About
Hadia is a dancer’s dancer — in every sense of the word, and truly one of Canada’s natural jewels.
She has the energy of a five-year-old, the wisdom of an old woman, and the ageless spirit of a true dancer.
In great demand as a performer, master instructor and choreographer, Hadia has achieved recognition and renown among her peers around the world as recipient of the prestigious global Woman of Vision – Arts, Entertainment and Culture (2002), and the winner of the International Association of Middle Eastern Dance Best Choreographer Award (2000) and Best Modern Egyptian Dancer (2003), Middle Eastern Dance Lifetime Acheivement Award (2003) as well as the Giza Academy Award for Best Instructional Videos (1999).
Hadia’s forty-year career as a professional dancer began with extracurricular studies of classical, contemporary, jazz, and Middle Eastern Dance while completing her Theater Degree at the University of British Columbia, Vancouver, B.C., Canada.
Initially inspired by the Initially inspired by the legendary Badawia of Jordan, frequent study and performing tours to the Middle East enabled her to further develop her skills and absorb the richness of Middle Eastern dance, music and culture within the countries of origin. Hadia has studied and worked with many of the great masters of Oriental dance and Folklore, including Nadia Gamal, Dina, Ibrahim Akef, Dr. Farideh Fahmy, Mona Said, Zohair Zeki, Raqia Hassan, Ibrahim Farrah, Ahmad Jarjour, and the National Folkloric Company of Egypt (Kohmeya). Her understanding and mastery of the very soul of Raks Sharqi and her innate ability to weave the subtle nuances and textures of oriental music into movement have earned her an international reputation as an exquisite performer of impeccable quality.
Hadia’s choreographic brilliance has taken life through numerous works presented by her sophisticated and dynamic “Aiwa Arabic Dance Ensemble”. Amoung the most memorable of these was the “Journey on the Orient Express” in November, 2003. Hadia and her company shared the stage of the prestigious Jack Singer Theater with The Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra. Tchaikovsky’s “Arabian Dance” from the Nutcracker, “Dance of the Persian Slaves” by Mussorgsky and the “Bacchanale” from Samson and Delilah by Saint-Saens were transformed into a journey into the heart of oriental dance. She has also gained recognition for her ground-breaking fusion of Oriental, ROM and Flamenco Dance.
The Moorish influence so evident in Spanish music soon drew Hadia, into the world of flamenco. For the past twenty two years, this passionate and explosive art form has remained her “other” love. While living in Madrid for several years, she studied with flamenco’s greatest masters including Ciro, Merche Esmerelda, Manolete Amaya, La Tati, Eva La Yerbabuena, Manolo Marin, Antonio Granjero, Antonio Marquez, Maria Bermudez, Matilde Coral, Ana Maria Lopez and Maria Magdalena. In collaboration with Oscar Nieto, Hadia co-founded ‘Mozaico Flamenco’ Dance Company.
Hadia has also spent fifteen years studying African and Brazilian Dance, while Latin and Polynesian dance put the finishing touches on her exciting and eclectic career.
After many years entirely devoted to dance, Hadia returned to Canada to become a Registered Massage Therapist. She now instructs accredited post-graduate seminars in Massage and Manual Therapy Techniques through Kine-Concept Institute, and skillfully applies her extensive knowledge of anatomy and kinesiology to create thorough, clear, and disciplined breakdowns of dance techniques that are not only safe for but also healing to the body. Hadia has a fullness and depth to her teaching that challenges, inspires and accommodates all levels of students, from novice to professional. Dedicated to educating dancers, all that she knows she willingly shares.
In great demand internationally as a performer, master instructor and choreographer, Hadia continues to tour throughout the Middle East, including Egypt, Tunisia, Morocco, and Syria; Europe (England, Belgium, Holland, Germany, France, Luxembourg, Spain, Italy, Greece, Czech Republic, Hungary); Turkey; The Far East (Korea, Hong Kong, Japan, Bali) ; Australia and New Zealand; Canada and the US; Mexico and South America, including Brazil, Argentina and Chile.
Hadia also conducts dance-oriented tours to the Middle East and Turkey, as well as week-long intensive courses in Professional Oriental Dance Training and Development and Certified Teacher Training Programs in such exotic locations as Acapulco, Bali and Europe, as well as her from her home in Lunenburg, Nova Scotia, and many other locations throughout North America.
Hadia has certainly demonstrated her tireless dedication to her dreams, while continuing to inspire those around her to follow in her graceful footsteps.
