What I learned in Egypt about bellydancing

The tour leader from the German tour group that we shared our Nile Cruise boat told me the things he felt all belly dancers must have, if I understood him correctly:

• you must be beautiful
  
• you must have long hair (he pointed at my long hair and showed how it should be much longer)
• you should wear a little curl near your face
  
• You must have red lipstick
• You must wear glittery body lotion
• You must have soft-looking feet
• You must have no body hair, not even on the arms

Cairo's dancers must work very hard to maintain their beauty. It is very dry in Egypt and ones hair and skin quickly shows the effects. Not only that, but it seems that the beauty standards in Egypt are much higher than in America.

I also learned that all Egyptians love Fifi Abdo and Sohair Zaki, but not a single one likes Dina. One or two admitted she was a good dancer, but a few said "But she doesn't do belly dance!" (i.e. Raks Sharqi, but they call it belly dance when talking in English). One person said she was ugly. Another person told me that she was a very bad influence on Egyptian society. If all these people don't like Dina, then who is paying $300 to see her performances? I still like Dina, but I learned to say that my favorite dancer was Sohair Zaki.

Other Egyptians I spoke to about dancing expressed how important it was to express the music. "To be the eye of the music", was how one person put it. I completely agree with this statement.

I did end up performing in Egypt, on our Nile cruise ship. We had been stranded at the Esna Lock for over 24 hours, and cheer was much needed for both the crew and the tourists. Luckily I had my costume that I had purchased in Cairo, and I was able to glam up a bit. I had packed (just in case) a set list from one of my restaurant performances. It was a wonderful venue - with everyone seated around the room on couches with tea, and a big dance floor with lights in the middle for me to dance in. I really enjoyed myself and could see that other people were enjoying themselves too. After I got changed into my regular clothes, I came upstairs again and they were playing Shik Shak Shok, followed by Habibi Ya Eini, and Sohair Zaki Fi Baladi, so I danced some more.


I know I still have a lot to learn and I won't let this go to my head, but many Egyptians came up to me and told me that they loved my dancing and that I am a very good dancer. Some were telling me that I should move there and start dancing on the different cruise boats in Luxor. However, it was funny that they seem to have a hard time believing that I learned how to dance in America, and from non-Egyptian teachers. They would always ask me how I learned it, and I would explain about taking classes on Mondays and Tuesdays and practicing every day.

Leaving for Egypt Tomorrow!

I can hardly believe I'm leaving for Egypt tomorrow! To be in the land of my dance, to breathe in that dusty air of the pyramids, to see shisha smoked in coffee shops. If I thought I learned a lot from spending a weekend with an Egyptian bellydancer (the Dina workshop), I am sure that Egypt will teach me so much more. I will be back on February 23rd, and will be sure to post pictures.

I have been practicing Egyptian Arabic in the car, using the Pimsleur method. I have to say it has been far more effective for conversational Arabic than the class I took at the CCAE. However, I'm glad I took the class at the CCAE just to learn the alphabet. Since I've started to study Arabic, I hear more and more snippets of it in songs. It is great to finally get an idea of the lyrics.

Last night's show at the Middle East was great, despite the small crowd due to the weather. I set up 4 more dates for the next two months - March 9, March 19th, March 23rd, and April 20th. March 19th is a Wednesday and I look forward to dancing with a live band again.