to train primarily at the Josephine Wise Academy of Arabic Dance, London, with Margaret Reddyhoff at the Yorkshire Dance Centre, Leeds, and with Sara Farouk Ahmed, of Cairo, Egypt. I am indebted to Jo for her technique instruction and the clarification of the cultural workings of Raqs Sharqi. Margaret's distinctive vision of grace and refinement, always holding true to the passing on of tradition, will forever captivate me. Equally, to Sara I owe her stirring within me the fire, the passion, and the power that is not only the essence of Raqs Sharqi but is the core of femininity. To these women I owe a lifetime of gratitude.
Egyptian dancers enthrall me! I draw inspiration from the beauty and dignity of Samia Gamal, Suhair Zaki, Naima Akef, Fifi Abdou, and Lucy. I am motivated to explore new styles and phrasing from the many teachers internationally with which I have studied.
I am a bit of an anomaly, being an American, living in Pennsylvania, but a European/ Egyptian trained dancer. I have had the pleasure of dancing in the United States, England, and as principle dancer at a private Hafla in Cairo, Egypt. My performance work has featured on BBC Television and Yorkshire Television in England.
In addition to the Performing Arts, I also work in the Visual Arts as a commercial illustrator. My love of the Middle East and Dance influences many of my designs. Clients of my licensed work
include: Antioch Publishing, National Asthma Campaign (UK), Scholastic
Inc., BBC Television and Radio (UK), Channel 4 / Oracle (UK), Heron Arts,
and the Charles Rennie Mackintosh Society (UK). The Oasis Dance Camp 2000
chose my illustration as the winner of their Millennium Design Contest.
Many of my current designs are on view on my website Egyptian Dance! The
Heart of Belly Dance.Since returning to the United States, I established The Egyptian Moon Dance Company. I teach classes in traditional Egyptian Raqs Sharqi. The class sessions are six weeks in length and cover culture, history, technique, and choreography. I am fortunate to have a friend who works for Nile TV in Cairo. He graciously gives me a heads-up to the new music released and kindly translates the lyrics to the songs for me. I feel it is very important to fully understand a new song, so that I may better choreograph a piece, and the women in class can "feel" the music, and learn the intricacies of the language and culture. For this reason my friend's help is incalculable.
Class time is exhilarating for me. To see women sharing a passion that is so special to me is thrilling. I often wish the women could be standing where I am in front of the class and see what I do when they are dancing. Their effortless beauty and elegance is a joy!
Troupe Raqesi al-Qamar al-Masrion is the Troupe within the Company.
The Troupe consists of twenty-three dancers from an array of professions
including: teachers, IT professionals, nurses, accountants, lawyers,
students, artists, human services personnel, administrative assistants,
para-professionals, voice teachers, professional musicians, project
managers, massage therapists, yoga teachers, printing sales and pre-press
technicians.It is an honour to be in the company of such dignified, devoted women. They are a support system that knows no bounds. Their generosity extends from organizing costumes, logistics, and finding new music, to sharing the mosaic of passions and emotions, they have gathered over the years. It is a pleasure to watch them take choreography, make it their own, and enhance it in ways that are exhilarating. To me, a beautiful woman is a powerful woman. This characteristic is evident in each dancer in her unique way.
Our performances have taken us to a wide range of events
from festivals and schools, to universities, and museums. We have had the
pleasure of performing at various venues in Harrisburg including the
Whitaker Center for Science and the Arts, at Strawberry Square for the
National Dance Week Dancer's Showcase, and at the Patriot-News Artsfest
Festival. We were delighted when The Muslim Student Association at
Gettysburg College invited us to perform. We were thrilled to celebrate
the spirit of our dance in York at the Celebration of Life Holistic Expo
and Conference. Our work has also appeared on ABC and CBS television in
addition to considerable coverage in the print media. As a Troupe, we have discussed why we dance. The reasons echoed with the spirit of Raqs Sharqi in its purest form: spending time with other Troupe members, releasing our inner grace and beauty, expressing the amazing feeling of great joy, experiencing the beauty of the moment, finding and honoring our Goddess within, experiencing a voyage of acceptance, and enjoying a second adulthood.
Empowerment is the key to catching a glimpse of the essence of our dancers, as women and as performers. It is this emotion that is a bond, a link, not only to the past, but also to the future of our Dance.
Our love of Dance draws us, and keeps us, together. Our members who are
mothers are sharing this spirit with their daughters, who now perform with
us. It is wonderful to see the tradition continue. I am so happy that we
can all be a part of it.I know I speak for all of us when I say this journey into Dance has allowed us an opportunity to enrich our lives. It is apparent not only through the physical benefits that dance and exercise bring, but more importantly through the relationships that have formed with the women in the Troupe. Their unconditional acceptance and encouragement has helped each one of us in ways that are priceless.
Even if the future finds us discovering divergent paths of self-exploration, the experiences gleaned within the Troupe I know will live in our hearts forever.
I truly believe that "a dancer without passion is like the sky without stars".™ When I am with the dancers of Troupe Raqesi al-Qamar al-Masrion, the heavens are awash with a blanket of sparkling celestial light.
To contact Egyptian Moon Dance Company
Website: "Egyptian Dance! The Heart of Belly Dance"
http://www.egyptiandance.ws
Email: hathor2bastet@egyptiandance.ws
Image credits
photo 1 "My Raqs Sharqi" ©2002 Shelby Pizzarro
photo 2 "Egyptian Moon Logo" ©1999 Shelby Pizzarro
photo 3 "Raqs Saharra" ©1999 Shelby Pizzarro
photo 4 National Dance Week ©2006 Corey Prescott
photo 5 Muslim Student Association at Gettysburg College ©2005
photo 6 "Raqs Postcard Valentine I" ©2005 Shelby Pizzarro
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