Malika: Honoring the Dance

By Nerissa

There is a clear difference between a true professional Middle Eastern dancer and someone who just gets on stage and wiggles around. Just ask Malika Negwa, a seasoned pro and Washington bellydance institution.

"It's very rewarding when people learn to value a dancer," she said during a recent interview. "Education is a big part of (this) for me." Malika is a full time dancer and dance teacher. She believes in not only educating her students, but her audience as well.

During a public practice session at the University of Maryland with her troupe, a young man approached Malika.

"So this guy, he looked at us, and said 'I went home and I shut my door and I tried to do what you guys did and it's hard'-he said he couldn't do it-he said we were wonderful,. Expanding the public's awareness is so important."