Shahrzad

Dinah

Training

Our journey in bellydance began in 2001 when my 11 year old daughter noticed an exercise video by Neena & Veena advertised on TV. I ordered it and after trying it for a few days, she pleaded to take classes. I wasn't intending to take the class myself, but all the other students were my age and it looked like so much fun! Within two months, my daughter had chosen her first dance name (Vasha Hatal) and realized that she had found her calling in life! We continued to expand our training with private lessons with Najia and Habiba in Philadelphia and workshops with Sahra Saeeda, Azmara, Fahtiem, Suhaila Salimpour, Faten Salama, Yousry & Nourhan Sharif and Raqia Hassan.

One of the highlights of our training was a 2 week trip to Cairo, Egypt to attend the Ahlan Wa Sahlan Winter Intensive in December, 2007. It was such an amazing experience to study with Egypt's top dancers, including Dina and Randa Kamel, and to see them perform with their talented musicians. We returned for more study in January, 2010. The rich heritage of this beautiful dance and the fellowship of our dance friends and teachers gives us joy and inspiration that we strive to share with our students and audiences.

Costumes

When we first started taking bellydance classes, I building my decorating business. I made things for us to wear in class and it wasn't long before I was making costumes for other students. My daughter came up with the name Devadasi from her study of Indian dance with Nisha Punjabi; devadasi are the temple dancers who have dedicated their lives to dance. We have enjoyed vending at workshops and festivals along with my very supportive husband and eldest daughter!

Vasha Hatal becomes Shahrzad

My daughter continued to perform as Vasha Hatal in Philadelphia, Delaware & New Jersey until November, 2007. When she made her New York City debut, her Arabic-speaking employers & friends suggested that she choose a name that better reflected her dedication to classic Egyptian style bellydance. She settled on Shahrzad, the name of the wise young woman who told stories for 1001 Nights in the fairytale known to both Western and Middle Eastern audiences. For information on Shahrzad & her performance schedule, visit www.shahrzadraqs.com.