Migrations & Cultural Encounters: Iran
From the Caspian Sea in the north to the Gulf of Oman in the south, dance in Iran reflects the diverse cultural landscapes of the many ethnic groups within its…
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Category: Blog
Nowruz Mobarak!
Happy Spring! This past week Iranian and Central Asian communities celebrated the ancient Zoroastrian new year holiday Nowruz. Nowruz is the day of the vernal equinox (March 21), and marks…
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Migrations & Cultural Encounters: Uzbekistan
History of Silk Road cities in modern Uzbekistan The “Silk Road” was a vast network of land and sea routes connecting great civilizations of the classical and medieval worlds. It…
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Be the Eye of the Storm
Be the Eye of the Storm and Cultivate Centering through Whirling Practice Doesn’t life sometimes feels chaotic? With our busy modern lives and the whirlwind of media input that draw…
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Migrations & Cultural Encounters: Pamirs
Migrations and Cultural Encounters: Pamir Mountains of Tajikistan General Overview of Central Asia Central Asia is commonly understood to encompass the territory of six nations: Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan,…
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Migrations and Cultural Encounters: Afghanistan
Present day Afghanistan is strategically located along the historic Silk Road, a vast network of ancient trade routes that linked the East to the West. The routes were active beginning…
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Migrations and Cultural Encounters: Punjab
Welcome to Part 2 of “Migrations and Cultural Encounters: Pakistan”. In this post we will acquaint ourselves with dance from the Punjab province of Pakistan. There are many dance traditions…
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Migrations and Cultural Encounters: Pakistan
The second stop on our journey “Migrations and Cultural Encounters: Nomads, Caravans, and Dancing along the Silk Road” is Pakistan. (PART 1) History & Geography The land of Pakistan was…
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Capax Universi
I have a poem I want to share with you: Capax Universi capable of the universe are your arms whenever they move with love. And I know it is true…
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Tricksters, Tarot, and Tuaregs
The trickster and wise fool Mulla Nusruddin of Sufi folklore is the beloved star of thousands of stories, often with subtle moral lessons or teachings. In one such story Mulla…
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Origins of Music
Throughout history the mysteries of the universe and secrets of the human heart have been encoded in song, storytelling, music, and dance. While the earliest musical instrument know is dated…
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Reflections on Turkish Roman Dance
This summer I had the pleasure of teaching two workshops at the Austin Belly Dance Convention and performing in their Saturday evening show with live music by Badrawn. It was…
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Eclipse of the Heart
Have you been agitated lately? Are energies and emotions you thought were a thing of the past stirring up again? Are you feeling a sense of uncertainty or perhaps frustration?…
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Smell the Roses
Have you stopped to admire and appreciate your accomplishments today? It’s so easy to get caught up in the never-ending to-do list of what’s next, focusing on what isn’t go…
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Scheherazade School Highlights 2017
With summer approaching I am thrilled to be finishing up various seasonal projects and grateful to have the time to go through photos and videos collected from the Scheherazade School’s…
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