The latest stories from London Belly Dance Cairo correspondennt Nadia (for more information, see our 'Contributors' page)

LIVING LIFE TO THE FULL IN CAIRO 

(July 2011)

"I moved to the vibrant and diverse city that is Cairo, in January 2011, in order to pursue my Arabic language & Egyptian dance studies. Good timing I know!

It wasn't until late April that I was able to start revelling in all the music & dance that this amazing city has to offer.

I'm living a stone's throw away from the Balloon Theatre, a place I had seen mentioned in the biographies of many of the dancers coming from the Mahmoud Reda school. I was thrilled when I walked past & saw there was to be a show, celebrating the 50^thanniversary of the Mahmoud Reda troupe.

What a show it was, with more than four hours of classic Reda choreographies as well as some more contemporary pieces, including a revolution-themed opening dance. Me and the gang I went along with all felt that one of the most awe inspiring pieces was the Tanoura: there were perhaps 15 or more spinners in the white Turkish dresses, all spinning & moving around the stage in unison for what seemed like hours. My personal favourite was the Debke piece: the dancers' strength and precision were breathtaking.

We all agreed that the male dancers performed with far more passion & life than the female dancers, but this was clearly because of the choreography: the dance moves of the female dancers were frustratingly restrained & somewhat lifeless, whereas the men were jumping & leaping all over the stage. Nevertheless, it was fascinating to finally see a whole Reda show, as I have met his artistry so many times in the classes and workshops of other dancers.

The following week I crossed the Nile to the Sawi Centre, a music & cultural centre that holds live music & art events. Myself & another fan were going to see the Oum Khalthoum puppet show, which takes place every Thursday evening. This is a must for anyone whose heart swoons with the sound of an Oum Khlathoum song. The atmosphere is lovely, with families & groups of friends who are all there to appreciate this icon and her orchestra. Lots of people sing along & sway in their seats dreamily. The puppets are charming & surprisingly easy to watch & be entertained by.

After that we jumped in a taxi to go to El Tanboura Hall. What a gem this place is! Tucked away in a downtown alleyway is this special concert hall which was set up in order to preserve & showcase folkloric Egyptian musical traditions. We went to see El Baramka, a family of singers and percussionists, from the shores of Lake Manzalla, in the northern region of Greater Cairo. They performed their unique songs & rhythms, & we watched with glee & wonder: many of these old boys were toothless, with divinely deep wrinkles & aching bones, & yet they got up & danced, tying a scarf round their hips & grooving like there was no tomorrow.

I've returned twice to El Tanboura hall, as each week they host a different folkloric tradition. Each group is unique & has something original to share & a different vibe. What is interesting about many of the folkloric groups is that they seem to be working people, not performers by trade. For instance, the El Waziry band from Ismailia near the Suez canal, who I went to see the following week, all showed up in their lumber jackets, caps & trainers. They seemed exhausted from work so, when they sang, danced & made music, you felt their release. Their lamentations felt so real. It's a world away from the sequins & shiny shirts of the cabaret scene!

A couple of weeks later, in exchange for modelling the costumes of Hisham Osman in a fashion show (pictured above right) of the opening night of "Randa Kamal -of course", I got to see the lady herself perform on the Nile Maxim boat. Wow. Wow. Wow again (there will be more wows when I tell you about her classes).

This woman is something else. I can't believe it has taken me this long to be enthralled by her dancing. To be fair I hadn't seen her perform live before, but only attended half a workshop with her at the UK's Bellydance Congress 2009.

The main word that comes to mind when I think of her is strength, then innovation, then beauty.

I was wowed by her performance but I was doubly wowed when I attended the last day of her dance classes. She ran a week long course, where she taught the same students every day for seven hours. This provided thorough training in the Randa style. This is what amazes me: that she has independently created a distinct genre within a genre, through her love & commitment to Oriental Dance.

"Yalla! This is 2011!"she shouted, while we struggled to get her classic oriental choreography. From this, I understood her to mean that we have to move on from the golden era dance styles we are all so attached to - sweet, demure, simple styles - and embrace the dance of power & strength, the dance of Randa! I came away from the classes thinking that she is an artistic genius.

So this was a bit of April & May in Cairo. I returned to the UK for the best part of June. I'm back in Cairo now, & I can't wait to see what July will bring …"

THE EGYPTIAN REVOLUTION ... A BELLY DANCER'S PERSPECTIVE

(February 2011

)"I took a five minute walk to my friend's apartment, and could feel excitement, tension and fear in the air. This was Friday the 29th of January, the day of the second mass protests, a day that everyone knew would have a vital impact on the future of Egypt. I won't forget this day. Partly because of the mundane, everyday activities that continued, despite the revolution taking place.

"I brought my washing in with the sounds of gunfire in the background, gunfire that was used to tame the potential chaos? I got groceries from the local busy supermarket earlier in the day. Something huge was going on, politically and emotionally for Egypt, and yet everyday life continued as normal to some extent. That was the surprising thing for me. The electric atmosphere could not be ignored, however, and affected everyone.

"Now I'm back in London, I watch the developments in Cairo through the news and wait and hope to return to Egypt." -NADIA