Raks Star * Justina
Portland, Oregon
As Interview by Oberon
Justina
came to Middle Eastern dance with a heart and head full of the music. She had
never seen “Belly-dance”, just knew she was driven to begin a journey of study –
to become immersed in the culture that had musically stirred her soul and
produced an intense desire to physically share her passion with those around
her.
She is an
enviable combination of focused strength and naturally seductive beauty with
the obvious intelligence to master the props and accessories of the dance and
the strong love of simply the dance
itself that keeps her centered on it’s movement.
Justina is
that dancer that seems to effortlessly hold her audience spellbound, but her
effort, (as is usually true in the case of excellence) is an “almost every day”
dedication of study and training that pays homage to the music within her.
Watching
her raw energy begin to combine with cultured elegance and a continuing growth
of educated skill - as her current teacher and coach I am inspired and
delighted.
JUSTINA
It is true that I had never seen Middle Eastern Dance
before I heard the music – I fell in love with a tape of Hossam Ramzy. My grandmother had died, and among her
collections was a tape my brother had given her because he liked “ethnic”
music. When I heard it, something
just touched my soul, and though I’d never danced before I had a desire to
learn to dance to this music. It’s
become very special to me that the music came first and that I’ve never used it
to just “fit my dance”.
I lived three blocks from Caravan Studios and walked by it
as I made my way home every day. Really, you can’t believe what a huge step it
was to walk inside – I’d never done anything like this – but I did it! Walking into a “American Tribal Studio”,
I had no awareness of Egyptian style dance at all. My first teacher, Kim White
produced a small hafla called “Shimmie with Kimmie” and I really enjoyed
dancing.
Eventually I visited a different studio where I saw Cabaret
for the first time and something just clicked with my mind and heart. Maybe
because the American Tribal format produced a lot of group performance and I
yearned for my personal expression of the dance.
I continued to do both for about six months and then began
to study with Magidah for two years, which gave me a basic flavor and taste for
Cabaret. It was she who put the seed in my head about selecting a piece of
music and really working with it. This was also the beginning of my routine, of
setting aside time, four nights a week to work on my selected music and dance. This was also the beginning of working on
my own style within this dance. It
was this that revealed to me, how interested I’d become in working on the music
I loved and showing it in my solo performances. Desiring to learn as much variety as I could in style and
attitude, I began to attend workshops and study with other teachers such as
Lilah Perry and Cassiopeia.
In 2006 I had the privilege of my first performance with a
live band and I fell in love with the on –stage collaboration of the music and
the dance. I had my first dance “gig”
at a great little restaurant called “Baraka”. I understood that just being a “pretty piece of eye candy”
demeaned the music and sent the art form “out the window”. Realized that the music was as a mist
and when combined with the right dancer becomes a physical incarnation. I could
see that when the dancer and the music didn’t “mesh” it became unsettling and
could actually be painful to the audience.
By this time I had begun and continued to compete, mainly
for the varied feedback about my dance. In 2007 I took second place in the “Lillies
of the Valley” and in 2008 had a lot of fun competing it again and this time
won first place in Semi-pro. Competing gave me a lot of strong views regarding the
standard and experiences of those who judge us in this dance. The comments on
the judges’ score sheets were mostly favorable with the exception of Oberon. I
felt compelled to call and ask about her suggestions because she had seen me
dance countless times and I felt she had a sense of where I wanted to travel
within it. I took a class and knew after the first one I found a very different
kind of teacher.
I think personal interaction with your teacher and coach is
particularly important. For me – it’s vital to feel connected, focused on,
truthfully evaluated and honestly encouraged. To be coached toward your own
vision.
I began right away to learn about the cultural roots and
significance of history – the musicians, the instruments – that this is an old
dance with a historic place to respect. I learned the importance of costuming, of celebrating
sensuality – of dancing with the dignity and grace I want to see in other
performers.
I want my audience to leave inspired by my Middle Eastern
Dance. You know – it’s
really important to me that other women also enjoy my dance – it’s not a dance
about sex and attention – though frankly, I see that a lot.
The future? Well, I continue to compete. to hone my skills
and network within my community - and most recently was honored to become First Runner Up in a
formidable assembly of dancers in the Pro category of Halima’s, La Danse Oreientale competition. I continue to feel blessed and
inspired by the beautiful traditional music (currently in love with Darat el
Ayam), and wondrously inspired by dancers like Dina, Jillina and Aziza (all for
different reasons) - excited and expectant as I begin to see the larger view in
this amazing Art. I see a future of expanding my education both nationally and
internationally and enjoying a lifetime of exploration within our dance. I hope
I am able to inspire other souls to begin a similarly, eye-opening journey into
a culture other than their own.
Justina wishes to thank her coach/teacher Oberon for her
work on this interview and Zaina Hart for requesting the interview for
iShimmy.com
