Thread: Who inspires you???

Not just who is your fave dancer but who truly inspires you to work hard and to dance??

Mine are sonya from belly dance superstars and sharon kihara, didem, michael jackson (not bellydance i know but still!) and the hip hop dancer ciara is fab! and samia gamal...and carmit bachal (spelling???) she is a dancer known for being in the pussycat dolls but she has been a performer for years and in shows and stuff she just dances so beautifully

so who inspires you?

oh and of course ansuya...i know these are all BDSS but so far this is mainly what I know...

Aziza Aziza Shimmy - Bellydance performer and instructor from Portland, Oregon, USA is fab

American Dancers: My current inspirations are Sandra, Zaheea, and always always Jillina.

Egyptian Dancers: Dina and Souhair Zaki.

Not to come across as corny, but last month I posted a thread whining about throwing in the towel because I was frustrated about not "getting anywhere" in my dance-and the response I got was quite moving to me.

Many Bhuzzers have some serious physical health problems that they shared on the thread (arthritis, vertigo, sports injuries, menopause) that made me truly admire these women. It made me get off my butt and practice. I printed the thread off and come back to it often.

I really admire Aziza, Jillina, and Yasmina Ramzy for their dancing AND business sense. They each have a different type of business and are a great insight into the ways that you can make this a viable career if that's what ya want! And ofcourse they are all beautiful dancers.

Tamra-henna (LA) when I started taking her classes, oh boy! I knew it was just what I needed. It didn't take long either. I saw her on a Hollywood Music Center DVD and my jaw dropped! So when I looked her up and found out she had classes, that was it!

Egyptian dancers I admire:

Randa Kamel-She has shown me a different side of Egyptian style. Her style is very *different* from other Egyptians, but still manages to be Egyptian. I just love it!

Dina-That f**k you attitude! She does what she wants. I don't always love her costumes but she always inspires me to be myself in the dance. I think both she and Randa have shown me Egyptian style can be edgy without losing the "essence" of the dance.

Fifi Abdo-I really didn't "get" her before (same with Dina) but as I've gotten deeper into the dance and gotten past the basics, I've started looking for something more. She wows me now!!!

Originally Posted by HOOKEDNOVICE

Not to come across as corny, but last month I posted a thread whining about throwing in the towel because I was frustrated about not "getting anywhere" in my dance-and the response I got was quite moving to me.

Many Bhuzzers have some serious physical health problems that they shared on the thread (arthritis, vertigo, sports injuries, menopause) that made me truly admire these women. It made me get off my butt and practice. I printed the thread off and come back to it often.

That's so true! The ladies of Bhuz are definitely an inspiration. Bhuzzers inspire me with new ideas, new ways of thinking, new ways to teach a move, even getting over an ex boyfriend!

Thanks for mentioning this, Hooked!

My students.

While I'm a fan of several of the dancers named in this thread (and others, as well), it's really my students that keep me working on my own dance, trying to learn more and more and more, exploring new trends, etc. They look to me for guidance and inspiration -- and I darn well better be prepared to to provide it!.w.:

Yes I might say Tahia, Fifi and Randa but mostly my inspiration has come from those who have taught me over the years:
Kharis...for starting me off
Sara Farouk...for injecting me with Egypt
Khaled Mahmoud...ditto
Aida Nour...ditto
Wendy Marlett...for injecting me with California
Asmahan for being such a showwoman and trying to make me think like one
Maria D'Silva..for her knowledge and generosity in class
and...my troupemates for their patience and forebearance...g.:

Of course, Jillina and Aziza are at the top of my list...along with Bozenka. I also enjoy Samia Gamal. Morocco is another no-brainer.

Shira also inspires me, although I've never seen her dance. I just love her dedication to the dance and her wealth of knowledge. :) Same with Julie from the belly dance business academy, she inspires me too.

I am also inspired by the women in my community, especially my troupemates and teachers. They are my mentors and supporters. I may have given up without their help!

Oh and the newly relocated Hannan is very inspiring!

I think of Morocco and Aisha Ali going over to North Africa to learn at the source forty+ years ago, making field recordings and hanging out and dancing and talking to people, and I get really inspired. Though my time came much later, I was bitten by the 'must go to the source' bug, too.

Sahra Saeeda's work and focus, especially lately, is very inspiring to me.

Dancers and musicians who are working in the Near East and North Africa against some very daunting odds, and even direct opposition, really inspire me.

All the locally based non-"name" dancers all over the world who are working so hard to keep Middle Eastern dance alive in dance studios and in their communities inspire me. Not a lot of glory, not a lot of money, not always seen as the coolest, but they still persevere.

And my students really inspire and keep me motivated, too.

All of these people keep me on my toes, focused, ethical, and bring some light to what can be a very frustrating and lonely career at times.

And it must mean something that when I need inspiration, especially right before a gig, I pop in either a Naima Akef or a Fifi Abdo video to watch!

yes and without being a suck my teacher inspires me too because she is a brilliant dancer but a intelligent strong chick as well. I wasnt going to put my teacher in my original post because she posts on here too and didnt want to look a suck. I hate sucky ass licking people hehehe

Originally Posted by Fatinah_bellydance

yes and without being a suck my teacher inspires me too because she is a brilliant dancer but a intelligent strong chick as well. I wasnt going to put my teacher in my original post because she posts on here too and didnt want to look a suck. I hate sucky ass licking people hehehe

you carry on dear..I won't take it amiss!

Everyone!!!

Originally Posted by lizajuk

Asmahan for being such a showwoman and trying to make me think like one

I watched some footage of myself from this past Sunday and thought "hm, I've been watching a lot of Asmahan lately, haven't I" Not that I'm 1/60 of the dancer she is, but knowing what I like about her and knowing what I was trying to do, I could totally see her influence on me. I still need the troupe of back up boys, though.

Dina is a huge influence on me, not just in her style but for her artistic integrity in doing what she loves the way she loves to do it. I've always loved Tahiya Carioca, Aza Sherif and Fifi Abdo. Lately I've been starting to see more in Samia Gamal than I originally did. Of course I always saw that she was good, but now I'm starting to see what makes her great.

I admire all my teachers here in the US, each for their own unique style and passion. I admire any dancer who dances from the heart with her own convictions and a dedication to constant improvement and growth.

my belly dance friends inspire me the most. As far as pros, Jill Parker probably inspires me the most.

My yearly trip to Egypt gives me enough inspiration till I go again.

All my dance friends and teachers, particularly the late Rose Champagne. Besides being such a beautiful dancer, she was so warm and encouraging and really never let any of us know that she had cancer or was recovering from cancer when I knew her. One of my favorite things about her is that she'd occasionally tell us stories about her own struggles; I found that very inspiring, that someone who could dance so well now struggled along the way.

My inspiration list is too long to post, but the ones that are top of mind are Zahra (for her choreographies/musicality), Jenna (for posture and clean lines) and Fahtiem (for power in grace) and Sahra (for her dedication and openness and thoroughness in research). I am also constantly inspired by Bhuzzers like Shems and Adi and Maria Aya and and and....!

Khalida, I agree on Aziza, I was so impressed with her as a teacher, I loved her dancing for a long time, but her teaching skills really wowed me.

Fifi, I adore Fifi, there is no one like her, I could just watch her forever!

Lubna has been a great inspiration, for her spirit and attitude and emotion!

One of my earliest inspirations is Denise Enan, it´s been a long time since she´s been to Sweden, but I remember her with a lot of love.

My main inspiration here at home is of course my precious Lena Helt. My friend, teacher, and mentor. In her I found some one who listens to music the same way I do. All her coreography suits my body like a glove. And she made me a better dancer techniquewise. She has made me a better dancer in many ways....and I am very thankful to be able to work with her.

Other influenses are the swedish coreographer Kenneth Kvarnström and his dancers. I admire modern dancers for what they can express with their bodies.

I also admire programs like So you think you can dance. They are a huge inspiration in believing all is possible with some hard work. I especially remember Sabra, that girl was just fabolous!

I have always admired Artemis Mourat from afar, but I was fortunate enough to just spend a weekend with her, and it has totally cemented my love and admiration for her. She is a gold mine of experience and knowledge!

I also love Aziza, Mira Betz and the Zafira Dance Company. Watching them weave their magic always gives me that push I need to try a little harder. If I could bottle just a little bit of their creativity...

My first teacher, Nadia Sahar.

Sonya of Arabesque.
Yasmina Ramzy.
Nile Breeze Dance co.
Christina King and Blue Lotus.

Amira of Las Vegas
TABU of Las Vegas
Aradia of Las Vegas


Ariellah.
Marjhani.

Karim Nagi!!!! (he inspires me to really practice my sagat! lol)


:)
That's it to start, I'm sure I'll add more later.

The classics are ALWAYs inspiring...Samia, Nadia Gamal, Mona...

Any dancer that I can watch perform live. I'm always inspired to go home and pratice or just dance after watching a live performance.

Well, my mentor, Lotus Niraja, is an inspiration every day. I really admire someone who makes a living doing what she loves. Not to mention that she is a visionary and it is so much fun and so fulfilling to help bring her vision to fruition.

I also am inspired by my fellow NDC members - they kick ass and take names, seriously. Watching them dance helped change me from a woman who just wanted to learn how to dance for fun to a woman who thought, "I can do that. I want to dance with those girls." So, they literally gave me a dream and encouraged me as I worked my butt off to make it come true.

Tarik Sultan. That dude rocks and raks. And it so hella cool to see a Black dude dancing raqs sharqi onstage and not caring what folks think.

Makeda

I am inspired by many dancers ... but who has actually inspired me to work hard at the dance? Probably not dancers oddly enough, although Morocco is inspirational to me for lots of reasons, and I feel "inspired" when I watch many different dancers. But inspired to work at it?

Objectives and deadlines always inspire me to work hard. But people? Bruce Lee I think. And Colonel Sanders - that's the "never" give up attitude. I read something in a self-help type of "running a business" book about how KFC-as-a-franchise started.

wikipedia: After the construction of Interstate 75 reduced his restaurant's customer traffic, Sanders took to franchising Kentucky Fried Chicken restaurants, starting at age 65, using $105.00 from his first Social Security check to fund visits to potential franchisees

what I remember from the book: He ran out of money very quickly and just had this great fried chicken recipe and nothing else. He went round restaurant after restaurant, cooking this recipe for the chef and owner, all of them loving it, but none of them taking him up on his idea. Well one did, eventually, but he'd already been round over two thousand restaurants by that time. I don't think I'd have the perseverance or self-belief but he certainly did. Inspirational.

I've been thinking about this one. There is no one dancer who I adore but there are many where I like elements of what they do. I also have great affection for the dancing several of those who have taught me over the years. I think my favorites probably divide into two halves: 1) those whose dancing I always enjoy watching and 2) those whose dancing I have learned something from.

In category 1):
Aziza. I always enjoy Aziza, never seen anything by her yet that I didn't like. She is one of those rare dancers who can genuinely pull off humour in her dance and who also manages to get away with stuff that I would hate on nearly anyone else (veil round head) etc.

Desna Mackenzie. Desna was my first teacher and what I particularly like about her dancing is that I have been able to watch her dance evolve too over the years. Watching her now has a special resonance for me.

Anne Kingston. Anne is my current teacher. To see Anne dance is to love her. No one else has her stage personality.

Christine Emery. The few times I've seen Christine dance, I just loved it. She is very skilled but doesn't take it too seriously.

Both the Reyhans in Turkey. I've just loved watching the YouTube vids that people post of them here.

Category 2):

Jane Wass. Jane also taught me for a time. She would hate the thought that what she does is bellydance but she taught me a lot about different qualities in dancing such as earthiness and precision.

The Uzume: www.the-uzume.com/
By far the best Tribal dancers I have ever seen. So professional and very nice people.

ETA: Artemis: Love her DVD on Turkish style. She is impressively articulate and clearly an intelligence as well as a dancer to be respected. If she came over here to teach I'd be so excited!

Final vote goes to a Lady I've met twice and whose name I don't even know. She isn't a particularly outstanding dancer except for in one thing: Natural ballsyness. I first saw her at a very low key local hafla where she got up and danced to Lou Reed and the Born Slippy by Underworld (yes, really!). What made her shine was her sheer joy and naturalness. There was just no pretense about her she was out on the floor dancing to songs that she wanted to dance to, period. She lit up the room and I've never forgotten her.

I love the humor and joy that Habhi Ru project. John Compton is a great showman and I think Rita is finally back dancing after being very ill. They are inspiring even though they aren't the style I have chosen for myself.

Originally Posted by khadiya

Desna Mackenzie. Desna was my first teacher and what I particularly like about her dancing is that I have been able to watch her dance evolve too over the years. Watching her now has a special resonance for me.

Whoa...lump in throat time - thankyou, thankyou, thankyou. It's quite overwhelming knowing I helped inspire someone...

I agree with you about Anne - no-one, but no-one, has her stage presence, and often when I see her dance I think 'I want to be you when I grow up'!

Other inspirations: Tracey Gibbs big time, Randa Kamel, Aida Nour, Fifi Abdo, Artemis Mourat. I'll never be half the dancer any of them are, but they give me something to aspire to!

Any time I see a good dance by ANYONE it inspires me and makes me want to work hard and dance ... that includes non BD dances - I even see dances on SYTYCD that particularly move me that make me just want to go practice so I can one day move someone in that way ...

as for particular dancers -

for pure, out and out inspiration, the one person that comes to mind is suheir zaki - the first time I saw a clip of her I knew very little about BD - I had resolved to finally sign up for BD lessons after wanting to for 10 years and never doing it for various reasons - I was taking in as many BD clips as possible just soaking it all in and I came across her - and I don't know what it is about her - but there's just something about her that I just LOVE - and it just made me all the more sure that this was what I wanted to do and I was not going to put it off any longer ... and every time I watch her I just love her even more.

also inspiring me to work hard and improve at the moment - ariellah, sharon kihara (as I'm working w/ these 2 dvds at the moment), and my teacher

Aida Nour, Dandash, Sahra Saeeda & Shareen El Safy..g.: !!!