El Naar : Letting Personality Come Through
by Nerissa
As many people begin in bellydance, so did El Naar Hanniah - taking classes for exercise. But gradually it began taking over and before she knew it, she had been dancing for thirteen years.
El Naar performed with Laurel Victoria Gray's Silk Road Dance Company for 3 years, was president of WAMEDA, danced at MemSahib in Rockville and has also studied with Veda Sereem and Artemis.
Currently she lives and teaches in Gaitherburg, performs regularly at Casablanca in Alexandria and co-directs the troupe BASSAMA! with Amara.
All this and she claims to have "scaled back" on the amount of time she spends dancing!
"(Middle Eastern dance) has become a part of my life - I cannot imagine NOT doing it," she said.
When she isn't dancing, El Naar is known as Jo Elle Johnson and teaches foreign languages and philosophy. She is also newly married as of September 2003.
El Naar has been teaching middle eastern dance for five years and it is a natural extension for her as a professional educator to teach the artform she loves.
"Seeing students come into their own - seeing them develop their own styles, develop confidence in what they do and how they feel about themselves is the most rewarding part of (middle eastern dance) for me," she said.
With beginning students, El Naar likes to focus on having fun and teaching some basic knowledge of the dance form.
"Many are uncomfortable with the movements, their bodies and feel silly doing it - I want them to become more comfortable with their bodies and gain an appreciation for what they are doing. I want students to leave the class feeling better than when they came in," she said.
As students progress, she wants them to make the movements their own - let their own personality and style come through.
"I do not want students to dance like me - but rather like themselves! Carbon copies are always duller than an original!" El Naar said.
She feels that students today are lucky that there is such an interest in the dance form.
"The internet has made a huge difference - for getting music, costumes, etc. When I began, there was not much out there - it took much time and energy to find out what was out there - it was more word-of-mouth to find out what was happening in the dance community," she said.
Her advice to students is first to find a teacher who supports you - one that fits your personality and the way you learn. Once you locate that special teacher - stay with this teacher for at least one year to get the basics, she said.
After one year she recommends taking with second teacher and attending dance workshops to enhance dancing and knowledge.El Naar also feels it is essential to attend local dance recitals and shows to see the local dancers both teachers and students because you can always learn something by watching others perform - both what to do and what not to do.
Also, she said one should always present themselves as a professional.
"Stay out of the 'kitty bin' - no crude remarks, no gossip," she said.
It's the little things that inspire El Naar as a performer.
"Knowing that (the dance) is much more difficult that it appears, much more nuanced - seeing that the little things really make a difference in the dance and in life" are a big influence for her, she said.
El Naar currently has several performers she enjoys watching.
"Nadia Hamdi for her joy, cuteness. Movemens which would look ridiculous or even vulgar on most look great on her. She demonstrates how the dancer's attitude and the dancer's energy make all the difference in the world when performing," said El Naar.
She also likes Leila Haddad's performances of North African dance - Moroccan and Tunisian, and she said Cassandra and Zahra Zuhair really show how the little things make such a hug difference because of how they use their entire body to show ALL of the music, not just the melody or the drum.
El Naar teaches three classes on Thursday evenings in Gaithersburg. For more details visit www.elnaar.com or call (301) 977-3040