We recently connected with Aziza Nawal and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Aziza, thanks for joining us today. What’s been the most meaningful project you’ve worked on?

In addition to performing and teaching, I have also been a choreographer. My knowledge of Middle Eastern dance aka Belly Dance stems from years of training with notable instructors from the US and Egypt. This experience along with research on various styles of this dance has informed each choreography. Whetther teaching a routine to my students for an upcoming studio sponsored showcase, or creating a memorable experiences for a milestone celebration, the outcome was equally rewarding.

Over the past few years I have had the priviledge of performing with the nationally touring dance company, BellyDance Evolution in several productions as an ensemble member. Their lavish stage shows are born from the creative mind of Jillina who was the Artistic Director of BellyDance Superstars in the early 2000’s. Just before the pan-demic, I was thrilled to be selected as a soloist for their Atlanta production of Wizard of Oz. I was provided an opportunity to create my own solo choreography to be featured in the show in the role of the Scarecrow. Being recognized for my talent and dedication in previous productions was an honor and now that the world is opening back up, more opportunities are on the horizon.

Aziza, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

My stage name is Aziza Nawal and I have been performing Middle Eastern Dance, aka Belly Dance for over two decades. In the nineties, I moved to the Atlanta area and sought to make new friends and take on a new hobby. I did not anticipate I was about to embark on a long and rewarding journey.

After studying dance for a few years, performing in a troupe at local studio shows, I was hired to perform weekly at a Moroccan themed restaurant where I began my journey as an entertainer.That first restaurant contract blossomed into being in demand at several restaurants hosting belly dance shows including Taverna Plaka where I have performed for over 19 years/ I have been invited to teach workshops and perform across the U.S. and in Brazil. I have appeared on local and national television programs and caught the eye of a Turkish television station who flew me into Istanbul to perform on one of the live episodes of Yildizi Yamuru.

My goal for any performance is to create an enjoyable, memorable experience by bringing to life the beauty, and mystic of the dance while being an ambassador for the culture I represent. My mission as an instructor is to empower my students through movement, promote body positivity and build a community.

Any insights you can share with us about how you built up your social media presence?

Social media has helped my career tremendously by giving a platform for sharing content and offering a variety of ways to promote shows and connect with students.

I was an early adopter of YouTube – not much belly dance content was available online when I first started out – we learned about events through mailers. Once I began posting performance videos, I was seen by promoters in the US and abroad which lead to several worksops and an appearance on several TV shows including one in Istanbul, Turkey.

Now YouTube is flooded with performances from many talented dancers – I still maintian my channel and provide other content like discussions on costuming. I have observed other dancers taking to Instagram and TikTok and I am living for it as this really brings us together, inspires us and builds our community.

If you are just staring out, plan your content, create it and distrubute it often on a schedule to give it more visibility using tags. It’s overwhelming so keep it simple, keep it local – follow your collegues, do a dance challenge yourself, identfy a trend that will resonate with your audience and talk about it.

Have you ever had to pivot?

Pivoting in this dance career – nothing can cause a pivot like a pandemic! As an artist who performed weekly in a crowded restaurant or taught dance to eager students ready to sweat who yearned to be welcomed into a safe space – the isolation was a swift kick in the hips.

Taking a break from performing was unavaoidable but teaching carried on through online offerings. I was able to teach students who had moved out of state, we had a little time to share our stories and sweat out the stress. It took my teaching to a whole new level and where I plan to focus more of my energy as I approach the golden years. I feel fortunate to still be performing and that won’t stop – but the frequency has certainly reduced even after the world began to open back up and that’s okay, in fact, I’m grateful for the time I have now to focus on creating choreography, taking more classes, and sewing costumes.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://azizaraks.net/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/azizanawal/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/azizanawal
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/azizanawal
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCW1afbN2nKzPFEAKyg8BVrA

Image Credits
Studio Jaki Jillina’s BDExperience