Joana Saahirah of Cairo in NZ!

Well, I couldn't leave NZ without one more weekend of workshops could I?

And who better to end it all with than Joana Saahirah of Cairo.

I first met this wonderful lady in London a few years earlier at some workshops that she held.

She is such a fantastic inspirational dancer with lots of energy and pazazz, enthralling to watch and the performances that she gave in the Middle Eastern Memories Show on Friday night did not disappoint.

I was so lucky to be able to attend most of the workshops she held as they were all sold out pretty quick and I hadn't booked due to my overseas move which was meant to be in March, so when it was delayed, I was happy to be able to take up offers from people who couldn't make the workshops, for their spaces.

I loved every workshop I attended:

Saturday 1.30pm-3.30pm: Saiidi Party - from Tahtib to Modernity - Egyptian Folklore like you've never seen! Upper Egyptian style filled with power, history and character. Saiidi Madness is in DA HOUSE! Saturday 4pm-5pm: Joana Saahirah 1 Hour Lecture: Secrets of Egyptian Dance, Studio 3 - The REAL Life of a Dancer in Egypt.

Sunday 10.30am -12.30pm: The Real Shaabi - with Choreography - Egyptian street dance, raw, revolutionary and groundbreaking. Sunday 1.30pm-3.30pm: Baladi Extravaganza - Hips don´t lie - Raks el Baladi or the Hidden Language of the Soul.

A private lesson with her on the Sunday after the workshops had finished, was well worth going to - I appreciated her advice and came away feeling really good about my dance and the direction I am going in.

It was lovely to catch up with Joana again and she even remembered me from London all those years ago. :-)

I really look forward to catching up her again in the northern hemisphere some time.