Belly dancing is one of the most fascinating styles of dance in Egypt

Belly dancing is one of the most fascinating styles of dance in Egypt, however Egyptians tend to make it as a secret and do not accept speaking about it because it’s against their religion. Girls can learn and dance among them but should never perform in public, doing so it’s a dishonor for the family. Belly dance it’s seen in Egypt as a form of prostitution.

However Cairo is known as the global capital of belly dancing and foreigners come to Cairo to pursue the dream. Cairo it’s considered the Hollywood for belly dance. Considering the Muslim Brotherhood’s influence in Egyptian politics, many are concerned that belly dancing might become more restricted in Egypt. This is happening already; even dance schools are restricting belly dance classes. In Egypt you will never find a belly dance school like in US or Spain and TV stations do not transmit belly dance unless it’s in a movie scene.

Belly dancing (Raqs Sharqi) became popular in Cairo’s nightclubs in the 1940s. Casino Badia, in Cairo, was one of the country’s most famous cabarets at that time. Opened and run by a woman, it imitated European-style cabarets. During the 1950s, famous belly dancers including Samia Gamal, Tahyia Karioka and Naima Akef marked themselves as pioneers of belly dancing in Egypt. From 1960 to 1980, the booming Egyptian film industry centered on belly dancers. Since the 1980s, the Egyptian film industry bloomed with belly dance performances until other dancers, like Fifi Abdou, Sohair Zaki and Nagwa Fouad started to perform in a full live band and a stage set-up. These dancers continued to preserve the basic movements of belly dancing

A belly dancer receives a minimum of EGP 5,000 for performing at a wedding; in a nightclub a dancer receives no more than EGP 2,000, but also receives a share of the money thrown at her by clients during her performance, which is called “Kate” in the Arabic slang used in night clubs. Note that belly dancers have to pays taxes and sometimes owners from hotels do not make them and belly dancers are fined. Also they need to obtain a license from the performing arts trade union, an application with a copy of the contract from work place must be submitted, which has to be approved by the Ministry of Labor, and a clearance from the morals police (to prove the belly dancer was never involved in any prostitution cases.

No one knows the future of belly dance in Egypt but I believe that only few hotels will remain doing so and targeting tourism only. Classes will continue but behind closed doors.

Samia Gamal's private life

Collected in the beginning of her violent love story artist Farid al-Atrash, and boyfriend Mohammed Amin she told him she married Fred that ended in divorce because he was unable to formally announce their marriage. Which caused great pain to the late star.Samia Gamal married later with  Shepherd King, who announced his conversion to Islam before marrying her and called himself Abdullah. This marriage did not last.In the late fifties she married the late star Roshdy Abaza,.

Relationship with Roshdy Abaza, was  difficult (personal and volatile temper, and was addicted to drink alcohol making him in a permanent state of nervous.) ended in divorce. 

 Samia Gamal stopped dancing in 1972 when she was nearly in her 50s but began again after given advice by Samir Sabri. She then danced until the early 1980s.
Samia Gamal died on December 1, 1994, at 70 years of age in Cairo, Egypt.

Samia Gamal and belly dancing

Samia Gamal was the first belly dancing star in Egypt and was formed with greeting Carioca two different schools in the education and performance of belly dancing. Although the two began in the same  band " Massabna", they both had a distinctive style and a different dance.Samia Gamal famous combining eastern and western dance, and performing with dazzling dance clothes, music and decorations. Carioca wast he old traditional character of the eastern dance.I

Samia Gamal  carreer was also helped by her  brown beauty,  sense of humor, and elegance, and was keen on her slender body until the last of her life, which caused her to many health problems and become one of the causes of her death.

Samia Gamal beginning

Samia Gamal was born in Beni Suef in 1924 and entered the world of art in 1940. She worked with  Massabna band as a dancer and was also involved in the dance group Altablohat .She was  chosen to lead a solo dance in one of the concerts and the dance instructor told her she  should be wearing high heel during the dance. Some say that Samia was very scared at the time because if she failed the band could be expelled from the Casino..But Samia did not succumb to failure and pressured her band instructor to grant  her the opportunity to dance in front of the public,  she was a  stunning success.

Why Samia Gamal refused to publish her ​​memoirs?

According  Mohammed Amin  ( close friend of Samia Gamal ) she did not write notes and did not think about it, despite large financial offers to talk about her private life. After her retirement she moved completely  away from the limelight.

How to be a bellydancer in Egypt Part 4

And does it worth so much effort only to dance in Egypt? And why not? What you learn in Pharaonic lands will never be learned elsewhere, Egypt is the cradle of oriental dance. The culture, the music, the way of being, everything is absorbed when you stay to much time in Cairo. Imagine , you come from your work and for  any given reason you hear the sound of darbouka and Oud from the street, nubian  weddings (I do run tears, do not ask me why this happens) men dancing in Tahib in store openings. Attending henna parties held by women, dance and learn with them. Learn Arabic as if you were a child, dancing at weddings and feel the warmth of the Egyptian public. Have the opportunity to know ach rhythm of Arabic music and lyrics, words and attitudes typical of Egyptian that you end up absorbing without realizing. Have the honor of visiting families in villages and be received with open arms . To have your patience tested to the limit and even wish the worst to Egypt and 30 minutes later you  love EGYPT with the same intensity. All this and much more is (Baggage) AND PURE KNOWLEDGE.

 It's hard?? Yes, it is not easy. But if others did so, why can´t you do it?

Bellydance Egypt 2013. Safe side

PLACES TO AVOID:

Downtown, Heliopolis, Port Said, Sinai, Ismalaia

SAFE PLACES:

Red Sea ( Sharm El Sheikh, Hurgada, Makadi)

Cairo- Haram Area ( you can visit the Pyramids) 

Teachers in Cairo

Mahmoud Reda ( The Master )- mreda_troupe@yahoo.com

Randa Kamel - http://www.raqsofcourse.com/

*  This are the teachers I recommend in Cairo, you can find much more.

Events

 http://www.raqsofcourse.com/

www.nilegroup.net/

Nile Group will be in Sharm El Sheik, in June by the Red Sea

Costumes

Sahar Okasha- saharokasha.fashion@facebook.com ( expensive)

Mahmoud el Gafar- 02 589 7443 in Khan Khalili near the main  market entrance, you can find everything there and inexpensive and also a very relaxing place, no one will come after you , but also Gafar does not like to fight prices. Good quality costumes, hipscarves, canes, etc.

*  This are the designers I recommend in Cairo, you can find much more.

Where to stay

Mena Oberoi House- amazing hotel, great service and far from protests

How to be a bellydancer in Egypt Part 3

Ok, now you dance every nigth, you have your salary, wonderful, congratulations Now for the rest of reality.

Pay costumes, musicians, food, rent, transportation, etcccccccccc. All this sounds easy, does not it? Yeah, but its not, especially now, if it was already bad, aiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii

Although belly dancing is part of Arab culture no decent Egyptian woman should do it, its a disgrace to the family.Dancing and prostitution here they mean the same,though I think they have a thing for prostitutes (everything its a prostitute), being a dancer its a mortal sin. If you are happy to dance in Cairo do not walk in the streets lauching the good news to the four winds, your life will be transformed into a simple hell.

The landlord will probably put you in the street literally, the police even if you make a complaint they will not care, no decent man will date or marry you (with few exceptions), but many are  gigolos . You have to be cold and put your feelings aside. Constant sexual harassment inside and outside of work. Many jobs will be suggested but the vast majority are..............., you must have a lot of strength to face storms and say no.

Egypt's economy its difficult, the mentality has changed and there is little work, those that remain, fight hard and its not easy.

How to be a bellydancer in Egypt Part 2

Now that you are dancing and you have your salary, you will need to get the tax card to pay fees  and  take care to closely check if your employer is doing the payment for you. It happened to many dancers that the emplyoyer did not do so, now they have huge debts to pay and  if they dont do so  they will go to prison.

If you want to work at weddings you can also do it,  but it will require a permit, foreigners can only have one contract and should always carry documents and licenses with them. They should also be careful in their movements and costumes when performing in order that moral police does not bother you, of course if you have connections in strategic places this can be avoided.

Note that whenever you want to leave Egypt, you will have to ask permission to your employer and when you return its  mandatory the HIV testing.

How to be a bellydancer in Egypt Part 1

The foreign dancers who come to Cairo with the dream of dancing professionally in Egypt, face various formalities and other moral issues that arose after the revolution. Here my intention is not to make the dancers do not come, it's just a guide, each one is free to decide their dreams and ambitions. One of the first conditions to obtain a for a license to dance its to sign a written contract and start a long bureaucratic process for it, which includes the delivery of the your passport staff in Mogamma (government building in Tahrir), which can only be lifted if your employer agrees,he controls your life. To get a contract you will need to gather a band and find a manager. If you want to be your own manager you should be fluent in Arabic, after you must make auditions in boats and five-star hotels, and till you find someone that wants to employ you all expenses are upon you(musicians, rehearsal rooms, etc ...). 

CONGRATULATIONS if you got your contract, now begins the endless bureaucracy, roll up your sleeves and go out and fight:

1. 12 photos passport and  the signed contract and to go to the Union of artists and pay the required fees
2. Go to the employment department for permission to work and have to do an HIV test. This test will be done in a public hospital :(
3. Afterwith your contract,paper delivered by the Union of artists and also  department of employment you must to go to the immigration department
4. Go to the Censorship Board with copies of the papers of the departments listed above and they will  send your documents to other departments including the police Desk (where you have to go in person) and then with all the permissions you  should return to the immigration department to give your passport and receive a plastic card, a sort of personal identification.

Note that all departments are in different locations in the city and are buildings are...............:(, where rarely anyone speaks English (Mogamma ).You should also have thecard issued by the board of censorship beyond the plastic card in your hands when they start to work.

* Some things must  have changed ( I do not go for all of it) because I am Egyptian. And also the steps may seem easy, they are not at all. Takes a lot of time, effort and extreme patience.

Eilat Festival raises issues in Egypt

http://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContent/1/64/62453/Egypt/Politics-/Arab-dancers-participation-in-Israeli-festival-dra.aspx

Egyptian band in Cairo

First Semester 2013 Trips ( Teaching Outside Egypt)

Bellydance death in Egypt !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Is no secret that Egyptian society link bellydancers to prostituition( BELLYDANCERS NOT THE DANCE ITSELF). There are a lot of dancers that say the Egyptian do not bellydance anymore, EXCUSE ME!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I give lessons to hundreds of Egyptian  girls and classes are full and its so fun to do it, they are trully amazing and respect us TEACHERS and yes there are performances and parties only for women here and I JUST LOVE  IT.

Of course there are condtions,no pictures are taken and you know why ????????? Because all girls take their veils out and they do not want pictures in Facebook to be spread, Its like this and you have to learn to accept. Bellydance its Egyptian and will never die in its land.

I am not Dina

Oh my Gosh, why do people compare me to Dina,,,,,,,,,,,,, Today, during a belly dance class to Egyptian girls between all excitement they asked me to make a special stage performance at the end of the class, then the comments arrived- Oh you dance like Dina, you have the soul, the spirit, technique,etcccc.

This coming from Egyptian girls its a honor, but I do not intend to imitate Dina at all, I dance what I fell just that. Oh, do not expect pictures, because its was settled that no pictures will be taken during this classes, you wonder why???- because in Egypt this dance its HARAM and only to be done by girls with girls and no one must know, its like doing something illegal.

Future of Bellydance in Egypt

Yeap, I believe this is about to happen, sadly really ............soon Egyptian dancers will move out or quit, that is so simple, why you think so many are already arranging to sell their belongings. Society has changed a lot since the revolution and only if you have a lunatic kind of ideas will think this wont happen. I wish in my heart it does not, but................

Bellydance Golden Days

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.