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INTERVIEW WITH LAYLA TAJ BY AMARA AL AMIR

Interview with Layla Taj and Amara Al Amir

Layla Taj is an authentic multi-talented artist from Egyptian heritage. With a figure like an hour glass and the dancing skill to make audiences spellbound. It’s no wonder her resume reads like an artist’s dream. She has been praised in Egypt, The Middle East, Europe, and the USA.

Amara…I understand you just returned from Egypt and completed another performance contract. Would you tell us a little about it?

Layla Taj…This is the 2^nd contract I received from this Hotel. The first contract was in 2003 and was my first initial contract in Egypt. The first time I was in Egypt I was 11 and my grandmother was born in Azarita, Alexandria, a village where Greek Egyptians reside.

Amara…How did this influence you?

Amara…What else did she do then to help you learn about your heritage?

Layla…In returning back to NY, my parents frequented belly dance clubs in NY and I tagged along as a child. Also my Grandfather played the oud and the mandolin and my mother was an actress, so she was never really around, so I was always sent to my Grandparents house.  So while they played music, my grandmother and I danced around the kitchen table where she taught me my first move…shoulder shimmies.  In addition, my grandfather was born in Turkey. In those days, being of different Middle Eastern backgrounds was grounds for a lot of interesting fireworks. I say no more

Amara…When did you first decide on becoming a professional belly dancer?

Layla…My parents went to a club in NY, Sirocco. I tagged along one night and saw a gorgeous dark haired beauty dancing and sweating. Her feeling for the music went through my body and left a great impression and I was in awe? That First impression remained with me and I wanted that. 

Layla's Mom & Dad at Sirocco

Amara…So tell me how you ended up performing in Egypt?

Layla…Being that Egypt is my heritage, I was always partial to that music and sought out Egyptian Master Teachers for my training. I heard they were residing in Germany and nearby countries.  I called up Dr Mogadawi  in Berlin and told him about my interest in Egyptian Style. I taught myself German and took up residence in Berlin where he was teaching along with Beata and Horacio Cifuentas. He said something to me that changed my life. One night I met him in a nightclub in Berlin, After I casually got up to dance, he asked me to come with him to a café. He wanted to tell me something, I went with my boyfriend  to the café to meet him. And he said “I was watching the people watch you when you danced and you have charisma. There are dancers and there are stars, and I want to tell you, you are a star. now we just need to teach her to dance” LOL

Amara…So Layla, how has this experience of performing at the top 5 star hotels where Dina, Tito, and Saroya of Brazil.  have performed, for example affected you in your perception of what is Belly Dance?

Layla…I never focused only on the glamour but on the hard work it takes to achieve an Egyptian style.

Amara…What do you mean by Egyptian Style? How is that different from what most dancers think is Egyptian Style

Layla…In the Middle East, the Egyptian style is the most respected style of dance because it is the most complicated.  The reason this is so is because the classical music is more complicated and there are many layers to Egyptian classical music and the dancer needs to have a very good ear and feeling for the music. Well the Egyptian audience has educated eyes. I knew that when I danced and they thought I was born in Egypt, this was the great seal of approval in my book.  There are many great dancers throughout the world.  Technically they are excellent. But the problem dancers have with Egyptian Dance is how they interpret the music when they dance.

Amara…What helped you the most to truly capture the quality and technical aspects of authentic Egyptian Belly Dance.

Layla…Immersing myself in watching Egyptian Dancers for hours and hours a day. It was the first think I did when I woke up in the morning. From old videos and even the spirit of my family when they moved to the music.  The underlying attitude. Egyptian Style is very refined and comes from within the body which makes it very hard for students to catch on.

Amara…Would you say that is more dependent on muscle control

Layla…Yes definitely. As a teacher I tell my students.  It easy to roll the ball but it is hard to stop the ball and keep in control. For example migrating from a large shimmy to a layering vibration without loss of control

Amara…would say that besides muscle control, is there a dependence on managing energy in the body? How much is in the mind and how much in the body

Layla…You should always be thinking but need to stay inside the music. This is where a dancer can lose control. It is like she is romancing the music.

Amara…What a wonderful way to explain this. So, Layla are you saying that the music actually is telling the body what to do?

Layla…Yes, absolutely. That’s why a foreign dancer can be a little in front the music, we are more relaxed and even a little more behind the music.

Amara…Would you say then that is where managing your energy helps you.

Layla…Egyptian dancers really don’t have to manage energy to keep moving smoothly into the combination of movements. They never stop but they slow down enough to look very relaxed and are still able to move to the next movement of whatever direction the music tells them to go.

Amara…So Layla, even when a dancer looks like she did a hard stop to a heavy ending or accent, why and how is it that she looks authentic to the culture?

Layla…Egyptian dancers are born with the line and shape of their posture and body that is part of the cultural styles. They don’t have to think about it but there is a common thread that is in their blood. It comes naturally. For instance, the arms…can tell me a lot about a dancer. The arms and hands should be simple but yet dynamic leading the body to look graceful.

Amara..So Layla, In this our first installment, is there one thing that you can pass onto dancers who want to start to learn how to be more Egyptian Style?

Layla…First remember that Egyptian Style is the considered the most respected style in the world. We are the most sought out dancers in the world because of the majestic way that we dance. Knowing that, nothing great comes easy but it is possible with a good teacher and hard work and dedication you can acquire the flavor yourself.  You must be patient and allow the time for your body to develop to handle the movements. Anything worth anything takes time.

Watch for Installment Two…”Day to Day…what is it really like and what did I learn from my dance contracts in Egypt.”

Author...Amara Al Amir  Visit Layla Taj