Understanding the Right Belly Dance Magazine for You
With each magazine there is an aura or vibration that compels dancers to run to the mailbox when the next issue is scheduled to arrive. The mail becomes something to look forward to and the anticipation of turning pages and viewing events becomes an addiction.
The Chronicles…A Belly Dancer’s Oasis
Of course you all know I write for The Chronicles belly dance magazine and maybe with this one I’m a little more excited when it arrives because I never know how they are going to arrange my articles. The surprise feeling is closer to the excitement I feel when I open presents. I like The Chronicles because each issue is a collector’s edition and they seem to follow the full gambit of belly dance events, workshops, and foreign travel. It seems to be a magazine that fits the ideal of what one would expect from a belly dance magazine. I have been writing for them for over 3 years now so I feel that I have contributed to each issue and I feel apart of a group effort.
There seems to be a lot of scheduled events advertized in The Chronicles so much so that you could go crazy trying to figure out which one you want to go to. For a dancer who wants to see a little bit of what everyone has to offer I recommend this magazine for you.
Shimmy…In The Spirit of Belly Dance
I was lucky to meet the publisher of Shimmy magazine, Holly Luky this past June in Sedona. I interviewed Holly for my Belly Dance Village website and got to know a very down to earth and beautiful woman. I was impressed by Holly’s view of how she see’s her magazine and the value it will bring to the belly dance world.
Shimmy is a modern and cosmopolitan breath of fresh air for dancers like myself who have been in the belly dance business a long time. The magazine is slick and eye catching plus the articles are all a good read. I have had the pleasure of being published in her magazine and look forward to the honor again in the future. This magazine is going to be around for a long time and with the spiritual vibe to the magazine it will not only meet expectations but surpass them.
Jareeda
Years ago I had written an article called “YouTubing Myself under the Covers” for Jareeda and the publisher Mezdulene put my photo on the back of the magazine and didn’t tell me. When I went to the mailbox I was pleasantly surprised to see myself on the back cover and I felt she was such a wonderful woman to do that! This magazine is more like a vintage shop with a treasure trove of goodies and you can tell it comes from Mezdulene’s blood sweat and tears. Jareeda is a magazine that is in black and white (may be in color now) but it has an ambiance to it that makes it a keeper. Jareeda is the only magazine that offers a back cover spot and it’s a nice way of helping dancers get out to the public. I also like the old fashioned way the pages are put together and with this magazine you can really feel like you are supporting not just a community but a dancer with the heart of gold.
Zaghareet
Sharina is the publisher of Zaghareet magazine and I found with this magazine that it is directed more towards the tribal dancers and fusion styles. It is a very informative magazine that has good articles and spotlights dancers from different areas of the tribal vibe. The pages are in black and white and some in color so you can see the advertisements of events, workshops and bling better. I found that some of the dancers on the cover of Zaghareet were unknown to me so it’s a good magazine to get so you can be informed with the new dancers making a splash or older dancers making news.
The Gilded Serpent Online Magazine
I thought I would include The Gilded Serpent because we all need options in today’s busy rush to get in ideas, topics, articles and workshops. There are a lot of articles published in The Gilded Serpent that are very informative which include reviews and everything inbetween. But the one thing that I don’t like about online magazines is that they can get very busy and complicated in regards to direction challenged dancers like me. If there is too much on the front page I get overwhelmed but then that’s just me. The Gilded Serpent has been around for a long time and I like the fact that a lot of the articles are written by well known dancers. So check it out and get informed.
The Hip Circle Online Magazine
Years ago I was interviewed for The Hip Circle and I was really impressed with how professional and personal it was besides being a unique blend of new and old ideals. It’s a wonderful melting pot of articles and interviews and I found that it was easy to navigate around the pages. The Hip Circle is one of my favorite on line magazines because I had such a good experience talking and emailing the gals supervising the site. I’m not sure who is editing and keeping The Hip Circle together now but I am sure you will enjoy the articles, reviews, advice and topics that are just a fingertip away.
“The Divine Unrest”©
by Leyla Najma · 7 Comments
For the most part of two years I have been typing away and writing my thoughts on dance. The words started to pour out of me and as the pages accumulated it became apparent that a book was eminent. So after all is said and done the long journey is finally over and my unexpected book “The Divine Unrest”© is finished.
The one thing that nobody told me was that the writing bug didn’t always bite me like I hoped it would and there were many times I had to drag myself in front of the computer. But it was therapeutic and healing for me and the best part is that I could read back to myself what I wrote and get a better grasp of things.
The reason for writing the book ended up being a multi-purpose response to a lifetime of experiences in this business, the reality of dance, relationships and healing. It includes all the above and more which surprised me because I really had no clue which direction the book was going. Daniel was another push in the book direction because he suggested to me that I should write one since a lot of what I wrote for the Chronicles belly dance magazine was based on experience. At first it didn’t feel like I was actually writing a book, it was more of a journal with insights and memories. And maybe that will be how it reads to people but what I am hoping for is that women will read into my words and see that this dance is just like life. No matter how magical belly dance can be it is still a part of life and with life comes issues of all shapes and sizes. I think the difference with this dance form is that sometimes situations can be magnified twice over what the normal person experiences. I say this because there is no exhaustion like what a belly dancer lives through with the postpartum production blues. Once you produce a show you will know what I mean!
I wrote “The Divine Unrest”© from a place of surrender. I realized that by surrendering to the Universe I had her infinite wisdom and humility as my compass. Hopefully down the line “The Divine Unrest”© will be a guide for dancers starting out on their journeys and a good laugh for those already on their path. Either way it was written from my heart to yours!
