Omdat Darkview graag alle aspecten van een alternatieve levenstijl aan bod laat komen, stelde ik voor om Mahafsoun Foroogh te interviewen. Die naam doet niet meteen een belletje rinkelen? Dan is dit het ideale moment om wat meer over haar te weten te komen. Ik leerde miss Foroogh voor het eerst kennen via een andere getalenteerde vrouw : Nasha, de violiste van Arafel.Zij raadde mij en andere fans aan om een keer de Youtube filmpjes van miss Foroogh te bekijken.
Zo zag ik voor het eerst de vrij ongewone combinatie van twee dingen : metalmuziek....en buikdansen!
Sindsdien heb ik regelmatig contact met haar,en ze was dan ook erg enthousiast om aan dit interview mee te werken.
- First of all, on behalf of Darkview and myself : a very big thank you for wanting to do this interview.
It's a pleasure doing this interview! Thank you.
- You manage to combine the shredding riffs of metal with the delicate and sensual flow of bellydancing.A combination some might consider pretty unusual.
What first inspired you to take up bellydancing, and why did you choose metal instead of the more traditional music usually associated with this style of dance?
After falling in love with Ancient Egypt and its spirituality, I fell in love with the ancient art of Bellydance. At first I was dancing to traditional music, and found it perfect (and still do). However, around the same time, I discovered my love for metal music (mainly symphonic metal at first), and decided to add those two forces together, when finding that as I listen to the music, I was unconsciously moving my body to it. Finally I decided to officially dance to metal music, and it happened to make me feel like I should have done this all along.
I still without a doubt love traditional music. It is just a part of my culture. My grandfather, my father and I have always listened to traditional Persian, Azerbaijani and Arabic music. It is just a part of our family, therefore my love for it will always remain, no matter what music I dance to the most.
- When you first started dancing and shared your videos on Youtube and on other social media sites, how did people react? What are the most positive and negative responses you've had so far?
People reacted wonderfully actually. Not because my very first videos were "amazing", but because most people on the internet are not as evil as one might think. Sure, criticism comes once in a while, and of course, once in a while you will get an extremely empty and negative comment, however, you easily learn to look through such things. Especially when you're as busy and focussed as I am concerning what you do. You will simply find no time to waste on such things. So, keeping yourself busy with your passion, and knowing what does and does not deserve your time will ultimately make you a stronger person on the internet, and of course in life overall.
- You are an inspiration to a lot of artists : I have seen many drawings based on your image, and you frequently post some of the most beautiful portfolios I have ever seen on Facebook.
How does it feel to know that you inspire people? Which do you prefer, photoshoots or dancing?
Many people frequently comment on your beauty, does that ever make you feel uncomfortable?
I feel honoured when I receive these lovely gifts, drawings, painting and other work dedicated to me or cerated based on me. It truly makes me smile like a child in a candy store. Haha
It feels amazing and inspiring, to know that I can inspire someone by something that I absolutely love doing.
I prefer dancing, of course. It's the main passion.
I don't feel uncomfortable by people's wonderful comments. 
- You rocked out to Erock's (zie Youtube,nvdr.) metal version of the Harry Potter theme. It seemed like you had an absolute blast doing that. How does dancing make you feel, what does it mean to you?
How do you start working on a routine, does it involve alot of preparation or is it mostly more spontaneous and intuitive?
I was so inspired by his cover of the Harry Potter theme song that I listened to it around 10 times quickly, before I turned on my camera and attempted to dance to it.
Dancing makes me feel absolutely balanced. In the moment when I dance, there is nothing heavy on my mind. Only what matters. Emotions, feelings, often extreme ones. I do my best dancing when things are extreme. When I am extremely happy, extremely sad or hurt, extremely inspired. When I feel "normal", I do a "normal" job. Therefore I'm always aiming to keep my life at a hight, through searching for inspiration in everything around me. Music mainly... but also colours, scents, sights.
About my preparation... All of my dance videos have been improvisations. Sometimes small parts are choreographed, mostly the chorus of the songs. When I hear a song for the first time, I often know that I want to dance to it, so I take a note of the song in my journal and add it to the list. When I am in the studio, I go through that list and decide what song to dance to. I try not to repeat songs that I have danced to before, but I will start to redo some dances I have done, if the music means a lot to me. Now that I have the studio space and beautiful Vancouver nature to dance within, I wish to redo a lot of dances that I have done when I still had my home-made "studio".
- Do you have any tips for those of us who are considering taking up bellydancing?
I have spoken to a lot of women in my surroundings, and plenty of them are very much interested in getting started,they just hesitate because they feel they do not have the right size or shape for this style of dancing.
The first thing to lock in our minds before taking up bellydance is: Any woman can bellydance, despite her body size, shape, her skin colour, background, nationality, religion, etc. Bellydance is a woman's dance. It empowers us spiritually and physically. Even a non-spiritual person will feel at least the physical empowerment of this art form. How it allows women to gain confidence, and how it often gives women a positive body-image, meaning that they begin to see that they are indeed beautiful. That they are not "too skinny", "too fat", "too tall" or "too short". That they are Women, and they are perfect the way that they are.
Of course, I'm aware that a lot of men have taken up this art form. However, I am focussing on women in this case.
Also, a bellydancer doesn't have to be a performer. It is not the fact that I am a performer that makes me a bellydancer. I was a bellydancer as well, 5 years ago, when I was dancing alone in my room, in front of nothing but a small mirror. I did not suddenly become a bellydancer when I performed for the first time in front of a crowd, or uploaded my first bellydance video around 2 years ago. Bellydance is deeper than these things. You are a bellydancer, without having to dance in front of anyone. So, if you plan to just do it for the love of it, you can!
- You are a perfect example of someone who doesn't let herself be limited by certain unwritten rules when it comes to what you are supposed to look like when you listen to certain music, or what can and cannot be combined with each other.
Are there still things you would like to accomplish some day? What other interests would you like to pursue or combine if possible?
Thank you very much!
I believe that in art, rules exist to be broken. It's time that we openly combine things that we love, and proudly call it art.
Some day I hope to have enough performance experience and techniques to be able to teach others who are new to this field. As I always say, in any field of art, we have people who are above us, and below us. We can look up to and learn from those above us, and teach what we know to those below us. In this way we're in many ways evolving, and immortalizing this already-immortal art form.
- And lastly : anything you would like to say to your followers in Belgium and all over the world?
Much love to you, and thank you so much for the support!
- Thank you again for the interview, and good luck with the contest!
Miss Foroogh neemt momenteel deel aan een online-wedstrijd voor buikdansen. Je kan voor haar stemmen indien je wilt, en dit via de volgende link : http://www.ultimatebellydancer.com/videos.html?task=play&id=470
Je kan onderaan de video liken, elke like telt als een stem. Indien je de like knop niet meteen vind, even de pagina refreshen, dit zou moeten helpen.Als je graag Mahafsoun zelf aan het woord wil horen over de wedstrijd kan je terecht op haar videokanaal
Wil je graag nog meer weten over Mahafsoun Foroogh? Check dan ook even de volgende kanalen:
https://www.facebook.com/Mahafsoun
