My interview with the shimmy queen Leyla Jouvana from Germany

Leyla Jouvana finally discovered her love for the Oriental Dance after Yugoslavian Folklore and Jazz Dance, 19 years ago. After several years studying middle eastern dance, she is now in charge of approximately 300 regular students from beginners up to master class. Nearly every weekend she is active as a guest dancer, choreographer and teacher at home and worldwide.

Her reputation as a solo dancer has reached a wide audience through numerous national & international performances, press reports, TV appearances and video productions. Together with her husband Roland (drummer) and her ensemble, she regularly travels to many cities all over the world.

According to diverse specialist journals and local press reports, she is one of the most successful and best dancer & choreographers in Europe.

On several occasions she has represented the whole Oriental Dance scene from Germany at major dance festivals abroad. (e.g. New York, San Francisco, LA/Hollywood Orlando, Atlanta, Budapest, Prag, Brussels, Nizza, London, Leeds, Madrid, New Mexico, Mexico City, Seatle, Salzburg, Turkey, Paris, Cairo, Vienna, Italy, Denmark, Australia). In San Francisco / USA Leyla got the famous Giza Academy Award of 2002 as the best live dancer of the year. In July 2004 she won the "Halima-Award" in the category "best dancer", "one of the most famous dance studios in Europe”, " one of most famous european festivals of Oriental Dance” and "Shimmy Queen".

Her studio for Oriental Dance is one of the largest and most successful in Europe. The annual "Internationales Orientalisches Tanzfestival" (International Oriental Dance Festival) in Duisburg / Clauberghalle on the first Sunday of Advent, was established by Leyla, and meanwhile has developed into the biggest Oriental Dance Show in Germany and Europe (audience record = 4,500).

INTERVIEW WITH LEYLA

Who is the blond belly dancer:) ?

I am Leyla Jouvana, born in Belgrade, Jugoslavia and started studying Arabic Dance 23 years ago in Egypt, Turkey and everywhere in the world with great Choreographers and Master teachers like Raqia Hassan, Momo Kadous, Magdy El Leisy and many more

Let’s talk about how you get started?

I started 23 years ago... I discovered soon my passion for this wonderful dance and soon it become my profession. I was translator in 5 languages, so I am happy that I can use my languages for traveling and teaching around the world..

Where do you live and teach?

Me and my drumming husband Roland live in Germany, Duisburg.

How did you start your carrier as a belly dancer?
I started with passion!!!! It was a hobby first and later I discovered that I cannot live without dancing.. my classes and our Festival in Germany end of November since 19 years!! became very popular so I decided to be a full time dancer and it was the best idea!!

Have you dreamed of becoming a performer at a young age?
no, I thought it is just a hobby, but soon it was more than that and we had great success, so we made the step to be full time dancer and drummer.

How did your carrier as a famous belly dancer get launched?
it was very soon after I started dancing,. After every performance we received more and more engagements and we met a lot of nice other artists or sponsors so they invited us ...

What is your favorite and most memorable performance?
we have many memorable performances around the world. If the atmosphere is positive and great a small performance can be memorable in the same way like performing in the prince house in Marrakesh or a big Festival in China, India, US or Australia and of course in Egypt!

How do you describe your belly dance style?
I think my style is modern Egyptian style with a lot of femininity and sensuality. I like to dance myself, my soul so I developed my own stile of feeling the movements and expressing the movements.

What kind of music do you like to perform to?
I like to perform traditional Arabic/Egyptian style as well as modern or also fusion. We live in Europe and European people are very open to fusion style and we like it too... it depends on the music I choose... If I choose traditional or Egyptian music so my style is Egyptian.. I would never dance in an experimental or fusion style with Egyptian music...

How do you choose a song to dance to?
When a song touches my heart, I take it.... I also love to perform drum solo to my husbands Darabukka... we choose together the rhythms what we like and put them together.. we keep space for improvisation and interaction too....

What are your favorite songs to belly dance to?
Everything from Oum Kalthoum!!! Also Mohamed Abdel Wahab and Abdel Halim or Farid El Atrache...

This might seem like a difficult question but what makes you dance?
I am dancing since I am a child. I started with Yugoslavian/Balkan Folklore and then with Jazz dance, Modern Dance, African dance but I discovered my love and passion for the Arabic dance because it was touching my feelings. I could express myself more than with other dances. I like the femininity in this dance and this is for my the pure emancipation: to have the right to be a women and to express myself like a women.

Describe how you feel when you dance?
I feel happy and free!! I feel like a woman! I feel the rhythm and the music and become the music.

Is there a difference between your dancing with friends or by yourself and performing?
Not anymore

Many readers would wonder: you are such a great performer, what advise would you give other belly dancers on becoming great performers like you?
Try to express and dance yourself and to feel the music, become the music, instead of being a copy of others. Be original and natural! Your audience feels very well if your feelings are part of the choreography or if you dance with your heart and soul...

Who are your favorite belly dancers?
there are many... For example all whom we invite to our festival in Germany!

Do you feel that dance empowers you? if so how?
This is my source of positive energy and power... if I am exhausted, or tired .. during and after dancing I feel totally healthy, free and full of power. Dancing and my husband are my live! This is my adrenaline!

Let’s talk about your family life. You and your husband seem to be quite a power duo. how did that started?
we are a school love affair , when we were very young... and still we are in love!!! I am happy for that and I thank god every day for my lovely husband Roland.

Is it different performing with him versus other drummers?
My husband knows my movements, he knows what I want .. this makes it easy.... also what makes our duet special is our interaction full of emotions and love... we do not hide it, because it is pure and clean! ... it would be empty if I would perform with others drummers... of course some accompanied Roland... but focus on interacting is only Roland...

Any children? if not, are you planning to have any?
We were thinking often about that.. but really we are not sure what the future will bring, so we decided against children.. we are full time dancer and performer and we do our job 100 %... I think it would not be good for children if we would be 50 % parents and 50 % artists with own school and festival and traveling around the world... .

What do you enjoy to do in your spare time?
We love to relax in our sauna and of course to be together, just me and Roland....

Let’s talk about the future. Do you see yourself performing more or less in the future?
Yes we do... We see it in our calendar!!!

Any new projects in the making? DVDs, shows, ... etc
yes, new DVDs, online classes, tours around the world... now I am also having fun doing zumba besides belly dancing.. it is great for the fitness...

How do you keep looking so beautiful?
thank you! I try to be positive.. lots of love and to have some sleep.... trying to keep healthy, no cigarettes, no alcohol, no drugs, healthy food, drinking lots of water... and so on.... to be healthy and positive, with love in your heart this is beauty !

If you have one beauty secret to share, what would it be?
Love and positive energy! and the points mentioned before... Try to sleep, to relax and to live healthy and to concentrate on the positive things in the live.

What’s your favorite make up?
I like "La Prairie" make up and their creams too.

DVDs

Leyla is an amazing instructor. I have watched several of her videos including the 2 most acclaimed shimmy videos ever!

My other favorite DVD by Leyla is "Layers with Leyla" which you could purchase from bellydance.org