By Ishtar Dance on Friday, October, 2nd, 2020 in Dance Coaching, Dance Inspiration, Learning No Comments
What a crazy year 2020 has proven to be! Just as I was hoping to return to teaching physical classes and workshops in some of my regular venues, obstacles seem to come in the way and the return, that I think so many are impatiently waiting for, has been delayed. But life goes on, so […]
By Ishtar Dance on Friday, July, 10th, 2020 in Dance Coaching, Dance Inspiration, Learning No Comments
I’m very excited to be launching my brand new series of pre-recorded courses on my website. You may know that I’ve previously taught online courses with both pre-recorded and live elements to experienced students, but this is the first time I’ll be opening this up to beginners too – first with a Belly Dance Basics […]
By Ishtar Dance on Tuesday, June, 23rd, 2020 in Dance Coaching, Dance Inspiration, Learning, Your Dance Body No Comments
I often get asked how you best control a knee or Egyptian Shimmy – and being one of those moves that require strength as well as relaxation to work, the simple question is really: practise. But that doesn’t necessarily mean plough on and do lots of drills, as it’s also very important to take the […]
By Ishtar Dance on Thursday, June, 4th, 2020 in Dance Coaching, Dance Inspiration, Learning No Comments
Fusion music and dance isn’t a new concept. Egyptian star dancer Samia Gamal was heavily influenced by Russian ballet and composer Mohammed Abdul Wahab experimented with western rhythms and orchestrations. But it’s not only the West influencing the East – the exchange has also gone the other way with Shakira dancing to Um Kalthoum and […]
By Ishtar Dance on Wednesday, May, 13th, 2020 in Dance Inspiration, Learning, Your Dance Body No Comments
Here in the UK the Government has announced the the lockdown will continue for the foreseeable future, even if some restrictions, such as only being able to leave the house once a day to exercise locally, has been lifted [at time of writing this at least that was the case]. But even though we can […]
By Ishtar Dance on Wednesday, April, 22nd, 2020 in Dance Inspiration, Your Dance Body No Comments
Expert advice on how best to cope with the lock-down as a result of the global Corona pandemic, has not been scarce, but most agree that keeping a healthy routine of exercise, something to help you destress and of course a good diet is essential. I have taken the last few weeks out to engross […]
By Ishtar Dance on Monday, March, 23rd, 2020 in Dance Coaching, Dance Inspiration, Learning, Your Dance Body No Comments
With the international community going into lockdown to counteract the spread of the Corona virus it is more vital than ever to stick to a daily routine as well as enjoying daily exercise to keep yourself happy, motivated and not least sane. And there are many great ways that you can keep developing your dancing […]
By Ishtar Dance on Tuesday, March, 17th, 2020 in Dance Coaching, Dance Inspiration, Learning No Comments
Middle Eastern music has plethora of wonderful rhythms that allows you to be really creative and expressive in your dancing – not to mention the many exciting ways you can approach this from a choreography point of view. As your knowledge of the music and dance expands you’ll become more familiar and comfortable maximising this […]
By Ishtar Dance on Monday, March, 2nd, 2020 in Dance Coaching, Dance Inspiration, Learning, Your Dance Body No Comments
Do you ever wonder why we dance? How we communicate through dance and how it challenges our brains as well as our bodies? Having worked with dance on many different levels including performing, teaching and in a health setting, I find all these questions highly interesting and I was delighted when I discovered some talks […]
By Ishtar Dance on Monday, February, 17th, 2020 in Dance Coaching, Dance Inspiration, Learning No Comments
Very few belly dancers have been elevated to national Egyptian treasures, but Samia Gamal, born Zaynab Khalil Ibrahim Mahfuz, was and probably still is one of Egypts most loved dancers. I’m sure you’ve already seen lots of video clips of her and if you’ve studied with me you’ll know that I adore her iconic moves and have […]
