Intellectual Edward Said met with Tahiya
Carioca (1919–1999) several times. He was a big fan of her personality and art,
and wrote at least two texts about her life and influence on “Eastern dance.”
In one of his meetings with the iconic belly dancer, she told him: “When I
danced, I felt I was entering the temple of art.”
Samia Gamal belly dancer performed in 1949’s “I Love
You Only,” in which Egyptian spy Refaat al-Gammal (better known as Raafat
al-Haggan) acted alongside Farid al-Atrash.
In 1949, King Farouk
named Samia Gamal “the national dancer of Egypt.” She was among the most
successful belly dancers, with leading roles in many films. Her most successful
movie as a dancer and leading star was in 1947’s
“Habib al-Omr” (The Love of My Life)
Nagwa Fouad was one of
the most famous belly dancers of the 1970s and 1980s, along with Soheir Zaki.
Presidents and high-profile world politicians attended their performances and
were captivated by their unique styles. US
Secretary of State Henry Kissinger was so fascinated by Fouad’s dancing that on one of his visits to Egypt he
stood up and joined her in belly dancing.
In his memoir, “A Life
Looking Forward: Memoirs of an Independent Marxist,” notable leftist scholar
Samir Amin wrote about his joy to have witnessed, in the Port Said Cecil Bar in
his hometown, the first steps of the woman who later became one of the
country’s most iconic belly dancers. This “extraordinary dancer,” as Amin
described her was Tahiya Carioca.
Almost half a century
ago, rural areas were famous for a different kind of belly dancing called
Ghawazi dance. This more traditional style, which is the origin of contemporary
belly dance, has had little added to its repertoire from ballet, Latin American
or modern Western dance. One famous belly dancer took it upon herself over the
years to promote the genre and save it from dying out, attracting many Western
amateurs to come learn the dance. She is Khairiyya
Mazin.
The famous Kitty Fotsaty
left the country in 1960 in mysterious circumstances. She was born in
Alexandria in 1927 to a Greek family and was famous for fusing Western style
dancing with the Oriental style. She danced in nearly 50 films, but she is best
known and remembered for her roles and dancing scenes with film star Ismail Yassin.
For some critics, her
life was simply a circle of struggle. Zeinat
Elwy was born into a poor
family with a cruel father. But, with steely determination, she chose belly
dancing as a career. In her many interviews, she often told reporters that
belly dancing was an art and that belly dancers should defend their careers.
Her legacy included memorable dancing scenes in around 45 movies. She is also
known for her attempt to struggle against the Gamal Abdel Nasser regime, which
tried to impose restrictions on belly dancers, by trying to initiate a
syndicate for belly dancers.
