Costume designer Eman Zaki poses with me
in her studio in Doqqi. |
Gilded
Serpent presents...
Cairo 2005
How
to Eat, Drink, Sleep, and Breathe Raqs Sharqi
Part One of Four
by Andrea
Last year I visited Cairo for the first time
and attended the Ahlan
Wa Sahlan festival, but decided that I could learn more if
I took private dance lessons. Being the intrepid traveler
that I am, I returned on my own in 2005, in the month of September,
to enjoy all that Cairo has to offer during more favorable weather.
Following are my experiences as I related them to my close friends
and family.
Wednesday September 7, 2005
Marhaban friends and family! I’ve been in
Cairo for 4.5 days and so far there really isn’t much to tell.
I’ve been trying to arrange some budget accommodations so that
I can save my money for more important things (like costumes!)
and also I’ve become sick with a cold. Stomach is OK, alHamdullillah,
but this cold has me taking things easy.
As of yesterday and through the end of my trip,
I’ll be staying with my American friends, Erika
and Matt. They will be teaching English
in Egypt for 2 years and they generously offered me their extra
bedroom in their swanky flat in Nasr City, a northern suburb of
Cairo. It’s way nicer than my apartment in Oakland!
They even have a dishwasher, washing machine, satellite TV, a
maid, and free Internet access! Of course, you still
have your bumpy streets, unyielding drivers, donkey carts, and
live fowl for sale on the sidewalk, even though this is a somewhat
upscale suburb of Cairo. The
Free-range
poultry in Nasr City. |
inside and outside of the place where I’m staying
are so contradictory! It’s a bit far from the center
of Cairo, but it’ll give me the impetus to learn how to use the
metro, and I’ll get to know another part of Egypt. Even
if I take a cab into downtown Cairo every day, I’ll still save
money for private lessons and costumes. I thank Allah for
Erika and Matt!
Today
is an historical day in Egypt! The first “real” election
with actual opposition candidates is taking place. I’m
trying to stay abreast of this important event from TV news,
but the American and British news sources barely talk about
it.
It’s
all over the Arabic news stations, but I don’t know enough Arabic
to understand. I’ve been trying to get a man-on-the-street
point of view of the election, and there hasn’t been any consensus.
Some people favor Mr. Mubarak, saying that even
though he’s not the ideal leader, he’s the best of what’s offered.
Other people are sick of him and just want to see a new face,
while still others think the election is rigged in favor of Mubarak
and therefore, won’t even bother voting.
My friends' swanky apartment in Nasr City. |
Last Saturday
I went to a wedding in Cairo, or rather to the wedding reception.
It was the wedding of my friend Kamal’s business associate’s family.
If there was a zeffa (wedding procession) I didn’t
see it. We arrived fashionably late after having dinner,
which was a good idea because there wasn’t any food at the reception.
It was in a hall with a live band, and the bride and groom
were each sitting on a dais. They looked like the unhappiest
married couple I’d ever seen! At one point, the singer was egging
them on to kiss, and they finally did, but it was just a quick peck
on the cheek. We received a box of pastries and a soda (yes,
even we wedding crashers.) I got some video footage
of the people dancing. I tried to be discreet; so, I may not
have gotten the clearest shots. I was impressed at how much
fun the people were having in the absence of alcohol! There
was a cute little girl dancing on our table, and she had some moves
that took me years to learn! It’s great to see how the dance
just comes so naturally to the Egyptians.
Even some covered-up ladies were cutting a rug and shimmying.
If anyone needs proof that raqs sharqi is not a dance
of seduction, I’ll show them the footage from this wedding.
Yesterday,
I went to the shop/factory of costume designer Eman Zaki.
She’s very famous now, and her designs are cutting edge.
She’s designed costumes for Dina!
Her garments are very well designed, using special fabrics and
unique details. I picked out three fabulous numbers that
will make you all drool! Her costumes are a bit pricey,
but I think they will be worth it. Seriously, I’ve never
seen some of the fabrics she used. She incorporated some nice
bead work (I love beads!) and spectacular trimmings (gold chain
mail, zig zags, loops, pearls, and Swarovski crystals).
Wish I could afford more from her! I would have gone to
another costumer like Crazy Move or Al-Wikalah,
but I was beat because of my cold. Could it be from
a lack of fresh vegetables and fruit as I’ve been eating mainly
meat and bread? I wonder.
Today,
I’m just enjoying the television at Erika and Matt’s. It’s
like Belly dancer’s heaven, there is so much good stuff to watch!
I switch from old footage of Om Kalsoum or Farid
al Atrache, to Arabic pop videos, old Arabic movies with
dancing, Arabic soap operas, and, of course, BBC News. I
could spend the whole day in front of the TV! In fact, I’m
sick enough that I could, and without feeling guilty.
I haven’t
seen any dance shows yet because I’m doing research to see who’s
dancing where. Hopefully, the next time I send you an update,
I’ll have seen some shows on which to report.
Coming
soon!
Part
Two- Dance
Lessons in Cairo
Part Three- Current Cairo Happenings
Part Fout- The End of the Trip
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Ready
for more?
9-28-04
A Subjective View of Raqia's
Cash Cow The AWS Festival 2004, Part 1 by Andrea
First,
she came out as a snake, then entered
wearing a melaya, next, as a caged lion. Her performance
was very entertaining.
5-5-05
Initiating Dance Dialogue:
Current Trends, The Panel Discussion at Carnivals of Stars Festival,
transcribed
from video by Andrea, Panel
members included: Heather as moderator, Monica Berini, Shira,
Barbara Bolan, Amina Goodyear, Debbie Lammam.
2-11-06
What Kind of Snakes are Good for Dancing?
by Neferteri
“So
many snakes, so little time.” What is a girl to do? I am
often asked what is a good snake to dance with. Well, that depends
on two things.
2-9-06
Rhythm
and Reason Series, Article 9, Can't
We All Get Along? Dancers and Musicians by
Mary Ellen Donald
First,
you don’t have to be afraid of working with live music.
2-6-06
The Peace Belt comes to Tucson
by Lucy Lipschitz
But
it matters more, I think, that this dance can be used to stimulate
thinking and discussion, and even to help feed and clothe other
human beings.
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