Gilded
Serpent presents... "If you love an art you want to know everything about it. It is not enough just to do it." With more than half a century of dancing under his belt, Dr. Mohamed Geddawi is still inspiring myriads of women to dance. I had heard of him over the years as he has been in the United States many times, but somehow I had never managed to get myself to one of his workshops. My first introduction to Dr. Mo's teaching methods came just two years ago at the first Ahlan Cairo Nights in Dallas, sponsored by Little Egypt in 2005. When I finally worked up the courage to interview Dr. Mo, I was certainly glad that I did. Although I haven't been too interested in studying with male teachers in recent years for many reasons, I found that I really liked the workshops that I took with Dr. Mo. His choreographies are fun, never boring, and as they are solidly built, they allow a dancer to progress quickly in learning.
Dr. Mo turned out to be very easy to talk to, and was more than generous answering my questions, even if some were the "usual" stuff of interviews. He helped to make it easier for me by presenting me with some basic background information in a packet that included a portrait of Dr. Mo plus the article that he wrote, "The Foundation of the Reda Troupe.” After reading about his numerous dance accomplishments over the years, I am surprised that Dr. Mo has had any time for his medical career. He has been a very busy person in the five decades that he has danced, as his university studies and medical work have continued at the same time. When he finally settled in Berlin for his medical work, he managed to build up a dance studio and a well known dance group, Hathor Dance Troupe, and has produced a yearly gala of Arabic dance since 1986. These shows comprise a mixture of Egyptian/Arabic folkloric dance and Raks Sharki. Dr. Mo is involved in all levels of the production, including the choreography of the dance pieces and the music, for which there are many excellent musicians to choose from in the Berlin area. Lucky dancers of Berlin, to have such a teacher in their midst for so many years, to be able to see wonderful dance productions every year and to hear great Middle Eastern music. Since 1999, Dr Mo has dedicated himself solely to Oriental dance teaching and choreography, as well as researching his book on dance history and oriental dance technique. I asked Dr. Mo how he ended up in Berlin. He told me that the story has been written up in Arabesque Magazine, and went on to explain about the series of coincidences that finally led him to his city of residence for so many years. He was living in Lebanon at the time, teaching tropical medicine at the American University of Beirut. He had been offered a chance to go for his PhD at the University of San Francisco Medical Center, but one day, as he was walking with a colleague to have coffee, his colleague asked him to go to the German Embassy with him. As this colleague was going to apply for a fellowship in Germany to do his PhD in Tropical Medicine, the colleague suggested that Dr. Mo also fill out the application, so he did. Two weeks later he got an invitation from the Embassy for an interview and he got the fellowship, as did his colleague. Off he went to Germany, where he did his PhD in Tropical Medicine at the University of Munich. After he finished, another coincidence: a friend said "Why go to work immediately? You have been working hard at your studies, so take some time off.” Dr. Mo said "I don't have any money" and his friend said "Just apply for something and work for a couple of months.” He applied for a job in Berlin at a big pharmaceutical company, and was invited for an interview, ticket and all expenses paid. Since he didn't really want the job, he told the interviewer that his German was bad, and he didn’t have a work permit. He went back to Munich and a letter arrived offering him the job! Then his friend said "Ask for more money and they will refuse,” which he did. But they gave him what he asked for and he had a job. His friend told him to take it for a few months, then leave when he had the money he needed for a nice long vacation. Dr. Mo decided to take the job, and he ended up staying for 25 years. Now he had his work at this company and once he had settled in Germany he continued to teach dancing. Much of his early dance career is documented in the portrait that he gave me: "Dr. Mo Geddawi - Master of Raqs Sharki and Folklore.” In brief, he started dancing at an early age, beginning with ballet at 10, studying in Cairo and abroad. As one of the co-founders of The Reda Troupe with Mahmoud Reda and Farida Fahmy, he was in the first performance at the Ezbekiya Theater in Cairo in 1959. Over the years, he has seen The Reda Troupe become the premiere folkloric dance troupe in Egypt, from which has come many fine dancers and teachers. Many of us have studied with these dancers at workshops worldwide and at dance festivals in Egypt such as Ahlan Wa Sahlan Festival and the Nile Group Festival in Cairo. The Reda Troupe has had a lasting impact on Egyptian dance that will continue for many years. I asked Dr. Mo about his fondest memory of being with the Reda Troupe, and he described how exciting the early days of the troupe were for him. That period before the first performance when they had been training for almost 2 years had so much energy, and he way they were received by the audiences was a fantastic experience. They were the first folkloric dance troupe in Egypt. This all started to happen during his second year at the University, when he was about 17 years old. He loved dancing, and suddenly people were appreciating dance. President Nasser of Egypt invited them to entertain state visitors, and he was able to dance in front of many famous people, heads of state, kings and queens. Anytime someone important was invited to Egypt, The Reda Troupe performed. As a result of this exposure, he was able to dance with Samia Gamal, and to meet Tahia Carioca (with whom he became good friends) and Naima Akef. He visited Badia Masabni in Lebanon, which was definitely thrilling for someone who grew up enamored of the dance stars of the "Golden Era". He appeared in many films, including those starring the Reda Troupe. As mentioned before, over the years dance and medicine have gone hand in hand for Dr. Mo. Everywhere that he has gone to study and work, he has been involved with dance. From Paris to Beirut to Munich and then to Berlin, he has performed, produced shows, and choreographed. He toured with "Casino de Paris" across Europe, danced and choreographed for the weekly show "Beirut by Night" for four years in Lebanon, and appearied on German TV. He taught Egyptian folkloric dance at the American University of Beirut and Beirut College for Women as well as in Munich before he moved to Berlin, And, of course, he has choreographed and performed for Egyptian TV and theater many times over the years. Inevitably, there arose a demand for his teaching skills in other parts of the world. He has travelled from Europe to Australia, the USA, Japan, China, Korea and the Middle East. Dr. Mo first came to the States in 1973 to teach for his long -time friend, Magana Baptiste of San Francisco, Director of the Royal Academy of Belly Dance. He was a member of the jury for the Mr. and Miss America of Belly Dance contests for 16 years and worked closely with Ibrahim Farrah in that context. He taught in Philadelphia under the sponsorship of Habiba for 7 years. He has also taught in New York and Gainesville, Florida. He met Dee Dee and Ahmed Asad (Little Egypt) at Ahlan wa Sahlan Festival in Cairo, and started to come to Dallas (3 times since 2005 with more planned for 2008 Here are some of the other questions I asked Dr. Mo: CB: What
makes a good dancer?
Most important is to understand the dance! If the dancer understands the dance, it will become very easy for her and she will improve a lot. When a dancer understands, it makes her happier. She will enjoy dancing more, because she knows why she is doing it. If you understand, you will enjoy it more. CB: What
does a dancer need to learn to "understand the dance"? CB: How
much can dancers learn, as opposed to what comes from within
them? CB: You
have trained a lot of dancers at many levels, from raw talent
to the stars. What have you noticed over this time? CB: When
you teach at the festival in Cairo, you see a lot of western
dancers who come to study. How do you see their dancing
differs from an Egyptian dancer… interpretation, learning,
etc?
Yes, of course, it is easier for an Egyptian, who is raised with the music and dancing and has seen her family dancing, etc. But that doesn't mean that a Westerner or Asian cannot master it, if she loves it, and works hard at understanding the music and the dance. Over time she can gain more experience and master the dance. The important thing in any profession is to learn. Your life time is not enough to learn everything. Learn as quickly as you can.There are star dancers, star teachers and star choreographers! CB: Talk
about the different roles a dancer can play, from performer
to teacher to choreographer. A good choreographer is like a tailor. He will tailor a dance that suits you as an individual, he will know what to do to bring out your strengths and minimize your weaknesses. A choreographer is like the director of a movie: besides mastering the choreographic craft he must know also about lighting, makeup, colors, costuming etc. It is not just about putting steps together. CB: What
about choreography versus improvisation? CB: On
teaching... CB:
Why should a dancer go to a workshop? CB:
Why should women dance? CB: What
are some more reasons to dance? I have to say that after I finished the nearly hour-long interview with Dr. Mo, I was feeling really inspired about what I wanted to pursue with my dancing. Maybe other dancers (of all levels) would benefit from some of the material that he offers too. After being in a few workshops that Dr. Mo has taught here in Dallas, I have an appreciation for what and how he teaches. During this interview, I started to become more excited about the possibilities of what Dr. Mo could bring to Dallas in his next forays to our city. Over the years he has developed his own methodology for teaching and he is a keen observer of dance students and performers. What he has learned in this time helps him to guide dancers to a better understanding of how to dance and to enjoy their dancing. Dr. Mo thinks that there is a problem because there are few good teachers, and many dancers really don't know how to teach and choreograph. He has developed sessions on how to teach (beginning through professional level). He has been invited to teach at the Winter Warmup in Brisbane, Australia several times, most recently in 2006, and some of the instruction has included a one-day seminar on how to choreograph, evening lectures on history of dance, the origin of the dance, and technique and choreography. When I go back to watch the video of the Winter Warmup Technique from 2006*, the elements that Dr. Mo emphasizes are reinforced:
Not only am I looking forward to taking more workshops from Dr. Mo, but also to the book that he is writing. We, as Oriental dancers, can definitely benefit from a thoughtful approach to the history and technique of this art form that we love. Dr. Mo had one last comment that I loved, because we are always saying "This dance is harder than it looks!"
Dr Mo's Website- http://www.hathordance.com *The title of Dr. Mo's DVD " Introduction to Geddawi Dance Technique including Practical Exercises with Dr. Mo Geddawi- Filmed at the 11th Annual Winter Warm Up, 8-15 July 2006." Have
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for more? 11-17-05 The
Queen of Raks Sharqi Competition Ahlan Cairo Nights 12-8-04 Mona
el Said in Dallas, Part 2 by Catherine E Barros 8-24-04 Dina
in LA, report
and photos by Catherine Barros 2-18-08 A
Night at Wahib's
Roxxanne Shelaby's "Pure Sharqi" video and photos by Lynette 2-16-08 An
Invitation to Haiku the Bellydance by Najia Marlyz 2-14-08 Photos
from Carnival of Stars 2007- A-Z Page 2- L through
Z photos by Carl Sermon, Duane Stevens, John Kalb,
Murat Bayhan, Christopher Erickson, Lynette Harris 2-11-08 Photos
from Carnival of Stars 2007- A-Z Page 1- A through
K photos by Carl Sermon, Duane Stevens, John Kalb,
Murat Bayhan, and Lynette Harris
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