Wow! What an amazing whirlwind of a year. I am so fortunate to be surrounded by some of the most amazing, positive people in the world.

This year was certainly an ambitious one. I set out to accomplish a long-standing dream – to write and publish a book about belly dance and the experiences of dancers from around the world – and to produce its theatrical adaptation.  The result was two-fold: the book, aptly named Confessions of a Belly Dancer; Secrets of the Hieroglyph ©, was officially published and released on November 3, 2012 – the same day as the [...]

February is the month dedicated to love! And for this edition of Raksanna’s Remarks, the focus is on self-love in the form of authenticity.

Authenticity is commonly defined as “the quality or condition of being authentic or genuine.” Certainly, being authentic is important in our professional and personal lives … and I believe whole heartedly that this concept applies also to Oriental dance (aka belly dance).

How does authenticity apply to belly dance?  Well, I have the good fortune to travel a great deal and see dancers from all over the world. I can always tell the dancers who are [...]

Today is the final day of the Randa Kamel weeklong intensive. The experience has been such a whirlwind of joy, hard work, exciting events and immersion in the Egyptian culture. In short, it has simply been a piece of heaven on Earth and I am so happy to be a part of it.

For the past two days, Randa has been teaching our class her signature choreography and opening number for which she is known around the world. I was amazed and so surprised (and overcome with excitement and happiness!) to learn that she was sharing it with us. Certainly, [...]