Article by George Sawa

... a fascinating translation of some very old texts relating to the aesthetics of Arabic dance and music, by my beloved teacher, George Sawa The Required Qualities of Dancers from the Oratio...

Controversial but Important...

Serpent of the Nile contains a beautiful and inspiring collection of photographs and art - from modern cabaret dancers to Orientalist paintings.  It has become sort of a "bible of bellyda...

Great Music Site

This is my new favourite music site.  Lots of amazing artists old and new with great samples and bios...even some very rare offerings from the likes of the great Sayyid Darwish and the exquisi...

Maqam World

Maqam World is a website geared toward musicians who want to gain an understanding of the Arabic modal system - or maqam system.  I include this on the site because I think it's a great resour...

The Costume Goddess

Dina Lydia is the Costume Goddess - she is a wealth of information and ideas for bellydancers. She has answered hundreds of questions on line (some of her advice appears on Shira's site) and she ...