هي  Hiya Bellydance  رقص  

Many dancers decide to take a stage name once they become more established in their art. Much thought can go into this choice of name. Dancers often choose a name that is reflective of certain attributes they wish to portray with their dance. I had a slightly different idea in mind. Typically I do not actually perform under this name or introduce myself as 'Hiya' since I do not have any Arabic ancestry.  Rather, I perform under my own given name.  Hiya has a presence in my practice simply out of a love for a character in a novel...

 

Hiya is taken from the great adventure novel, SHE, by Sir H. Rider Haggard, which first appeared in novel form in 1887. With elements of romance, history, language and culture adding to its richness, the story centers around the characters Leo Vincey and his adoptive father, Horace Holly. Leo and Holly travel from their native England to Africa to determine for themselves if there is any truth to the claim of Leo's anscestors: that there is an immortal 'white sorceress' who has ruled an obscure tribe since the glory of ancient Egypt. 

 

This sorceress, Ayesha, who has kept herself veiled for hundreds of years is an Arabic princess and is known to her subjects simply as 'Hiya,' which is Arabic for 'She.' This title is short for the full 'She Who Must Be Obeyed.'

 

The elements of Hiya's Arabic heritage and Egyptian history drew me in. Additionally, I have lost countless nights of sleep reading and re-reading this great romantic adventure since my childhood, when my father first read it to me. Every read is like the first one. Who doesn't love to escape into a great adventure story?  

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To see photos representative of my bellydance journey in performance from beginnings to present, more professional endeavors,  take a look at the photo gallery!