From Morocco WITH LOVE

NORA FATEHI ANNOUNCED HERSELF IN BOLLYWOOD WITH THE SONG DILBAR AND THEN WENT ON TO CARVE A NICHE FOR HERSELF WITH HER UNIQUE CHOREOGRAPHY AND FIERCE DANCING STYLE. SHE SPEAKS TO SUMEET KESWANI ABOUT HER MOROCCAN ROOTS, STRADDLING TWO SIMILAR CULTURES, AND OF COURSE, HER TRAVELS—BACK TO HER ORIGINS AND FORWARD TO NEW FRONTIERS.

- SUMEET KESWANI

Nora Fatehi is Canadian-born and Moroccan by descent.

ON HER: Gold thora dress, Rima Cherfane; maroon cape, Pink Peacock Couture; Afghani choker, long gold Afghani neckpiece, and vintage Afghani earrings used as hair accessory, Amama; vintage gold hand cuffs and shell anklets, Creyons by Mansi; juttis, Stoffa.

Q & A

You’re Moroccan by descent. Which aspects of your life reflect those roots?

I am from Toronto, but my ethnicity is Moroccan, and I believe one can notice my Moroccan traits in my daily life, especially when I’m cooking. When I was growing up, my mom used to cook a lot of Moroccan dishes for us, and now, I tend to mirror that as an adult at home. It reminds me of my childhood.

When did you first visit Morocco? What surprised you about the place?

I don’t remember my first visit, because, my mom tells me, I was eight months old at the time. But we used to visit Morocco during our summer vacations every few years while I was growing up. I had plenty of revelations of how exotic that culture was and how, luckily, it had influenced my personality.

You once told someone you “feel like an Indian.” What makes you say that?