This post goes out to all my beloved friends in Egypt, where I visited in 2006 and 2007, and inshallah will visit again some day soon. I went to learn more about Egypt's history, contemporary issues, cultural heritage, and to further my studies of Oriental and folkloric dances, Arabic language and Islamic culture ( Read more... )

I came to know the exquisite music of Israeli singer Ofra Haza during my studies as an Oriental dancer. Sadly, she died in 2000, and I had the privilege of interviewing family and friends about her immortal legacy for the Middle Eastern dance magazine, Jareeda ( Read more... )