Assalaamu ‘alaykum, fellow raqstars, I’m Simina from some town in Arkansas, USA you’ve never heard of. I must confess, I’m a bit of a nerd, and that totally applies to my dance life. I sometimes feel the need to share my nerdiness with the world, so I have decided to start this wonderful little project, so I can gush about my love of Egyptian dance, music, culture and language. I’ve even conned my best friend, Evryn, to come toss her two cents in from time to time.

The tagline reads “Stories of the Unconventional Dancer.” Being a self-taught dancer, I think I come at things from a decidedly different point of view. I sometimes lament my lack of access to formal dance classes, but I have always thrived in an independent study environment, so hopefully I can illuminate the various pros and cons of that learning style as well as discuss the challenges of being a delightfully squishy dancer.

Costuming is an absolute chore, I tell you.

My lovely Evryn is also unconventional as a dancer with cerebral palsy who initially came from an Irish dancing background. I’m certain she’ll have some wonderful stories about studio life and troupe dancing that I don’t have as a soloist. Seriously, I can’t even begin to do choreography and I admire those that can.

Welcome to our sparkly corner of the internet, and I hope you enjoy reading our stories and feel inspired to share your own.

Here is one of my favorite performances of mine from the Vanessa of Cairo Dance Weekend in Tulsa, Oklahoma, June 2017.