The Egyptian Dance by Giselle Kenj

Giselle Kenj is the daughter of Arabian parents. She has been dancing since she was six years old. She discovered her own style in Egyptian Dancing, reading books, consulting Egyptologists and other specialists, studying the culture, people and their traditions, philosophy. Making a profound study of gestures and dancing, she has become the pioneer in this area not just in Brazil but also in Europe.

Folkloric Arabian Dances and Bedouin Dance are performed in their essence. Giselle Kenj tries to keep alive the art of her great-grandfather Nicolau Moukbel, lebanese, an artist, he was famous as a craftsman and a dancer. One of his works was the wooden-craft in the Achraflé Park in Lebanon. He became famous as a dancer performing The Sword Dance.

“Everything is fascinating when you revive and try history”

Giselle is a dancer, teacher and therapist, graduated in biology, classical and folkloric oriental dance, modern ballet and music.

As a choreographer, she teaches in courses, workshops, enabling and awakening the consciousness and the objective of the human body language. Besides the participation in the TV commercials, Giselle created and presented the video material about the body therapy for the Brazilian television, the TV show Amaury Jr. for “Banderantes” in 1997/1998.

She graduates lots of belly dancers working currently, and leads and performs with her company in the best Arabian houses in Sao Paulo.

Giselle Kenj goes in tours in Europe since 1996, performing once a year in two or three countries. She performed in France, Germany, Switzerland, Holland, UK, Spain and Ireland. Nowadays she is dedicating a big share of her time to her performances, courses and workshops, promoting the benefits of the ancient culture to the general public.

She collaborated with the “Orient Express” Magazine from 1997 until March 2005. “Orient Express” is the media dedicated to the Arabian community in Brazil.

Giselle created the Giselle Kenj Co. in 2007, and still this year she’s launching her pop and world music cd, when she sings in Portuguese, Arabic, French and English. Some songs can be heard at Tantra lounge, double cd Tantra, Spirit of Belly dance, Buddha lounge 8 e Spirit of Buddha from Azul Music.

Since 2001 she performs at Tantra restaurant (www.tantrarestaurante.com.br) with music live. Every Saturday at Tantra Vila Olimpia, every Fridays at Tantra Granja Viana, every Thursdays at Tantra Tatuapé and every Wednesday at Tantra ABC. She performs at Dunas Bar (www.dunasbar.com.br) on Sundays.

TATTOO

HORUS’ EYE

Tattooed on belly, above the navel.

The amulet of “Horus’ Eye” or Utchat is one of the most well known Egyptian talismans. The use of it seems to be Universal in all the times. Although the rubric of one of the Chapters of the Book of Dead (CXL) claims that it was made from lazulite or from the Mac stone, it has been made from gold, silver, granite, hematite, lazulite, porcelain, wood and other materials. There are two kinds of “ Utchats”, the one which is looking to the left and another is looking to the right. Together they represent the Horus’ eyes.

According to one ancient script, one of them was white and the other one was black. From another point of view, one eye represents the Sun and other represents the Moon, or Ra and Osiris respectively. Generally speaking, when Egyptians used Utchat as an amulet, they believed that it gave them power, strength, protection, the feeling of security, health and other similar qualities. They were registering the image of the eye of Horus in their minds, probably visualizing the white color or the Sun (Ra).

The tattoo was made by: F. Tatoo

LOTUS FLOWER

Lotus flowers had been tattoed at the lumbar area, on the right side of the body.

Each Egyptian Temple had its` pool with lotus, because lotus had always been the sacred symbol of spiritual awakening. Although the roots of it are formatted in the mud below the water, it blooms towards the sun. The root of lotus knows what does the flower “see”, getting information through the stem.

The humanity experiences the “earth” (physical) body between the birth and the death. This body is the root of the lotus flower. Everyone lets his/her body sleep and little of us remember what we have done outside of the Earth . Thus we are washed by the “Waters of Forgetfulness “. Some of us visit places illuminated by light but just those who have the memory channel – the stem of lotus – bring to the Earth what they have seen in the Light.

“ A bud of lotus can feel the Light and acknowledge its` presence. But it is not open to it. There is still along way to go. It is a symbol of the person who is in his/her first life of training in the Temple. A bud which is opening itself, showing its` petals embodies the symbol of someone who has passed through the first test of initiation. The half-opened flower embodies the one who has been totally trained for the sacred life. The fully opened flower embodies someone who has all the power; one can have on the Earth”.

“This is a search for the Highest Spirituality”.

The tattoo was made by: Patrick Grohmann

NURENAHAR, THE EGYPTIAN

Nurenahar, Al Másriê is written in Arabic, at the front part of the left ankle.

The name Nurenahar ( Nur – light/nahar – dia) means “ the light of the day”. Those who are more romantic say that it means “ the first light of the day”.

The tattoo was made by: Patrick Grohmann

Botu ( snake with wings ) and the piramid with eye of  Ra
The tattoo was made by: Edinho.