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Afsana I have been dancing since I was a little girl, putting on “shows” for my parents and little sister to the tunes of Olivia Newton John. Although my taste in music and costumes have changed over the years from those of jazz, tap, ballet, and modern to salsa, merengue, and lambada to west African and Middle Eastern, my passion for dance has not wavered. I started my belly dance career with Troupe Siddique of Gainesville in 1996 under the direction of Zarifa Sa’id. I will always have fond memories of her and the senior members of the troupe teaching me about the art of Middle Eastern dance. I was one of the founding members of Farhannah Dancers and have been dancing with the group since 1997. My joy for belly dance is rooted in the study of traditional styles of the dance and adapting these forms to create movement that fits my current emotions and experiences. I embrace the evolution of dance. In my non-dance life you can find me developing a social justice certification program for agricultural products (like Fair Trade, but for small farmers in the U.S.), editing reports for USAID funded food security programs in Africa, and occasionally designing and constructing costumes for Farhannah Dancers. But my biggest joy currently is learning about life through the eyes of my two beautiful boys. We love to explore the woods and rivers of north central Florida together. |
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