Ep 261. Zara: Fighting For Her Identity As Egyptian Belly Dancer

Zara is an Egyptian dancer currently based in Cairo. She has worked professionally as a dancer for over 17 years, including last 6 years specifically in Egypt. Zara has stared in various music videos and Bollywood films. Most recently she was featured in a film together with famous shaabi singer Shaaban Abdel Rahim and in a Ramadan special TV drama featuring Dina and Haifa Web. Her dancing has taken her around the world - Zara has performed not only in the UK and Egypt but also at a vast number of East African countries including: Kenya (in both Nairobi and Mobassa) and Tanzania (in both Dar Es Salaam and Zanzibar). Other countries she has worked in include Pakistan and Malta.In this episode you will learn about:- Being a belly dancer as an Egyptian woman- Different types of cabaret venues in Cairo- Personal insecurities and confidence on and off stage- Another way of seeing Mahraganat, or why it got such a bad reputation- How she started her magazine and belly dance storeShow Notes to this episode:Find Zara on FB, Instagram, and website. Join her magazine subscription HERE.Details and training materials for the BDE castings are available at www.JoinBDE.comFollow Iana on Instagram, FB, and Youtube . Check out her online classes and intensives at the Iana Dance Club.Find information on how you can support Ukraine and Ukrainian belly dancers HERE.Podcast: www.ianadance.com/podcast