Joana Saahirah

Joana Saahirah is a Portuguese Oriental dancer who spent nearly a decade living and working professionally in Egypt. During her Cairo career she performed regularly with her own orchestra and experienced the demands of the Egyptian professional entertainment industry directly. She studied with numerous Egyptian artists and also worked closely with Mahmoud Reda. After leaving Egypt, Joana developed an extensive international teaching career focused on Raqs Sharqi, Egyptian folklore and personal artistic expression. She has written several books drawing on her professional experiences and reflections on Egyptian dance and culture. Her combination of long-term Cairo experience, writing and international teaching makes her particularly valuable as an educator connecting performance technique with lived cultural context.