Shajara Dance

About me:

I remember dancing to my parent's old Ravi Shankar records as a child, and at ten years old I declared I wanted to be a choreographer when I grew up. Between my travels to the Middle East and love of 'ouds and dumbeks, I decided to pursue bellydance. At eighteen years old, I walked into my first workshop taught by the tribal group Read My Hips. Thereafter, I participated in the Oriental Dance Club while studying abroad at Al-Akhawayn University in Morocco. My first performance-- and very much on a whim-- was alongside the British-based Algerian rai musician Abdelkader Saadoun in London. With the encouragement of other dancers, musicians, and friends, I decided to continue the study of this art, after a long hiatus from dance due to studies, work, and travel. I have taken classes and workshops with over a dozen instructors, including Mae Phillips, Jolie Roberson, AsaliNaimah, Read My Hips, Carnivale Mijnoon, Damm al-Haneesh, and Unveiled Bellydance. I have also spent extensive time traveling to North Africa and the Middle East, including Morocco, Egypt, Palestine, Lebanon, and Turkey. I share the belief that bellydance is, in essence, a folk dance originating from many ethnic traditions, and therefore it shouldn't be viewed as one static discipline. My dance combines the many cultural influences of my travels with cabaret, Andalusian, and tribal styles.

I also love writing, and excerpts from my first extended novel project can be found at lindasmolik.wordpress.com.