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 In May of 1993, Narah saw a
group of Belly Dancers perform at a festival in Hurricane, WV. As soon
as she saw them, she knew she had to bellydance. Shortly after, she began
lessons with Amie Lamborn and has been dancing ever since. Her first
performance was a few months after seeing the Belly Dancers at the festival. Coming
from a cheerleading background, performing was not new and her love of this
dance kept her practicing constantly.
She began teaching
regular belly dance classes
in 1997, and has taught regular classes in Morgantown, WV,
Charleston, WV
(no longer there... please keep reading)
and at festivals in Pennsylvania, and Mississippi. Narah’s belly dance style is
Tribal Fusion- a blending of several belly dance forms. She uses the term
“Tribal Fusion” because she uses movements, frame work, music and costuming
elements of American Tribal Style as well as choosing her favorite Oriental
style movements and putting them in a Tribal context. Narah has learned from,
among others, the following well established
professional
belly dancers:
As an Occupational Therapist, Narah has been thoroughly trained in and is able to
apply the knowledge of anatomy, physiology, kinesiology, neurology, exercise
physiology, proper body mechanics, task analysis, sensory integration
and it's implications, adapting a motor learning program to individual
needs, assessing proper posture and alignment, and considering a person's
whole lifestyle when making recommendations. Her students appreciate her
precise break down of the movements and her ability to present several methods of learning a movement or series of
movements. She has been studying yoga since 1996 and has discovered new
principles about the body, mind and spirit in that time. She was
certified in Yoga
for the Special Child (TM) in 2004 and deepened her knowledge and
understanding of yoga and its healing properties. Her training as
an Occupational Therapist and study of yoga both compliment her Dance and her
abilities as a belly dance teacher.
From Narah:
"Through
belly dance, I reach my highest level. It is extremely spiritually,
emotionally, and physically healing for me, and is my passion. I am fascinated
by the history, costuming, culture, and music
surrounding the dance." These interests and her study of them gives depth
to her teaching and dance styles.
Currently, Narah is teaching
Belly Dance classes
in Morgantown, WV.
See the Classes page for more information. She moved to
Morgantown in 2002 and is no longer teaching
regularly in Charleston, WV.
Contact
Kali for
Charleston bellydance classes.
Narah and her students - the Tribe
of Fire- completed the
Fire of the Soul tour. This imaginative tour traveled throughout the North East US
inviting local guests to perform. A video of
selected performances of Narah throughout the tour is available! Be
sure to check out the Market Place
so you can see the sample clip and get a copy yourself.
Okhtee, a performance video by
Narah and her sister Jala
is now available! See the
Market Place to order and for a sneak peak of
the video!
Narah's profile on Tribe.net is
http://people.tribe.net/narahbintdurr
and on My Space is
www.myspace.com/narah.
She also moderates the
Earth Movement Studio Tribe
(join us for updates and discussions on Belly Dance, Holistic Health and
Creativity) and the
WV Belly
Dance Tribe (find out what is happening around the state and get to know
the commmunity). Check us out!
Testimonials
*“I have seen your website, and it's absolutely
fabulous. I can't say that I have seen a more magnificent and talented
Bellydancer than you! You look so graceful and elegant, dancing with strength
and beauty. You epitomize everything beautiful and graceful about Bellydancing.
You do have quite an impressive history and resume concerning Bellydance. I love
your clips, especially the clip of your DVD you and your sister Jala: You were
wearing an absolutely gorgeous outfit, and you and your sister seemed to become
one, and one with the dance. I was amazed at the clip of you, you were
fantastic! I must have danced to that video clip about 20 times!”
Ben Emberly, England
*“Narah:
I just wanted to tell you that I am a big fan of
your website! … I found a link to your website through joysofbellydancing.com
and I loved it. It was really informative and just by watching your clips; you
are the most talented belly dancer I have ever seen. I wish you all the best of
luck!!!
Zehara.”
*Hi Narah,
I have only just recently got broadband net
access... and have been searching for video clips of bellydancing to inspire
me. Yours was one of the first I found, and I just wanted to say how much your
dances inspired me. Particularly the first on your video page, Tribal Taxim.
INCREDIBLE snake like movement you have!!
... I can honestly say that what I have seen you
do is top of all the clips I have found. Your isolation and incredible posture
and the fact that you seem utterly 'earthed'. (oh and your camels!!) I love
it!! If only I lived near you!! (I’m in the UK)....
Many many thanks for such inspiration and
something to aspire to
Best wishes
Emily Xx
*Hi Narah, I just viewed your
videos on your website. Wow! you dance great! Glad to see that Tribal is alive
and well in W.V.!
Julie Davis
*Hi,
I have viewed your video clips online and you are a beautiful dancer
Kami Liddle
*Narah,
First I want to say that I love your site; your
site RAK’s. Second is that I am using some choreography snippets from your
Spirit of the Tribes video – I love the Mia’s with the pull down hands and the
Opening 3/4 turn and the closing Ľ turns – we are going to be performing this at
a local show and I want to give you credit for some of the choreography …
Again, you are a great inspiration to me and Keep doing what you’re doing.
Thanks
Christine Trochesset
*Hi Narah,
Regarding the performance video of you for Fire of
the Soul tour- will this DVD include the videos of you on your website?
They are amazing! Especially your Solo with
Khafif at Tribally Inspired.
… I am looking forward to your combinations and
Unique layers dvd also!!!!
Thanks
Brenda T
*Dear Narah:
Just found your website through a link from a
message on the Bellydance Yahoo Group from Jessica with Hipnosis. You are very
lovely and talented. I love your website and was impressed by your video clips.
Let me know if you ever do a DVD or Video of the Improv Skills or if you are
ever in CO for a workshop …
Happy Dancing! Tahara (aka Teresa Wright)
*Hello Narah,
My friends and I saw you dance the lullabye in Florida and we were so enchanted
that we did a version of it down here in Arkansas. Hope you don't mind. …
Just wanted to say thank you for the inspiration to break into something
different for us!
Namaste
Sherri
*Moving Art…
Hello, I think your dancing style is the most
beautiful style I've ever seen! I would love to learn this style of belly
dancing. I know there are many different styles to choose from to study, and
this style really interests
me… Thank you
Jessica
*hi Narah,
… I decided to check out your site and pick up a
DVD. Beautiful website, and the clips are gorgeous!
many thanks,
Carrie
www.manitobatribal.com
*[the clips] are great! I love tribal!
Amulya
*Hello Narah,
I'm from Quebec Canada. I discovered tribal belly
dance a few weeks ago.
I particularly love your video clips!
I just want to tell you that you're a very great
dancer, this has been
a wonderful and delicious watch, i took a great
pleasure to see such
beautiful dance. You have a very personal
style!
long life to you and your beautiful art !
a pure delight to my eyes and soul !
Christiane ( i'm a dance lover for a long time)
*Thank you again for the invitation [to perform at
the Rosewood].
I had a lot of fun last night. All your students did a magnificent job,
and you were simply amazing. You are a true master of your art.
Bright Moments,
Shawn
Hi Narah,
I really liked your research. You HAVE done your
homework!!!
Thanks.
Phoenix
*''Ca$h'' Clips Indeed...
To say the least, the best thing that has been
added online in a while, as far as I'm concerned. You could be considered the
''Rachel Brice East of the Mississippi River''. :)
The begin[ning] clips were nice for ''slo-mo'' fans, and the dark backdrop was
genius in making your attire stand out.
The torso isos and upper bodywork crakced me up, I thought I was watching a
machine. The ''pops and locks'' theory really comes into effect. And it's nice
to see a woman with a 6pack show that you can have flexibility and fluidity in
abdominal isolations (I bet you don’t lose many belly-rolling challenges between
your students and friends?)
I scrolled down the page to find that your first performances were way back in
1993, which means you've been at it since 17? Guess what, it shows. And, pretty
damn good at that.
Good going. Hopefully, there'll be more down the road (and or a vid/DVd or
two)...
B.
PS--I can’t believe you pulled off that ''90-degree angle'' backbend.
Wow...wow..let me think of another...wow! :)
*First of all, love the video clips! Your taxim
had me completely mesmerized. Lovely, Lovely, Lovely!
Sharon Moore (Infusion Tribal Bellydance)
*The performances [in Okhtee]
were amazing, I liked the one with the finger chimes, I knew you were a drummer
at heart :) Jimmy White, graphic artist and drummer
*…I got the [Okhtee] dvd and I LOVED it. I really like the set you guys made,
it's simple but it added a great feel to the whole thing. I was bragging about
it to [some friends] last weekend … Jay Y
*Your performance video [Okhtee]
is just beautiful! Fran A
*I REALLY ENJOYED THE [Okhtee]
DVD!!!! I HOPE TO SEE MORE “FUSION” DVDS COME OUT AAA++++++ jladyinblack
From Tribe.net ...
Re: Has anybody heard of Narah and Jala in
tribalbellydance.net
I've not seen the video, but have seen them both dance many
times over the years (and have taken a few classes with Narah). They are lovely
dancers. I am interested to see the instructional video Narah is offering as
well, as I always enjoyed her classes. Basina
Re: Has anybody heard of Narah and Jala in
tribalbellydance.net
I am a former student of Narah's. I know firsthand her work
as a dancer and choreographer. I can say without hesitation that she is a
beautiful dancer and a knowledgeable instructor.
Her training as a therapist (occupational) enhances her
natural ability to make every move a teaching moment. My students became
motivated to put that extra effort into their dance after seeing her perform
during her "Fire of the Soul Tour".
I have not seen the DVD, however, I plan to order it. I know
Narah's work well enough to know that watching her perform will inspire me to go
that extra mile with my own dancing.
Narah bint Durr!!!! I cannot say enough about her as a teacher!
One of the things that makes her such a wonderful teacher is her ability to
teach you to understand your body's relationship to the dance! I learned that
although my Maya didn't look exactly like hers--we do not have the same body
structure--that it had a beauty of its own that belongs completely to me as a
dancer. I do my best to pass this on to the women I now dance with.
Narah is awesome!!!
Kali
Re: Has anybody heard of Narah and Jala in
tribalbellydance.net
I actually just got to take a workshop with Narah last
weekend and they had the DVD for sale. I didn't buy it but can speak to her
amazing skill. I can't imagine that their DVD is anything but breathtaking. And
as sisters they have beautiful chemistry together. Melly
Re: Has anybody heard of Narah and Jala in
tribalbellydance.net
I am a current student of Narah and must say she is an
incredible, beautiful dancer. Her control and execution of movements and
isolations is phenomenal. I think her style really shines in the slow tempo
numbers--absolutely beautiful! She's a wonderful dancer and instructor--not that
I am biased or anything *wink*.
…
Yes, Narah is awesome!
Wendy Sites
Re: Has anybody heard of Narah and Jala in
tribalbellydance.net
Narah was in Khafif before she left to pursue her fabulous
career as a solo dancer and move to San Francisco! I haven't seen the video, but
I imagine it will be as lovely as Narah is!
Claire Litton
*Hi,
Just wanted to let you know
how much I have enjoyed your site and especially the video clips which i must
have watched a dozen times at least. I really like your style of dancing, you
are very good indeed.
… just wanted to let you
know that your talents are appreciated even over here!!! Leeds, West Yorkshire,
England.
Regards Helen.x
*Hi Narah. I am a spanish girl. I speak english
very bad, but I desire you to understand me.
I see your page in internet and I love how you
dance.....It´s beautiful....I am learning belly dance and I am very interested
in see more videos of you.... My question is; You have videos here in Spain?
Thank you, and go on dance!
Kisses
Mónica
*Hi
Narah! Heard your performance in KY was amazing!
ziah ali –
www.tribalbellydance.com
*Hi Narah,
Thanks for performing in the show this weekend. I
had so many people come up to me and say you blew them away and beyond!
Teresa Tomb (Rakadu Gypsy Dance-
www.meccadance.com)
*Narah,
First of all, I want to tell you that I love your
dancing. It mesmerizes me and has made me become so interested in belly
dancing...
Deb
From the Tribal
Bellydance Yahoo group:
<<At the time
I thought she had an odd teaching style, she required
her students to bring note-books to
her regular class. anyone heard
of this?>>
Heyla,
No never heard of it before,
however, I do it with my group.
I think this came about for two
reasons. One, I had a wonderful
teacher--Narah--who is a fountain of
knowledge when it comes to
dance. She happily shared everything
she knew with her students.
She shared articles she wrote and
books she had bought. I
started "keeping track" of the
information she shared. To this day I
value all that I've learned from her
and have the notes to prove it!
<VBG>
Kali
*Narah
[is] an amazing dancer!
Ziah Ali, director of
Awalim dance company
*Narah and her students had a terrific performance
[at the DC Fire of the Soul Show]. My personal favorite was watching Narah dance
with a tray of candles balanced on her head - her slow and fluid movements
mesmerized me.
Aloha,
Kaihea
*Oh, I love the Narah clips on this site (www.amulya.info/bellydancenet)as
well!
Satya
*My teacher (Narah bint Durr) offers a fantastic
workshop for this exact problem [feeling "shy and stuck"]. She helps you learn
to improvise. She is about to release a dvd, well several dvds, but one of
them is on learning to improvise, basically taking the workshop and putting it
into dvd format. it was her workshop that made me be able to put all the
different moves I have learned together and actually dance. I am kind of shy
like you and I felt the same way, but now I am actually going on tour with
her!
Genevieve
Oh you lucky woman [for having Narah as a
teacher]. Narah is a beautiful dancer. Thanks for the heads up on the dvd's. I
will pre-order mine. I love the way Narah dances. Julie
*A super big thank you to Narah for organizing a
great show with such a diverse range of different dancers! We didn't get to see
everyone perform, but the acts we did catch were amazing and we got a little
sneak peak of the video footage at the hafla... I can't wait to see the finished
dvd! Bronwen C.
*Narah, I went to your site and your videos show
that you have much talent to share with the bay area. I can't wait to meet you
in the spring, Good luck with the tour! Kari N.
*Narah just performed at our belly jam over the
weekend and she's AWESOME!!! Vikki, Hypnosis
www.tribalbellies.com
OMG..Vikki..awesome is an understatement. That
Maya/Shimmy thing she does just blows me away. Anne Marie
*Just watched the clip. Great dancing until the
"maya/shimmy with the sideways micro-glide" thingie and then it was like,
WOWIE! Blew me away...
Oh, how to describe it... your head stays at the same level but you sort of
"walk" your feet bit by bit to the side and it looks like you're floating
sideways. Oh, and you do a maya shimmy all along.
The floating reminds me of the Moiseyev Dance company dance performance I saw
as a child where these figures with long dark cloaks hiding their feet go
"gliding" around the stage. They look like they are floating. Same feeling
with Narah!
Thanks for sharing the link, Anne Marie! You livened up my lunch.
- Maura
*I really recommend Narah. She danced with us in
Khafif for a few years. She's
a beautiful dancer, a joy to play music for (I'm a drummer), and also a kind
friend.
-Safiya
from Khafif
*Kali: Narah is my former teacher and we're
still very good friends. She's an awesome person and a breath-taking dancer!
Emily: You are sooo lucky to have learned
with Narah!! Tribal isn't that big over here - i think there are only a couple
of teachers doing it and from what i can see they are nothing like Narah OR
Rachel in their technique at all.
Kali:
Yes, I count myself among the "lucky" when it
comes to Narah! She is knowledgeable on many of the variations of tribal/tribal
fusion.
<<i think there are only a couple of teachers doing it and from what i can see
they are nothing like Narah OR Rachel in their technique >>
I think it is safe to say that many tribal dancers start with a good
foundation--either ATS or Egyptian Cabaret--and then move on to other Tribal
Fusions. Chances are you are seeing the tribal style that is the "good
foundation". Narah started there as well and taught from that foundation--giving
her dancers an excellent start!<VBG>
*My friend (and inspiration!) Narah tempted me
back into the dance world with a Goth duet. The performance was an *inspiring*
experience for me-- I remember now why I was so enchanted by this dance to begin
with!
Jaya
*I enjoyed seeing you and your students perform
this weekend. You are very creative! Kari Merlina
*I watched the clip from "Fire of the
Soul" WOW you're amazing!
Jimmy White
*I must say that I was completely entranced by
your video clips ... wow! Johara
*Narah, I just viewed your performance video.
I must admit that I turned to jelly. What beautiful dance and moves.
Just a compliment from an admirer. - F
*After giving a good look-thru [the Fire of the Soul DVD], maybe you should
offer a seperate DVD on bellyroll/undulation breakdowns, that would be a
friggin' collectors' item. :D
The 2 bonus troupe features was a nice addition too.
Any chance to see a bellydancer add props and floorwork (and flawlessly, I
might add) is a bonus, because some people can learn or develop things better
by seeing it in a perform DVD than an instructional DVD.
Good Job,
Brandon F. Johnson :)
Narah bint Durr… I don't profess to know
her well enough to speak for her, but I have met her and she's great. Carole
I have actually taken a workshop with Narah
as well as seen her perform and she is amazing. Anne Marie
[Narah] also had a performance last evening
to benefit disaster victims. As always, Narah was magnificent. If you ever get
an opportunity to watch her dance, you should take it. :) Karnsy Kimble
Hi Narah,
It was awesome seeing you dance again, and meeting you! I've seen you
dance before, but it was a looong time ago, as I mentioned, and I remember
you rocked back then, too, but it was great to refresh my memory and see
you dance again on Saturday. I'll be checking out your website in a few
minutes!
You are truly a wonderful, talented dancer, and I look forward to watching
you again someday!
:)
Amethyst |
(in response to "Dancers we Admire on
Tribe) Narah bint Durr, whom I have spoken to online, and hope to meet in person
soon. A lovely dancer, and a real sweetheart. ~ Rebecca
i love your style of dance!!!! my favorite
is when you danced to the cures lullaby!!!! ~Nina C
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I love this woman!!! she's a very excellent
dancer and she dances to the cure!!! a + in my book! ~Nina C |
*" Hi Narah,
I took the Tuesday night class from Jala, and it was wonderful! I am really
enjoying this, and my body feels wonderful from the stretches and moving muscles
that I don't normally use. I'm already feeling more conscious of my posture. :)
...
I'm really excited about learning, and the class atmosphere is so nice.
There are so many different shapes of girls, but we are all learning, so it
puts us all on basically the same level. That makes it wonderful.
Hope you are having a good week. Look forward to hearing from you soon.
Blessings,
Selena"
*Hi Narah,
saw you dance at the Hipnosis belly jam in PA last winter. I really love your
work!
Cassie
*I really like your site and amazing
video clips, and eager to order your DVD Fire of the Soul and Okhtee. ... Your
technique is unique and I was shocked seeing your dancing in such a ....
hypnotysing way. Wrong word, but I believe you'll understand what I mean :)
Many Russian dancers saw your video
and said you're stunning and your clips are captivating! Keep up [the] amazing
dance!
You're great dancer!
Thank you,
Alyona
*I just saw a video of your
isolations...B-E-A-U-TIFUL!!!! ~LaRa
*I saw you on a video clip (Tribal Taqsim) like a year ago and then found it
again last night. You're fabulous! ~Elina
*The young troupe of gals from Morgantown did a great candle dance [at the
Elements show in Pittsburgh] in honor of fire and chose some great movement
combinations. ~Jessica
* I thought your students put on a wonderful performance [at the Elements
show]! ~Rowan Rose
*I have seen a couple of video clips of your dancing on Yasminas joy of Belly
dancing. WOW, really cool moves. The arm movements are amazing. ~Amunet
*Hi
Narah, I think your dancing is awesome! ~Carina
*Your dancing is beautiful and inspiring.
~Natalie O.
*I just caught one of your video's on youtube. You are amazing! I just wanted
to send you a little fan note and tell you that I think your a star. Best,
Leslie
Hello Narah!
I just wanted to tell You that You are a very good bellydancer!! Your dance
is so amazing 
...From Lina "Snövit" in Sweden
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