"The dance is a poem of which each movement is a word."  ~Mata Hari

 

Discover the Heart of Dance...

 

Naima has been studying and performing Middle Eastern Dance since 1994. A student of dance since she was three, she studied ballet, jazz, and modern variations for over 15 years, giving her technique the framework of western dance and the substance of Middle Eastern Orientale.

Her style is a dynamic combination of the teachings of Sadiia and Zeina of Memphis, TN, Della Gushen of Omaha, NE, and Zarifa of Charlotte, NC. She has been influenced by the stylings of renowned teachers and choreographers such as Ibrahim Farrah, Jillina, Leila Gamal, Madame Busi, Eva Cernik, Suhaila Salimpour, and Cassandra.

Naima first performed with the Pyramid Dance Company in Memphis, TN, in 1994 as a troupe member and soloist; she subsequently joined the Lotus Dancers of Omaha, NE, in the same capacity in 1998. As a student of Zarifa, she expanded and refined her technique and continued to pursue the unending body of knowledge andexperience that is Middle Eastern Dance. In 2000 she co-founded Nojum Al-Sharq Middle Eastern Dance Company with Yasmine and Nuria Jihan to promote the art and instruction of the dance and Middle Eastern culture. After the dissolution of that company in 2003, she was a proud member of the Magic Hips Dancers until June 2007, at which point she chose to concentrate on teaching and solo career.

 

Naima's philosophy is that the dance is a subtle combination of physical movement, life experience, and the eternal knowledge of the soul; even as life is ever-changing, so is dance. Perfection as an endpoint is a false goal because of the constant flux of the individual as well as the context of the universe surrounding the individual (which includes other people, events, ideas, and any other unknown cosmic influences!). Instead, the true goal is to be as present as possible in each individual moment, or, as Jehan Kemal has noted in her article "Beyond Art . . . Being",
. . . aspiring for the truth of the moment is a more noble and tangible ideal rather than obsessing over one's artistry.

 

In the end- dance is all about having fun!!