On April 12–13, 2025, I had the great opportunity to attend all three workshops led by the London-based Turkish star Mr. Özgen at the Habibi Dancers’ 41st Annual Spring Event. I also had the joy of performing a Turkish pop duet with my dear dance friend and Troupe Oasis director, Deborah Kull.
I originally learned the choreography Kadehinde Zehir Olsa from another wonderful Turkish teacher, Serkan, in Tokyo about five years ago, and performed it with my dance mate Farhana in Yokohama. It was wonderful to revisit and improve my performance this time around, and such fun to share and practise it with Deborah.
Although I have taken online classes with Mr. Özgen before, this was my first time meeting and learning from him in person. His dance style is like a kaleidoscope – graceful yet energetic, masculine yet feminine, classic yet creative – a beautiful diversity embodied in one person. His arm movements, especially, were even more mesmerising in real life.
As I danced in the same room with him, I found myself reflecting on the meditative aspect of dance. As a serious dancer, it’s easy to fall into the temptation of categorising everything in a cut-and-dried way, but the free energy he brought to both the studio and stage reminded me that dance can liberate both body and spirit in a way that transcends borders or labels.
Mr. Ozgenのオンラインレッスンを受けたことは以前にもありましたが、実際にお会いして学ぶのは今回が初めてでした。
I am so grateful to Mr. Özgen for travelling all the way from London, and to the organiser, Garnett Kepler, and the Habibi Dancers for putting together such an amazing event!
Hello, this is
Nisreen! Welcome to the 20th episode of Season Two of my podcast! It’s lovely
to speak with you again.
The other day, I heard
some tragic news: legendary Turkish belly dancer Tanyeli had passed away after a battle with pancreatic cancer. She was
only 54. I have been performing and teaching belly dance for years now, and
Tanyeli has always been one of my dance icons.
Today, to celebrate
the memory of her legacy, I’d like to highlight three aspects of her style that
made her stage presence so unique. I hope this will help a broader audience
appreciate her artistry, beyond just the belly dance community.
The thumbnail of this episode is my pen drawing of Tanyeli. Please find the episode below. The podcast is available on Apple Podcasts , Spotify and YouTube as well.
At first, I was a little nervous about the lower engagement and bookings in the event ads, to be honest. However, in the end, the event turned out to be a great success, with many participants and a fantastic audience for the gala show.
More than anything, it was incredibly rewarding to see people connect and support each other through their love for this beautiful and diverse dance form! All the board members, including our president April, have been nothing but excellent and hardworking.
This year’s workshop lineup was particularly unique, featuring multiple sessions by musicians. Our headliner, Istra, brought her strong theatre background into her teaching, providing warm and insightful guidance to her students. It was wonderful to witness their creativity flourish.
As for me, I ended up stepping in at the last minute to assist a musicality workshop run by musician Andy from a dancer's perspective and also performed a completely improvised piece to his original song, Khamsa, filling a last-minute spot in the gala show.
It was definitely a challenge but such a fun experience! Andy’s workshop was incredibly well-prepared and packed with information—I can't even imagine how he managed to do that alongside all the work he put in as an event coordinator!
Hello, this is Nisreen.
Welcome to the eighth episode of Season Two of my podcast!
Today, we’re going to have the third instalment in my "How to Appreciate
Belly Dance" series. I’d like to share insights on how to better enjoy and
appreciate belly dance performances by having a close look at the renowned
Turkish dancer Sibel Baris.
Hello, this is Nisreen.
Welcome to the eighth episode of Season Two of my podcast—lovely to speak to
you again!
Today, we’re going to have the third instalment in my "How to Appreciate
Belly Dance" series. I’d like to share insights on how to better enjoy and
appreciate belly dance performances by having a close look at the renowned
Turkish dancer Sibel Baris.
I’ve been teaching and performing belly dance for years now. For those
unfamiliar with the term, belly dance is a Western name for dance forms that
originate from Middle Eastern, North African, Hellenic, and Turkic cultures. In
Arabic, it’s called Raqs Sharki, while in Turkish, it’s known as Oryantal
Dans. I started this series to inspire more people—not just dancers—to
appreciate the beauty and cultural significance of beautiful physical art.
Sibel Baris is an iconic figure in the world of Turkish oriental dance.
She was active on television during the 1990s, and is celebrated for her
captivating performances. While researching her career, I came across a Turkish article detailing how she struggled with the stigma surrounding oriental dance,
which even strained her relationship with her daughter after her retirement.
As a result, I hesitated to focus on her performances, fearing it might
feel disrespectful given the challenges she faced. However, her art deeply
resonates, especially as it’s something beautiful standing in opposition to
such stigma. That’s why I want to honour her work and celebrate her legacy in
today’s episode.
1.Iconic Floorwork
Sibel Baris showcases her incredible flexibility and musicality through her
floorwork, epitomizing the essence of Turkish Oriental dance. One hallmark move
is her pigeon pose, where she bends one heel toward her midriff. It’s
astonishing to see her so at ease, while seamlessly embodying the music, even
in such demanding positions. While floorwork is sometimes dismissed as vulgar
or overly sexual, paying attention to how her movements harmonize with the
music reveals that it’s truly about displaying her physical strength and
profound connection to the rhythm.
2.Flowy, Yet Posed Hand and Arm Movements
Baris’s hand movements are quintessentially
Turkish Oriental in style. She often holds one palm upward, as though balancing
a tray, while the other faces downward—reminiscent of figures in ancient
Egyptian art. This aesthetic is more prominent in Turkish Oriental dance than
in Arabic styles. Despite their distinctiveness, her hands never appear stiff
or stagnant. They move fluidly and naturally,
evoking central Asian folk dance traditions. Her other signature move, where
she waves both index fingers together, often reflects the melodic sounds of flutes
or violins, and is also unique to Turkish Oriental dance.
3.Strong Pelvic and Abdominal Movements
During percussive moments, Baris’s dynamic hip movements shine, often
incorporating a flipping motion of her pelvis reminiscent of Turkish Romani
dance. What sets her apart is how her upper body remains relaxed and flowing
even during these intense moments, contrasting with the modern trend of rigid isolation that has become dominant in
international belly dance over the past few decades. Her power is also evident
in softer movements; when she undulates her belly to melodic instrumentation,
it expresses the rich emotional depth of the music.
4.Graceful Expressions
In belly dance, personality plays a crucial role, and Sibel Baris embodies
grace in every aspect of her performance. Her costumes, adorned with luxurious
fringes and jewels, always complemented her elegance. Her calm, composed smile
became a defining feature of her stage presence. Maintaining such relaxed yet
dignified expressions on stage, despite the challenges of live performance, is
no small feat. I also respect her habit of subtly covering her chest area when
bending backward, ensuring she was free from wardrobe mishaps. These thoughtful
details highlight her intention to present belly dance as an art form—sensual,
yet tasteful. When I perform, I strive to emulate her grace and confidence,
while staying true to my own style.
Closing
I hope you enjoyed this episode and found these insights helpful in
appreciating Sibel Baris’s iconic performances even more!
I’d
love to hear your thoughts. Feel free to write a review of this podcast or
reach out via the contact form in the description.
I uploaded the second episode of my podcast. This time, I talked about how to watch my favourite art form: belly dancing! Belly dance is an umbrella term that includes numerous dance styles. This time, I used an example of a legendary Turkish dancer, called Tulay Karaca. Please listen to it from the audio below, or from Apple Podcasts or Spotify .
You can also read the full script below on this post. I’d be delighted if you write a review of this podcast on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. And of course, you’re more than welcome to let me know your thoughts from the contact form.
Hello. This is Nisreen. Welcome to the
second episode of my podcast. Lovely to speak to you again.
Today, I’d love to talk about how to watch my
favourite art form: belly dancing. I ‘ve been teaching and performing belly
dance for years now. The term Belly dance is a western one for dance forms that
originate in Middle Eastern, North African, Hellenic & Turkic countries. In
Arabic, Belly dance is called Raqs Sharki. In Turkish, it’s known as Oryantal
Dans. I decided to talk about this theme because I wanted to encourage more
people, and not only dancers, to appreciate this beautiful dance form. Belly
dance may not be necessarily considered high art in its original cultural contexts,
because its roots are in social dance. However, as I’m not from the culture of
origin myself, I believe it helps to have a bit of knowledge to be able to fully
appreciate the dance form presented on stage today. As mentioned earlier, Belly dance is an
extremely broad term. There are numerous styles of dance under this categorization.
So today, I’ll use an example of a legendary Turkish dancer called Tulay
Karaca. She was one of the most successful Oryantal dancers from the 1970s and
1980s. Many of her dance videos are available on YouTube. I will list the links
in the description.
I will describe 5 elements we need to pay
extra attention to when we see her performance. Let’s get right into it!
1.Genuine facial expression
When we think about dancers, we may typically think of
big smiles. But Karaca doesn’t always show one・ during her performance. Sometimes she looks like she’s daydreaming,
her eyes unfocused. People often say Turkish Oriental dance has outward-facing
energy, compared to Egyptian oriental dance, which is more grounded. I get what
they mean by that, but to me, great Turkish dancers too have some sort of introspective
quality to their performance. They look like they’re immersed in the music and
are completely at ease. The magnetic aura the dancer creates is mesmering, without
the dancer going out of their way to get the audience’s attention.
2.Incredible finger cymbal skills
Karaca, particularly, is known for her outstanding
finger cymbal skills. Finger Cymbals, or zills (cymbals in Turkish) are
literally small cymbals the dancers wear on their fingers and play, a little
bit like castanets. What’s incredible about Karaca is she can sometimes dance
to just her own finger cymbals without any other instruments. The way she improvises
playing the music and dancing might remind you of tap dancing. Nowadays, it’s
rare to see a dancer who can play finger cymbals with such finesse, especially
among younger dancers.
3.Explosive spins
When you look at Tulay Karaca’s performance, the first
thing that catches your attention may be her fast spins and high kicks. They
are, of course, technically great. But what makes her truly unique is the
timings she shows in those techniques, rather than the movements themselves. If
you pay attention when she shows varieties of spins and kicks, you may notice
that it’s very unpredictable. Obviously, she is improvising. This is connected
to another point : her performance is thrilling because she creates it on the
spot.
4.Fluid arm/ torso movement
I could say this is a characteristic of classic Turkish
Oriental dance in general. Karaca uses her arms and hands dynamically and
gracefully, reminiscent of central Asian dance forms. She also often executes a
big backbend either on her heels or on her knees on the floor. These movements
are in reaction to the sinewy sounds created by instruments such as the violin,
clarinet, flute, qanun, or oud. It‘s even more fascinating if you pay attention
to which sound the dancer is reacting to. You can tell fairly easily when the
dancer performs to the live music. Sometimes, the musicians make eye contact
with the dancer, too.
5.Big hip/belly movements
Yes, this dance is called belly dance for a reason! Karaca
especially has mastered big earthy lower body movements. Sharp hip-work is primarily
done according to the sounds of the drums called darbouka. When the darbouka
rolls, she vibrates her hips or chest in what’s called a ‘shimmy.’ There are
softer types of movement matching the violin etc. in hip-work too.
It’s even more fun to watch・ if you pay attention to how she is interpreting the music by
vibrating, swinging, or circling her hips or belly.
Karaca’s performance routine often includes 9/8 rhythms.
This rhythm is considered unique to the Turkish music. In particular 9/8 rhythm
patterns appear often in Turkish Romani music. There are different styles in this
rhythm. The most standard pattern goes D-T-D-DT-. So, to repeat, D-T-D-DT-. The
Dum represents the sound of hitting the surface of the darbouka. The Tek sound
expresses the lighter sound hitting the edge of the darbouka. The way Karaca
controls her pelvis shows the strong influence of Roman Havasi or the dance of
Roma people as well.
So there you go! And of course, Karaca’s exquisite
costumes and veils are also a part of the attraction. I didn’t mention it
because it may be too obvious! I hope you enjoyed this episode and the points I
made may help you to appreciate her legendary dance performance even more!
I’d be delighted if you write a review of this podcast on
Apple Podcasts or Spotify. And of course, you’re more than welcome to let me
know your thoughts from the contact form in the description.
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