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Layla Taj

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Layla Taj, (Template:Lang-ar), is a belly dancer in the classical Egyptian raqs al-sharqi style. She includes in her repertoire dances devoted to communicating facets of Egyptian culture.[1] Taj's honorable title, "Dancing Queen," derives from newspaper headlines.[1][2]

Layla Taj
Occupation(s)Belly dancer, Master Teacher, choreographer
Years active1999–present
Height172.72 cm (5 ft 8 in)
Career
DancesRaqs al-sharqi, Egyptian Folklore, Pharonic
Websitelaylataj.com

Early life

Taj is descended from a long line of opulent Greek Athenians and Egyptiotes (Greek: Αιγυπτιώτες).[1] Her mother was a beauty queen who won the national pageant sponsored by the Greek-American Progressive Association (GAPA)[3] and later became a singer and a Screen Actors Guild actress

Training

Taj was introduced to Middle Eastern dance in childhood.[4]: B19  Later, as she developed her professional career, Taj trained in belly dance in the United States and Germany, where she studied with Dr. Mo Geddawi (a founding member of the Reda Troup),[5] who praised her work.[6]

Career

Layla Taj dances at the Hyatt Regency Resort, Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt
Hyatt Regency Resort, Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt.

Taj has been contracted annually as an in-house solo Egyptian belly dancer at upscale hotel venues throughout the Middle East,[7] including Tunisia, the United Arab Emirates, and Egypt, where cultural and legal norms have been selective regarding who is eligible to perform.[8][9] In Egypt, Taj was contracted as a principal belly dancer at the Hyatt Regency in Sharm El Sheikh and the Sheraton Towers and Casino in Cairo.[1][6] Taj's audiences have included dignitaries such as politicians (including Egyptian Ambassador Youssef Zada)[10] and Middle Eastern royalty.[4] Outside of the Middle East, she has been selected to perform at events sponsored by the United Nations and by the Egyptian Tourism Authority.[4]: B18 [2] In 2009, Taj performed in New York City in an educational cultural program sponsored by the World Heritage Cultural Center.[11] Taj also performed at the wedding celebration, termed the "Wedding of the Decade",[12] of Middle-Eastern[13] author and publisher Yara Michaels and ophthalmologist David W. Shoemaker;[14][15] the event took place at Cà d’Zan at the John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art.[16]

Gold Hall Theater, New York
Gold Hall Theater, New York.

Taj focuses on belly dance as being an artistic medium through which to communicate features of Egyptian culture. Taj rejects the floorwork that is common in other approaches (such as the Turkish style), believing the upright posture of the classical Egyptian genre to be more culturally representative.[4] Her interpretation of musical accompaniment is influenced by the vocal style of the late Egyptian singer and actress Umm Kulthum.[4]: B19 

Taj performs through The Egyptian Cultural Performing Arts Society Inc., whose mission is to educate the public about Egyptian culture.[10] The cornerstone of Taj's repertoire for the Society is Journey Down the Nile,[4]: B1  a multi-media Egyptian cultural program during which she performs numerous regional dances of Egypt interspersed with film clips that explain them.[17] The signature dance in the program is Wings of Isis, in which Taj portrays Cleopatra VII and illustrates the queen's identification with the goddess Isis.[18] In addition, Taj produced, wrote, and performed in the educational short film, Ancient and Modern Dances of Egypt.[19][20]

Taj has written about her experiences dancing professionally in Berlin, Germany[21] and Stockholm, Sweden and her pioneering performances in the first Stockholm belly dance festival known as The Nile Group.[22] She has been a repeated contributor to Bennu, the publication of the Associated Artists of Middle Eastern Dance (ASAmed).[23][24] Her 2015 essay, The Difference Between Art and Entertainment,[25] is a component of the dance curriculum at Brigham Young University.[26]

Before developing her career in professional dance, Taj was a recording artist with a single that hit the Billboard charts.[10]

References

  1. ^ a b c d Brokaw, Sommer (November 29, 2014). "Dancing queen: World-traveled Egyptian dancer to perform here". The Sun. p. 2. Retrieved November 19, 2018.
  2. ^ a b Russo, Mike (April 23, 2009). "She's the dancing queen". Long Island Herald. p. 11. Retrieved November 21, 2018.
  3. ^ "Greek-American Progressive Association", Flps.newberry.org, retrieved May 6, 2019
  4. ^ a b c d e f Pray, Rusty (November 27, 2014). "Worlds apart: Taj to present free Egyptian dance concert". Florida Weekly. Retrieved November 19, 2018.
  5. ^ Morocco. "Gilded Serpent presents...Interview with Mahmoud Reda, Part I: The Beginning". gildedserpent.com. Retrieved November 22, 2018.
  6. ^ a b "Taj Takes Belly Dancing to New Heights". The Queens Gazette. June 8, 2005. p. 18. Retrieved November 5, 2018.
  7. ^ Phillips, Sophia (July–August 2005). "Belly Dancing in the Middle East". Zaghareet!.
  8. ^ Luna (June 2011). "Kisses from Kairo". kissesfromkairo.blogspot.com. Retrieved November 5, 2018.
  9. ^ Arvizu, Shannon (2004). "The Politics of Bellydancing in Cairo". The Arab Studies Journal. 12/13 (2/1): 165. JSTOR 27933913.
  10. ^ a b c "Bio". Laylataj.com. Retrieved November 6, 2018.
  11. ^ World Heritage Cultural Center (June 12, 2013). "Global Beats Stage - October 2009". mywhcc.org. Retrieved December 11, 2018.
  12. ^ McDonald, Megan (April 30, 2012). "The Wedding of the Decade and a Baby Shower". Sarasota Magazine. Retrieved December 28, 2018.
  13. ^ Weingarten, Abby (November 1, 2012). "Cooks at Home: Yara Shoemaker". Retrieved December 28, 2018.
  14. ^ "Michael Shoemaker's Wedding". Jasmyne Salazar. June 20, 2012. 5:02 minutes in. Retrieved December 28, 2018. {{cite episode}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |transcripturl= (help)
  15. ^ "Sneak peek of Yara's wedding-Jackie Evancho". Femme Rouge Magazine. June 27, 2012. 1:24 minutes in. Retrieved December 28, 2018.
  16. ^ McDonald, Megan (August 1, 2012). "Oh, Happy Day". Sarasotamagazine.com. Retrieved February 11, 2019.
  17. ^ "Layla Taj -Egyptian Cultural Dance Program". Retrieved December 28, 2018.
  18. ^ Brown, Chris (July 2011). "The Search for Cleopatra". National Geographic. Retrieved December 28, 2018.
  19. ^ "Film by Egyptian Dancer to Air on QPTV". The Queens Gazette. May 6, 2009. p. 32. Retrieved November 5, 2018.
  20. ^ "Layla Taj Ancient and Modern Dances of Egypt". Amazon.com. Retrieved November 5, 2018.
  21. ^ Taj, Layla, "Belly Dancing Berlin", Bennu, 1 (4): 8–9
  22. ^ Taj, Layla, "Stockholm, Sweden Belly Dance Festival (The Nile Group)", Bennu, 2 (3): 27–28
  23. ^ Taj, Layla, "Sukkah Ziyaeda, Coffee with Raquia Hassan, International Egyptian Master Teacher", Bennu, 3 (3): 10–12
  24. ^ Taj, Layla, "Put Your Best Face Forward", Bennu, 3 (1): 25–26
  25. ^ Taj, Layla (June 29, 2015). "The Difference Between Art and Entertainment". Linkedin.com. Retrieved November 5, 2018.
  26. ^ "Subject Guides: Dance 261: Orientation to Dance: Art vs Entertainment". Byu.edu. August 21, 2018. Retrieved November 2, 2018.
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