This is a blog about the new fitness craze Shesensu- have you tried it? Here's what I think! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DPX_OJy85LE Am I Bias? Before I write this review, I have to admit that Tara, the creator of Shesensu, is my best friend, so you may be under the impression that I am going to be biased, but quite the opposite. It means I am even more judgmental. I come from one of those families that show love via criticism! We don’t lie to each other. I was very prepared to tell Tara to her face my honest opinion of her new workout concept, but instead I am leaving her in suspense and ..read more

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=421MPyGjcYU Skint and unemployed, this blog shares the crazy story about how from the depressing time that is the Corona Lockdown, I managed from basically nothing other than friends, make and release a new song and music clip --------------------- Im soooo excited to be writing about A NEW SONG AND MUSIC CLIP I HAVE RELEASED: A Mahragran Song! My newest song, is called Wala3 written and sung by Mohamed Mashakel! I LOVE IT - it is a fun fresh Mahragran song THAT I LOVE and is has a great story as to how it came into existence. Mahragran is a type of post Arab Sp ..read more

So in addition to this blog, and writing for NADA magazine I PRODUCE MY OWN MONTHLY BELLYDANCE MAGAZINE (with my mum Sandra), You can read more about how it came about and the history of it below, but before that here are some personal thoughts and reflection on how I feel about the magzine. Lest get emotional: The THANK YOUS........... I want to say a big thank you to all the Zameena subscribers and writers, I can’t put into words how thankful I am to you all. I would like to emphasise just how much my mother, Sandra and I (Zara) do this for YOU our readers. The bellydance community does and ..read more

Hey everyone just to let you know I, Zara, have written an article about dancing during the corona lockdown which got featured and published on the popular Egyptian news service SCOOP EMPIRE. "Dancing Through Corona" this was my original title . The title was changed by the editor to "Groove Is In The Heart: How To Dance Your Way Through The Quarantine"- the pictures were also chosen by the editor). The article was featured and published on the popular Egyptian news service SCOOP EMPIRE. ,READ THE SCOOP EMPIRE VERSION HERE Why am I soooo excited? It's a fun short article talking about the ben ..read more

In this blog I telly you about my new YouTube series aimed at inspiering the next generation of EGYPTIAN bellydance and to level the playing ground between foreign and Egyptian bellydancers. Intro I have launched a new YouTube Series teaching bellydance called, Yalla Nor2os Bel Arabi, which means, Come on Let's Dance in Arabic. And, yes, as the name says it is all done in Arabic... well my version of Arabic! You can find it HERE on my website A Dream Come True - Inspiring the next generation of dancers This series is something that I have dreamed of doing for a long time: I wanted to do somet ..read more

(photo by Evie) Hey all, so I am using my blog to give what I think is a very important announcement for us as a bellydance community and I will also share some advice for how we as a belly dance community can better deal with abusers. I really hope you read and have a think about. A Warning To Other Dancers So, if you read my articles in NADA magazine, you will know that a previous manager I worked with, OVER a year and a half ago, in Egypt: Ramy Abdo, became very violently abusive with me and I found myself in quite a difficult situation. Luckily I managed to get myself out of the situation ..read more

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OK1wVugt1kc This is the story of how I made my own songs and the crazy stress and ups and downs I had to endure to make the music videos..... However, there is a positive twist at the end that sets up for an exciting future project. --------------------------- Hi Everyone how are you? I am soooo excited to announce that I have been working on some really really exciting projects. I have been co-producing my own music. The first being a fun pop song that mentions my name WATCH HERE and the second being my own Magency WATCH HERE. What is a Magencey A Magency is a ..read more

I have wanted to write this article for years but hesitated. Jealousy IS NOT AN EASY TOPIC TO TALK OR READ ABOUT. It is a complex emotion that can be so strong and hard to control. Factors causing it are mixed up with other emotions, as well as personal and social issues. It is hard to know where to even begin but I am just going to do my best even if it is just an article that can act as a platform for sharing experiences, I will be happy. What makes me qualified to write this article? NOTHING. I am not a mental health doctor and I have not studied psychology (PLEASE MAKE A NOTE OF THIS) I st ..read more

Ahwah!! Do you like coffee? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hhiYIL6p5-E I LOVE COFFEE… and Egypt does the BEST coffee: actually my friends take the micky out of me that I always claim Egypt does the best everything but this time I'm serious - IT IS AMAZING! Trust me, it's called Ahwah. It is sometimes referred to as Turkish Coffee (but it is different, it's Turkish Coffee done EGYPTIAN STYLE). It is thick and expresso like, with the ground coffee called “bonn” sitting at the bottom. It is served in a little cup and is soooo aromatic and yummy. How is it made? It is made by boiling the coffee i ..read more

Just a suggestion…. Though based in Cairo now, I still travel to many a hafla in the UK and over the years I have definitely been to what is close to, or even over, 100 haflas. At some points I would go to at least 3 a month. And I have seen my fair share of what is passed off as bellydance. Now, I’m not here to preach (well, not tooo much) just to lend a suggestion. You can take it or leave it. I know women all over the country bellydance for different reasons. Being authentic or practicing ‘proper’ bellydance isn’t always their priority. They dance for health, community, self confidence etc ..read more