Johara

By now, almost everyone in Egypt knows who Johara is, right? For those who don’t (although it’s kind of impossible), Johara is a Russian belly dancer who takes over social media every week.

The infatuation with Johara is sort of crazy that we had to understand why, how and what is it about her that makes her different from all the rest.

Belly dancers in Egypt:

Unlike any belly dancer before her, Johara almost stole the show. And surprisingly, not in a bad way, at all. Usually, in Egypt, belly dancers are often criticized and attacked.

Back in the days, we had the likes of Samia Gamal and Tahia Kareoka. These iconic figures were actually loved and respected, and they still are.

However, with social media penetrating our lives and with the evolution of everything around us, including belly dancing; things have changed.

The likes of Dina and Fifi Abdo in the recent days, have always gotten nothing but harsh criticism from the average Egyptian population.

With that being said, everybody began to insanely love Fifi Abdo after she too ventured into the world of social media. Only she did it smartly.

Abdo sort of turned all the criticism and sarcasm ever pointed at her for her own favor. She turned herself into an internet sensation that everybody loves. But not every artist, or specifically, belly dancer could do that.

The Johara Hype:

When it comes to new belly dancers, especially the western ones entering the scene; it’s a totally different story. The whole Sofinar/Safinaz trend was put to rest once and for all; and for those who don’t remember, Sofinar is an Armenian belly dancer who also came to Egypt and got so famous that she even starred in a number of Egyptian movies.

However, Sofinar slowly started to fade with the rise of Johara. The Sofinar trend, like any other, kept the public busy for a while, but it’s nothing close to what is going on with Johara.

Social media users everywhere are now either sharing Johara’s dancing videos, commenting on her posts and mentioning their friends or buying tickets to parties and events she’s performing in.

Johara also has over an unprecedented 600K followers on Instagram; that almost never happens with belly dancers.

Despite the craze, there are a few people here and there who admit she doesn’t even know how to dance. But some of these people still love her and share her videos believing that she has a fun sense of humor. Which is why they love her.

It’s true that Johara’s facial reactions on stage are entertaining and fun. As she always interacts with the people around her.

 

But is that really why they love her? Why hasn’t this happened with other belly dancers? Or is it just a general hype over the westernized version of Egyptian belly dancing? 

Let us know what you guys think about this! Why do you love Johara, and why don’t you?