Lulu Sabong started her studies in 1983, with Sherahzad, Armenia residing in Brazil, with whom she learned the principles of Oriental Dance. This was her only teacher in Brazil and a source of incredible inspiration. In 1985, it was his first performance at Khan el Khalili – Egypt, in São Paulo. This was also the year of her wedding, in a partnership that would last 21 years, during which she was at the forefront of teaching and the artistic quality of the house, building the technical structure and style. In which, today it is recognized throughout Brazil.
In 1990, she started her career as a teacher at Khan el Khalili. There would also be the birth of the school that today has the indisputable tradition of a high level of teaching and quality within the Oriental Dance in our country. From the beginning, the creation of classes and didactic content was always under his responsibility.
From that moment on, two companies walked together. Khan el Khalili Egypt and Lulu Sabongi Eventos. Both connected by commercial and affective ties since the partners were husband and wife and developed the work together.
In 1992, his first trip to the USA, was in search of greater knowledge and contact with new teachers. Classes with Ibrahim Farah and Anahid Sofien.
There was a big party at Khan el Khalili to celebrate ten years of dancing, attended by an estimated audience of 400 people, bringing together the largest group of people interested in dancing so far.
The first Belly Dance didactic video in Brazil was released. Launched by Livraria Hórus, at the invitation of its founders, Lea and Jean, as the first video in a series exploring the world’s sacred dances. In this first work the members were: Lulu Sabongi, Lea and Jean, and José Roberto Prazeres
After the first video a long collection would begin. In 1995, after the birth of her second child and the launch of 3 more didactic videos on dance. Under the direction of filmmaker Kátia Mesel and edited by Jorge Sabongi, at the time her partner and also husband.
In 1997, Lulu took a course with the choreographer Ghassan Fadlahlah, a soloist from the Caracalla group, traveling to Brazil, at the invitation of Fadua Chuffi.
There was the launch of a collection of 17 didactic videos, involving the most varied themes within the Oriental Dance, from styles to rhythmic content. Large scale work with guests from all over Brazil. All dancers invited without exception were students of Lulu and at that time were already professionals in the field of dance. The event brought together professionals and amateurs.
She made her first trip to Egypt, in search of greater technical knowledge and growth. Classes with Rakia Hassan, Shallaby, Mahmoud Redá.
There was a big party celebrating his 15 years of dancing at the Syrio Libanês club in São Paulo. With live music. The party brought an audience of 1300 people to the celebration.
There was a Workshop in Brazil with Shorkry Mohamed, choreographer Egício, living in Spain – Madrid.
The first country she visited was Sweden, as a student on a course given by Morocco. First international contacts and invitations to work in Europe. That same year there was his first trip to Norway, with Bergen as the main city, at the invitation of a longtime personal friend Claudia Carlsen. This person was also the one who produced his second website. The first was created and developed by Jorge Sabongi, then her husband and partner.
She took a course with Mohamed Shokry in Barcelona, ??and remained in the same city at the invitation of dancer and choreographer Devora Korek.
The Khan el Khalili Pre-Selection was created. Together with Jorge, the idea was born to create a selection process to leverage the quality and homogeneity of dance throughout the country. They decided to create the possibility to recognize through a fair process and based on pre-established criteria. People who study and develop their work are concerned with maintaining authenticity and high quality in oriental dance in our country. Every year they receive material from the most diverse areas of Brazil, totaling 150 dvds, to be analyzed one by one. After this analysis, each participant receives a personal assessment of their performance and knowledge in dance. The technical evaluation criteria were born from the development of my own methodology combined with the artistic character of dance, developed within Khan el Khalili.
Had the Workshop with Rakia Hassan in Brazil.
In 2002, she made her first visit to the Egyptian Festival Ahlan wa Sahlan. Invited to perform at the festival’s closing party with her working partners in Brazil, Shahar el Badri (currently living in London) and Soraia Zaied (currently living and working in Egypt). At this point, both were teachers at their school in Brazil, which by then had over 350 students.
Lulu attended classes with Mo Gedawi, Mr Faruk, Zaza Hassan, Rakia Hassan, Dina, Randa, Mam Freizz, Newen Ramez, Hassan Afifi, Ashraf Hassan and other teachers at the festival.
He made a trip to Egypt for improvement. He had private lessons with Aida Nour, Farida Fahmy, Mahmoud Redá, Dandash.
Completing its 20 years of acting in dance, a great event took place at the Memorial da América Latina, which would celebrate the meeting of more than 400 dancers on stage. Guests from all over Brazil, schools and professionals linked to his name, were present at the event that brought together 1,600 people. Recorded on DVD and available since then. The biggest artistic event involving the art of belly dance in Brazil.
In 2004, he gave workshops in Iceland, Spain and Argentina.
In the years 2004, 2005 and 2006, there was the Festival in Egypt, invited as a teacher at Ahlan wa Sahlan. Classes during the festival with all active teachers.
In 2010, exclusive festival – Created by Lulu Sabongi and Gamal Seif, aiming to offer personalized service with classes in Cairo- October 2010.
From 1999, with international travel, a new cycle of work would develop for Lulu and new countries were added to the list of annual visits
In 2010, it created a system for evaluating dance quality, derived from its first project within the anitga company Khan el Khalili, and today it offers a seal of international scope, for all dancers who would like to have a qualified opinion, and detailed about his performance Seal of quality in Oriental Dance – Lulu from Brazil.
In 2013, in December he will complete 30 years of career and so far he has visited 31 countries for work, including his country of birth.
List of teachers who will never be forgotten, for doing in the past and in the present part of their life.
Sherahzad, Farida Fahmy, Mahmoud Redá, Rakia Hassan, Morroco, Ibrahim Farah, Anahide Sophien, Ghassan Fadlahlah, Amany, Dina, Aida Nour, Souhair Zaki, Mona Said, Najwa Fuad, Ibrahim Akef, Mr Farouk, Zaza Hassan, Ashraf Hassan, Hassan Afifi, Shalaby, Gamal Seif ( my actual partner in dance and projects), Khaled Seif, Momo Kadouss, Shokry Mohamed, Mohamed Shahin, Hussein, Mo Gedawi, Newen Ramez, Freizz, Ahmed Fekri, Yousri Sharif, Mohamed Kazafy, Khaled Mahmoud, Randa Kamel, Lucy, Sahara Saeda.
Thanks to Lulu Sabongi for each of the names mentioned above, with whom she had direct contact through group or private classes. At each meeting there were always new faces of dance, and possibilities for growth presented themselves, making her totally addicted to the learning moments she can have with these teachers, wherever they are.
Among the teachers she never met in person but who have also always been a source of study, through videos and DVDs, I highlight:
Fifi Abdo, Naima Akef, Samya Gamal, Nadia Gamal, Zizi Mustapha, Nelly, Nadia Hamdi, Rendia, Taheya Carioca
Despite studying these teachers only through their work, the impact caused by this can be noticed in the dance and actually witnessed. The sources of obtaining knowledge are innumerable, just desire and commitment, the rest is manifested naturally.
Ibrahim Farah, Anahide Sophien, Ghassan Fadlahlah, Amany, Dina- Egypt, Aida Nour- Egypt, Souhair Zaki- Egypt, Mona Said- Egypt, Najwa Fuad- Egypt, Ibrahim Akef- Egypt, Mr Farouk- Egypt, Zaza Hassan- Egypt – France, Ashraf Hassan- Egypt, Hassan Afifi- Egypt, Shalaby Egypt, Gamal Seif ( my actual partner in dance and projects) Egypt – Germany, Khaled Seif- Egypt – Germany, Rakia Hassan-Egypt, Farida Fahmy- Egypt, Mahmoud Reda –Egypt, Gail Haddad- Canada, Sereena – NY, Dandash- Egypt, Shokry Mohamed – Egypt, Shahrazad – Armenia, Dahleena – USA, Mohamed Shahin- Egypt, Hussein- Egypt, Mo Gedawi- Egypt, Newen Ramez- Egypt, Freizz- Egypt, Ahmed Fekri- Egypt, Yousri Sharif- Egypt- USA, Mohamed Kazafy – Egypt, Khaled Mahmoud—Egypt- United Kingdom, Randa Kamel- Egypt, Lucy- Egypt, Sahara Saeda- USA.
“When I started my dance classes, my teacher – Shahrazad – said that my arms were like broomsticks … I saw her arms, and I was so enchanted with that grace that it was impossible to leave the classes. “no baby is born knowing, surely she also had her apprenticeship, why not me?”
Several times, I thought about giving up, but a pet inside my girl’s head said, “you like this so much, just stay a little longer!”
So I stayed, and slowly I discovered where my locks were, learning to open the bolts and put lubricants in the rusty places, until that new, but very hard body, started to show itself a little more malleable.
I feel that when we make contact with the dance we all realize how much we are not the owners of our body and this discovery surprises and scares us at the same time. How many times have I heard the expression in class: “I understood the explanation and I’m telling my body what to do, but it doesn’t obey me!” In fact, I believe that at first there is a conflict between mentally understanding orders and feeling them in our bodies. We live in a social structure that offers little space for affection and even less for taking care of our inner life. Running from side to side, offering our efficiency at work, attention to friends and the like, taking care of children, family. When it comes time to take care of ourselves, tiredness speaks louder.
Dance lessons seem to be a good start to regain lost contact.
We are curious again: how will I be in a dance outfit … what will it be like when I already know how to dance, when will I be ready to surprise someone? So many possibilities and so many plans, that go down the drain after just three months of school !!! Nothing worthwhile can be learned in just 90 days, no language will be mastered in such a short time. Dance is the language of the body, if it has not been trained to speak, how will it be ready to deliver lectures after a measly three months of preparation?
Give yourself time, allow the changes to take place at a normal pace. Our emotions do not exist only in our mind but leave deep marks on the muscles, joints and throughout our structure as a human being. Dancing means letting go of our tensions, relaxing control, opening up to feelings. It is not that easy to open so many doors inside us … Respecting our limits, we give them space to loosen, like a new elastic, which, according to use, becomes softer and stretches without offering resistance. Our body’s resistance is directly linked to the need for defense, every frontal attack receives immediate reaction; if we undermine our defenses slowly and smoothly, we will teach our body that it is worth relaxing.
Being able to express yourself through an art, in our case, dance, is one of the greatest gifts that we can enjoy in life, speaking with our eyes, hands, feet and torso. Speak without uttering words, speak directly to the heart of those who see us! Giving the opportunity of interpretation to the other. After all, not everyone has the same impression when seeing a picture and so it will be with us, each person who watches your dance will have a different impression, the same song will bring different nuances, depending on who listens to it.
After six months in class you start to feel more comfortable in the classroom and discover that not everything is that difficult. He has already deciphered many movements and realizes that it is a matter of time to execute them with quality, he learns to listen to what his body asks of him and respects the moments. He begins the first steps, in the form of sequences, moving in space and experiencing this new world. From that point on, part of the initial illusions are gone, you know other people and realize that your difficulties are the same as theirs, some even seem to suffer more than you. In fact, its initial furor has subsided and everything is seen more clearly. “