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Art of Raqs

@art.of.raqs

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Casual clothing for serious movers and shakers.
Juniper Nichols, visual artist and raqs sharqi dancer in Aotearoa NZ
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Joy is absolutely vital for creating and sustaining progress. Celebrations are often expressions of identity, and can be powerful centers of renewal for the community. Rest is also resistance, as you bring your nervous system back into regulation. If a sense of peace is available, hold it and savor it - then serve your purpose from that place of strength. In dance, so often we are accessing a place of joy, even if we didn’t think that was possible before the music came on. Whether alone or in community, our dance can express every emotion - but it all comes back around again to joy. “She must express life, death, happiness, sorrow, love and anger, but above all she must have dignity.” - Taheya Carioca, 1971 This two sided design features the Art of Raqs logo on the back. #artofraqs #radicaljoy #tahiacarioca by @art.of.raqs
Sounds from Another Time Some things don’t resemble us by chance; they carry a piece of who we are For support please find the support link in my bio by @art.of.raqs
The world turned upside down…featuring Naemat’s backbend - although from this angle, it looks more like she’s flexing 💪 Paired with the inverted keffiyeh by the one and only @hirbawi Naemat Mokhtar (نعمت مختار) - what can I say, her backbends were just superhuman! Even compared to acrobats like Naima and Kaiti, Naemat really had a special sauce in this area. It almost overshadows her beautiful dancing in general. She is a bit of a bridge to the next phase of the Golden Era, dancing from the 50s into the early 70s. This two sided design features the Art of Raqs logo on the back. by @art.of.raqs
“Mom, why do you work on it upside down?” Ok, that’s attributing too much cognition to my little empty-noggin kitty (/affectionate), but why do I work on my tatreez upside down and turned around? The short answer is “because it’s a tote bag” so it’s the only way to reach the inside of the fabric, but why not rotate the pdf? I think I enjoy the mental challenge, exercising the spatial senses needed to count properly. Instead of right/left, I must think towards the edge/center, 3 spots away from the tip of the rose. A shift in perspective can be fun, and good for breaking mental shortcuts. What is bias, after all, if not a mental shortcut? #tatreez by @art.of.raqs
I’ve seen a lot of lines being drawn in the sand re: whether you can be in solidarity with liberation movements and also tolerate any sort of AI. As an AI hater, it’s tempting to agree, but who benefits from purity tests? What does self-determination really mean in this context? A caption is too short to dive in to this multifacted and important conversation, so please check out the blog post. Free Palestine. #artofraqs by @art.of.raqs
All profits from the Stay Golden collection go to @gazasoupkitchen This two sided design features the Art of Raqs “mosaic snowflake” on the back, with Badia Masabni and the Golden Era dancers influenced by her star-making power in the 1920s-1950s. The front design highlights Naima Akef (نعيمة عاكف), who has been called “the dancer’s dancer” because she is so often cited as a primary inspiration for the stars who followed. Her career was multifaceted, starting in the family circus. Speaking of family, her sister Fatima ended up in San Francisco’s cabarets, where she directly influenced the vintage scene of the Bay Area! Their cousin Ibrahim was the choreographer to the stars for generations, although his own dancing was, sadly, rarely captured on film. Naima is the best remembered of all, with her incredibly versatile talents and stylizations. #artofraqs by @art.of.raqs
This artwork shows a Palestinian woman rooted to the land, serene and immobile as she shows love and appreciation for the olive tree - symbol of steadfastness. Artist statement: أرسم اليوم ما تبقى في القلب من وطن.. لوحتي الجديدة « سيدة الأرض» أرسم الارادة التي لا تخذلنا يوما... والصبر الذي يحيط قلوبنا... والتمسك في الجذور مهما اقتلعوها... ان ألواني ولوحاتي هي محاولات للبقاء، وللحفاظ على تبقى من أرواحنا المتعبة... Today I paint what remains in my heart of my homeland... My new painting, “Lady of the Earth,” depicts the unwavering will that never fails us... and the patience that surrounds our hearts... and the steadfastness to our roots, no matter how hard they try to uproot us... My colors and paintings are attempts to survive, to preserve what remains of our weary souls... All profits from this product go to the artist, Reem Muhammad Al-Arqan. #artofraqs by @art.of.raqs
Ghawazee/fanana shabeya dance last weekend 🩷💙❤️💜 by @art.of.raqs
Hoda Shams el Din (هدى شمس الدين) was born in Egypt around 1925, and performed in at least 30 movies between 1945 and 1965, as well as Badia Masabni’s troupe. I haven’t found much biographical information available about her, but inspiring videos can be easily brought up with this transliterated version of her name. Studying the Golden Era, for me, is about learning to appreciate simplicity of different kinds (which is often harder than it sounds). I’m thinking of Hoda’s big, slow, exaggerated hip lifts, executed with that perfect sense of “I am enough.” I’m thinking of her long, loose hair, an easy but uncommon style for the time. Just show up and sparkle like Hoda! This two-sided design features the Art of Raqs logo on the back. #artofraqs #hodashamseldin #goldeneraraqssharqi by @art.of.raqs
Tatreez update: I messed up a bit on this part, slight miscounts. Tatreez takes attention, patience, and strategy - when to pick apart and start over, when to recalculate and adapt. Also, sharing what I’ve been listening to as I work. Pattern by @badancollective Memoir by Raja Shehadeh Podcast by @tatreeztalk by @art.of.raqs
A design inspired by traditional Palestinian tatreez in red, symbolizing love and belonging. Carry a piece of Palestine’s heritage with you wherever you go. All profit from this product goes to the artist, Ebaa El-khoudary. #artofraqs #tatreez #freepalestine🇵🇸 #artfromgaza by @art.of.raqs
Starting my first proper tatreez pattern, from @badancollective 💐 Threads carry memory, and in this case I am using up colors from a project I did 30 years ago. My decades long craft hiatus is ending. I think I stopped because it’s hard to put down a project once I get going! I have work to do! But craft is important too, especially when it’s meaningful. The old skeins are from a needlepoint pillowcase I made for my grandmother, and after she passed, I cut it up and used it as the base for my mom’s homemade Christmas stocking. The original pattern was based on Monet’s water lilies, and the Badan garden pattern has several of the same colors. I’m starting with green instead of burgundy for the central accent color, but I will go buy new threads as needed to match the culturally significant floral patterns (and snails!) representing Badan Collective stitchers from various regions of Palestine. I count myself as another non-Palestinian bird visiting the garden pattern. #tatreez #threadsoflove #threadsoftradition #needlework by @art.of.raqs

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