Rana is a Force of Nature

I came across Rana when I was researching Sufi whirling dance/ Sama’ online and Youtube kindly obliged. This was some 9-10 years ago and it took me that long to find my way to Rana’s workshop in Paris, first, then to commit to one week of the STOA summer school. Due to family commitments, namely, to my children as a single mother, I was unable to logistically stay for all three weeks, though I wished so much, whilst there, that I could have stayed for the whole three weeks.

My experience of the summer school was a cross between a spiritual retreat (the location, retreat building/ space itself, the delicious light vegetarian food, the quiet calm of the surrounding nature and the spiritual element of Sufi teaching) and an intense dance school. I grew-up with Sufi poetry, and had a wonderful Sufi teacher, a very calm, quiet spiritual man with gentle humour and, by the time I met and worked with him, was quite old and whilst long, deep and powerful, sessions and retreats were slow and had little instruction in terms of technique. Rana is, to me, first and foremost a dancer, an artist, strong and strict on technique and discipline. Her direct manner reminds me of teachers at my old drama school. She is direct in her instruction, at times uncouth, though never unkind or mean. Her intention to guide, both technically and spiritually, were clear to me at all times. Rana is young, compared to my former teacher who was in his late 80’s, and her energy is intensely bright, her opinions seem set and her conviction strong, and she is unafraid to dictate her boundaries. I found the latter especially, very inspiring, though appreciate it is not for everyone. If someone is too sensitive, or to put it differently: if they take instruction and criticism personally, then Rana is not for them (yet). Though as a woman of Middle Eastern origin, I found Rana’s defiant position, her tendency to direct instruction (both in the studio and out) and her ease with herself, her body and sensual presence, very powerful to witness.

My hope is firstly to return to the summer school to do at least two weeks, and to find somewhere in London where Rana may be interested in coming to give a workshop (!). I miss the quiet and calm at STOA, especially at mealtimes, as I now sit rushing through my meals with children swinging from the ceiling… One piece of advice: do not talk to Rana when she is eating 🙂