Nisaa has been conducting pioneering research into the history and development of Egyptian belly dance. Her primary area of concentration is the transition from awalim and ghawazi dance styles to classical raqs sharqi at the turn of the 19th/20th centuries in Egypt. Since 2009, she has conducted in-depth examinations of primary textual, photographic, and pictorial evidence as well as on-site investigations in Cairo in order to advance knowledge of the dancers and performance venues of this period.
Many of the findings from Nisaa's research are detailed in the publications listed below. Additional publications will be posted as they become available. Nisaa also provides insider access to her research via Patreon.
Nisaa's Research and Publications
Articles in Magazines and E-zines
Articles in Bellydance Oasis Magazine
- The Dance of History: Khayriyah Mazin and the Endurance of the Ghawazi Tradition - visit Bellydance Oasis here or here to purchase the complete magazine (Issue 62 2018). The article is on pages 10 to 14 (the page numbers are cut off in the PDF). Visit here for a list of the references cited in the article. The publisher could not include diacritical marks in the text, so please click here for a list of the Arabic terms from the article alongside their transcriptions according to the ALA-LC system.
Articles in The Belly Dance Chronicles Magazine
- Before Badia: The Emergence of Theatrical Performance Space for Belly Dance - visit The Belly Dance Chronicles web site to purchase the complete magazine (July/August/September 2013 issue)
Articles in The Gilded Serpent E-zine
Articles in Zaghareet Magazine
- Ezbekiyah: Remnants of Cairo's Music and Dance History - must purchase the magazine to access this article (November/December 2013 issue)
- What’s in a Name? Tracing the Evolution of “Raqs Sharqi" - must purchase the magazine to access this article (November/December 2015 issue)
Book Chapters
"The Beginnings of the Bedleh: A Reconsideration of the Origins and History of the Egyptian Belly Dance Costume." In The Belly Dance Reader 2. Edited by the editors of GildedSerpent.com. Fairfax, California: Gilded Serpent, 2014. This volume is available for purchase here.
Articles for Download
Nisaa's Reconstructions of Egyptian Belly Dance
at the Turn of the 19th and 20th Centuries
Books
Egyptian Belly Dance in Transition: The Raqs Sharqi Revolution, 1890-1930. Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland and Company, Inc., 2018.
- You can order by following the Amazon link to the right or by clicking here! You can also order directly from the publisher here.
- Nisaa's research is ongoing, and she periodically finds additions or amendments to information in Egyptian Belly Dance in Transition. To make these additions and amendments transparent and accessible, Nisaa is maintaining a list of errata for Egyptian Belly Dance in Transition here. Click here to view the list of errata.
An important note from Nisaa about knowledge and research!
Please remember, knowledge is not static. I am constantly conducting research, and the research constantly brings additions and amendments to my prior understandings. Remember that my work - writings, lectures, etc. - represent my knowledge and understanding at a specific point in time based on my research up till that date. Please don't view any of my work as the last word on any of these subjects!
