Along with Leyla Fahada, Zaira al Zahara is a co-founder of Indra Lazul. Zaira has been inspired by dance and music her whole life. She grew up dancing to reggae/soca music at family parties; busting out of "shy bookworm girl" mode at clubs and parties by dancing to hip hop, pop and club/house/techno music; and trying to imitate the latest MTV videos.
Zaira's past formal dance training include a 2-year dabble in ballet as a chubby child in a leotard; ballroom dancing at Penn State with my dear partner Fernando with a specialty in salsa, merengue and bachata; African Dance; and occasional hip hop classes. Previous choreography credits include Boy II Men's "MoTown Philly" with my sister in a middle school talent show (whoo haa haa), Wyclef Jean's "Staying Alive," and a Salsa/Cha Cha/Club dance routine for the Penn State's Filipino Student Association Barrio Fiesta.
My love is now focused on "Belly Dance" or Raqs Sharqi and the styles of this dance that I am most drawn to are Egyptian Cabaret, American Cabaret, Folkloric (Saidi, Shaabi, Beladi), Incorporating floorwork and props such as zills, veil and cane, and dabs of tribal fusion thrown in. My journey with belly dance began in the summer 2002 when Shakira was on the brink of her English cross-over ("Whenever, Whereever" anybody :o) and Neena and Veena (the belly twins) had an infomercial on TV, I
succumbed to the ad and brought the workout videos. I was hooked and I became serious about it. I found a belly dance teacher Tamra Tahira when I returned to Penn State for my final year. I continued to study with Malika Negwa in Maryland for 3 years and currently study with Piper and Yasmin and take various workshops. I have a deep interest in the cultures from which these dances originate, the music, the history and the people. Dancing speaks to my soul and makes me happy, my first teacher Tamra Tahira told me to "Enjoy the JOURNEY of learning this dance," what else can I say, below are a few more favorite quotes:
Everything in the universe has rhythm.
Everything dances.
~ Maya Angelou
Dance is for everybody. I believe that the dance came from the people and that it should always be delivered back to the people.
~ Alvin Ailey
I always, somehow, knew that I was going to dance.
~ Twyla Tharp
Dance is the pure language of the soul –
it's been with us from the very beginning.
~ Patrick Swayze
I see dance being used as communication
between body and soul, to express what it too deep, too fine for words.
~ Ruth St. Denis
When I miss class for one day, I know it. When I miss class for two days, my teacher knows it. When I miss class for three days, the audience knows it.
~ Rudolf Nureyev
What Kind of Belly Dancer are You?
You are a Cabaret Belly Dancer! You're what people think of when they hear the words "belly dancer" -- the beaded bra and belt, the nightclub routine, the doumbek and the zills. Equally at home in a restaurant or at a hafla, your routine is a crowd-pleaser no matter who's watching! Keep shimmying!
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