My life as an oriental dancer during the Covid

Thanks to Maïssane NARJIS, oriental dancer and teacher, for sharing with us in all sincerity her moods, struggles and the reality of her life as an artist during this unique period.

How have you lived this health crisis as a Bellydance artist from a personal and professional perspective?

First of all, thanks to your Bellydance store for giving artists the opportunity to express themselves freely on this subject and I will take this opportunity to answer honestly. My speech is of course my own and my colleagues in the world of oriental dance and entertainment are free to identify with my experience or not.
These 2 years of Covid have been trying.  It takes passion and courage to stand up to a period when nothing was possible in our domain of activity which was hit hard by the crisis and the many organizational constraints that resulted from it. We constantly had to adapt, even when the restrictions changed on a weekly basis and ended up no longer understanding neither the meaning nor the purpose despite a great will. Sometimes it was enough to drive you crazy!
 I'm not going to go back over the crisis' impacts; the establishments closings and career changes of several artists speak for themselves.
What affected me the most was the human aspect and the general indifference with which we were treated. From the start of this pandemic, artists, like so many other jobs that I do not forget, have been largely forgotten by society.  
The solidarity enthusiasm at the beginning of the crisis faded as the situation escalated, giving way to individualism and social division.
We were categorized with violence and contempt as a "non-essential" profession. But then, how can we claim to live in a civilization if there is no art? We carry out some artistic work with national influence, we give a cultural education that forges minds, we create social ties, we work for associative and charitable initiatives, we spread love where it is lacking, we reconcile populations, we prevent physical and mental illnesses, we stimulate vocations and create tomorrow's talents... on top of participating in developing jobs and driving a country's economy.
To conclude, this period was similar to real roller coasters. But there were also lots of positives, including my students' hard core who showed me unwavering consideration and trust, as well as the dancers' community where I was able to find comfort and real support ( they will know who they are). At the end of these 2 years, I have developed many skills, in particular resilience and patience.
I am also pleased with one thing: to never have lost sight of the respect and love for the art of oriental dance, to have not sold it off and despite the difficulties, to have always acted responsibly in my soul and conscience.
I'm coming out of this complicated period more confident. I now know how strong I am to resist life's contingencies and I still have a lot to give. So, I'm looking forward to the future because better days are coming. Deep down, I'm idealistic and truly believe in life's justice. Something will click and those who have held on so far and continued to sow positive will be rewarded!

After 2 canceled editions, how do you approach the resumption of your Bellydance festival "L'Orient dans tous ses Etats"? What and why will be this particular edition's keyword?

2 successive years of postponing a festival, that's not nothing for an organizer. I think most people don't really realize what's at stakes and imagine that it's just about changing the dates. Above all, postponing an event means down payments and costs definitively lost.  
In my case, I made the choice (and was able) to reimburse the participants who wanted to at the confinement in 2020 and the announcement of the new postponement date in 2022, which seemed to me more ethical despite not being responsible for this situation. I also decided to keep my rates for workshops and shows despite the increase of some fixed costs. To this was added the participants' demotivation for different reasons: those who moved on, who became accustomed to no longer planning or even going out, who suffered financially from the crisis like us...
All these imponderables weaken an event, weigh on the budget and make a postponement's organization very complicated, tiring and unnerving.
If I made the choice despite all these difficulties to maintain my Bellydance event, it is because its message is more important than all the challenges it faced. It is also because all the participants (trainees, artists and audience) who travel from all over France trust my organization and waited 2 years in the hope of finding each other. Finally, it's because the people I love have always encouraged me to continue to believe in it and new participants decided to join in 2022!
 So, for good or bad, my Bellydance festival takes on a whole new dimension and I decided to see this edition as a resurrection, a return to real life and the end of this period we have just lived thru.
"L'Orient dans tous ses États" carries a powerful message: that of openness to others, a meeting between cultures, diversity and living together. Indeed, through its programming, it is a real ode to the richness of Oriental Dance and its ability to evolve and meet other disciplines (modern'jazz and reggaeton, bollywood, tribal fusion and urban dances) which is celebrated. Whether it's through the organized workshops or the show, there is something for everyone, ages and levels!

What other actions are you going to put in place in the future to keep on energizing Bellydance and allowing it to recover and regain its former glory after this Covid-19 ordeal?

I have 1000 ideas in mind for the next few years and it has been very frustrating, since I'm hyperactive and creative by nature, to not being able to project myself in recent months. First, I will continue to work locally in my Bellydance classes, workshops and events in Toulouse. I also plan to travel more regularly to Paris and Bordeaux starting next season, two cities where I have a strong community that follows me, to offer various oriental dance workshops. For everything else I still have lots of projects but I'm waiting for the health situation to lighten and for the general enthusiasm to come back even stronger before announcing anything. My motivation has always been to give back to Bellydance what it offered me, and that's what I want to pass on with all my heart to my audience.


Discover Maïssane in a video: