Chadia
began her fascination with Middle Eastern culture as a child
mesmerized by Hollywood depictions of Egypt and the
Middle East. This fascination ultimately led to
a career in the travel industry specializing in Egyptian
travel. As she led tours of eager Americans through the streets of Egypt, the
music she encountered along the way moved her in a way she could have
never expected - it moved her to dance!
Chadia
shares her love of belly dance through
teaching. She currently teaches both beginner and intermediate levels of
belly dancing in New Jersey. Her technique is based on the classical Egyptian
style into which she incorporates her own
interpretive style emphasizing poise, grace, self-empowerment and
most importantly fun. Her sense of humor, contagious laugh and
beautiful smile make her classes most enjoyable.
Today
you can find Chadia performing all over the Northeast including
some of the best Middle Eastern venues in New York City and New Jersey.
In addition to solo performances, Chadia is Director of "Chadia
& The Gypsy Caravan", a dance troupe featuring Chadia and more
than 15 beautiful and talented ladies. As President of Gypsy Caravan Enterprises,
Chadia continues to spread the joy of belly dance by offering workshops
and providing the dance community with a fine selection of music, costumes and
dance accessories.
Chadia's
belly dance journey began with her first teacher
over 15 years ago. Since she was somewhat shy and reserved, she was encouraged
to find and express her inner joy through the dance. Once that joy was felt there
was no stopping her. Chadia went on to further her studies of the
dance, its music and history with a
number of highly regarded professional Oriental dancers and instructors.
‡‡‡ A
Note from Chadia ‡‡‡
Why
the name Gypsy Caravan? I chose this name with the confidence that it fit my heart
held beliefs about the dance and the women I surround myself with.
Since
I consider myself someone who tends to lead a more "footloose" and bohemian
lifestyle that includes extensive travels, I feel a sense of kindred spirit with
the archetypal Gypsy.
I
tend to think of myself as a Gypsy in the sense that I am always on the go - packing,
unpacking and packing again - to whatever showcase or vending event is happening
this week. I have heard many dancers refer to themselves as gypsies for this same
reason - it seems we are always off to see someplace new, meeting new people,
having new experiences and yes, living out of a suitcase!
As
I looked deeper at the Gypsy ideal, much more important aspects of the Gypsy belief
system came to the fore. I resonate strongly with the sense of community which
supports and reinforces a sense of belonging to a group. My troupe are the ladies
of the Gypsy Caravan. There is a sense of generosity and mutual assistance so
no one need at any time or in any circumstance feel alone. Like some real and
some mythical Gypsies, we are expressive and share a love of experiential pursuits
like dance and music.
Some researchers
believe that the word "Gypsy" can be sourced back to the word "Egyptian."
Whether this is the case or not, the pharonic style of this web site is in service
to and respect for these origins of this ancient dance and my Egyptian style influenced
by the Egyptian dancers of more recent times.
Thank
you for visiting my site!!
