Living and working there , I found myself beginning to better understand my husband ’ s German heritage and culture . I heard enough Turkish to start to understand the gist of conversations , although I could not respond in Turkish or German . I also found culture and customs in parallel with being raised Japanese-American in terms of respectful essential human conduct and social mores of supportive collaboration as fundamental to social expectations shared by Turkish people . To this day , to my wonderment , when I read the subtitles of Turkish , German , or Japanese movies and listen to these languages - I find myself commenting and saying : “ That is not an accurate translation . There is a nuanced difference in the conversation and situation that is culturally different from what can be conveyed in an English translation .” When I do this today , I get a rush of warm feelings of comfort – much as I did when I was embraced and accepted by the Turkish people in Germany , just as I felt when I was embraced by Japanese dancers in my Tokyo workshops as we shared heritage and cultural perspective .
I hope you enjoy the Flash Mob in the Nuremberg plaza sharing and collaborating to create music and song ( https :// youtu . be / a23945btJYw ). This momentous event shows life in better times when we could share music and song shoulder-to-shoulder – before the age of COVID-19 virus restrictions of social distancing . It will bring a smile to your face and is heartwarming to think of so many people sharing a joyous time on one sunny day in Nuremberg , Germany . This feeling summarizes the joyful feeling I had when I danced in Germany – so many years ago . Music and dance shared with others , indeed , transcends language and culture . Thus , my motto : “ Do what you love and share your passion with others .” I ’ m glad I did , and I hold dearly many beautiful memories – some I ’ ve shared with you now .
MA * SHUQA MIRA MURJAN & CARL SERMON
Ma * Shuqa Mira Murjan has been performing , teaching , and coaching for over 45 years . Her Ma * Shuqa Method gives dancers a structure for developing improvised choreography while performing with individualized styling . Her workshop is perfect for teachers and dancers who want to enhance performance dynamics and styling . She has authored many articles on aspects of professionalism and performance in Middle Eastern dance – including a key work entitled “ Raqs Sharqi Improvisational Taqasim Dance Part 2 : The Performance Intersection of Music , Raqs Sharqi , and Tarab ” found at www . MaShuqa . com . Ma * Shuqa offers dancers extended study opportunity through her Diva Dancer Professional Development Workshops which offer dancers topics on cultural aspects of music , rhythm , and dance theory to enhance their weekly studies and performances . As a dance photographer – what she sees through the camera lens reflects a dancer ’ s professionalism . Her husband , Carl Sermon , is well-known for his festival and performance photography of Oriental dancers . Ma * Shuqa and Carl work together to provide artistic direction and performance photography for photo sessions with Oriental dancers . See their work in The Belly Dance Chronicles magazine , The GildedSerpent . com E-zine , and www . CarlSermonPhotography . Zenfolio . com
34 The Belly Dance Chronicles � October 2020