Mohamed Kazafy & Sahra Saeeda!!

[ZanaRaqs]

I cannot begin to explain how in awe I am of this man. I just came back from a three-day intensive workshop weekend with many fabulous instructors but I'm so in awe of him when he dances. Hell, not only when he dances, but when he teaches as well! I am so glad Stellar Advantage featured him this year because not only is he an amazing performer, he is an amazing instructor as well. I learned so much from him and he kicked our butts during those workshops, but in a good way. :) He went over EVERYTHING imaginable. Reda technique but with his style and he taught us oodles of combinations (practically choreographies!) which featured Saidi with and without cane, veil, a Nubian piece, and many more.

Sahra Saeeda is an amazing woman, dancer, instructor, and person. I learned so much from her as well within just a couple of hours. The cultural knowledge that she shared was really useful and eye-opening and I really wish I could take more workshops/classes with her. I think Andrea (the head of Stellar Advantage) had said that there's going to be an intensive with her sometime next year I believe? Here in Orlando? If so, sign me up!! :)

I guess you can say I'm still "star"-struck :) What an awesome weekend it was to be in the presence of such beautiful dancers such as them, along with other amazing dancers such as Gina, Claudia, Karen Barbee (and the awesome oudist Naser Musa!!), Helena Vlahos, and Al Hasan and his sister Mia Shauri. (man what a talented family!).

:)

[mrsnj20]

Im so Jealous! I wish I could have made it..

[ginaraks]

Zana, are you sore from all the saidi yesterday? Man I am dyin'! I am uber-inspired today as well!!! So glad we got to experience such an awesome weekend!
Hugs,
Gina

[ZanaRaqs]

Zana, are you sore from all the saidi yesterday? Man I am dyin'! I am uber-inspired today as well!!! So glad we got to experience such an awesome weekend!
Hugs,
Gina

haha yes i am. not as much as i thought i would be though but i am pretty tired. and i loved ur solo saturday night btw :)

[mahsati]

It was a great weekend! I absolutely loved it and the classes just completely rocked!

[Asra*]

Wow, thanks for posting this! I am taking nearly a week of workshops with Sahra starting Wednesday and your post just makes me all the more excited!

[ZanaRaqs]

Wow, thanks for posting this! I am taking nearly a week of workshops with Sahra starting Wednesday and your post just makes me all the more excited!

lucky!! you will LOVE her. it's hard not to :)

[bellydancewear]

He went over EVERYTHING imaginable. Reda technique but with his style and he taught us oodles of combinations (practically choreographies!) which featured Saidi with and without cane, veil, a Nubian piece, and many more.

Sahra Saeeda is an amazing woman, dancer, instructor, and person. I learned so much from her as well within just a couple of hours. The cultural knowledge that she shared was really useful and eye-opening and I really wish I could take more workshops/classes with her.


:)

Yes I like Mohamed Kazafy too for the same reason, he teaches Reda technique but with is own flare, he is an extraordinary instructor.

And well, Sahra, she is amazing and so full of knowledge. I imagine Sahra and Mohamed complemented each other well in their topics, makes sense to take them together. I am so happy for those of you who had this opportunity. I bet you came away learning more than you had imagined.

[Leona]

Sounds like a wonderful weekend!

[Asra*]

lucky!! you will LOVE her. it's hard not to :)

Weeee! ..g.:

[straightleftknee]

Yes I like Mohamed Kazafy too for the same reason, he teaches Reda technique but with is own flare, he is an extraordinary instructor.

And well, Sahra, she is amazing and so full of knowledge. I imagine Sahra and Mohamed complemented each other well in their topics, makes sense to take them together. I am so happy for those of you who had this opportunity. I bet you came away learning more than you had imagined.

I've only taken one workshop, I did enjoy his dancing/teaching but by God I felt like a lame donkey...l;, It's just (for me) making the switch. If I compare it to music your voice can produce smooth sounds and staccato sounds, if you've been working on smooth sounds for a while it takes a while for it to warm up to staccato.

[claudia_dance]

Loving everything I learned this weekend! Yes I was exhausted also, both mentally and physically but that's a good thing right:) I loved that Helena taught coin rolling, no one does that anymore. Cool tricks are always fun to have. Thanks to Gina also, her dancing was superb, learned a lot from just watching her.
Uh, Mohamad was a brilliant teacher. I loved that he was a stickler for correct technique...and ooh wee loved those workout pants:)
So many great things this weekend and wonderful meeting many sweet dancers. See y'all next year!

[Michala]

I think Andrea (the head of Stellar Advantage) had said that there's going to be an intensive with her sometime next year I believe? Here in Orlando? If so, sign me up!!

Yes, Andrea is going to have her in February for "Journey through Egypt" and again in June for a week long intensive. She certainly proved to be every bit as knowledgeable as her reputation would have you think. And so happy and eager to share her knowledge! And what a fun choreography she did!

My head is still spinning from such a fabulous weekend! My body has finally recovered from all the dancing :) It was tiring but incredibly inspiring.

Gina, your class helped me a great deal and your dancing is amazing! Even watching you in class was awesome... it was so neat to see the two of you dance together to show the women's and men's versions of saidi.

I second all that has been said already about Mohamed's teaching style and dancing. He was great at explaining things, would patiently go over things as often as needed, and somehow managed to cram an amazing amount of material into his time without making us feel overwhelmed. Brilliant!

[ginaraks]

Wow thanks chicas for the lovely comments. Yeah, I am totally still inspired by him---just came back from Amir Thaleb's Encuentro event in Buenos Aires (which also totally rocked, btw), and met up with some dancers there who also sang Kazafy's praises. His teaching style and choreography are superb!!