+2 0122-345-3028

This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Belly Dancing in Egypt

The Belly Dancing in Egypt 

The oriental Dance in Egypt 

If you love Egyptian belly dance Style, Cairo is the right place to visit, not only to receive training directly from some of the great dancers and shop for lovely traditional costumes and accessories, but also to get a feel for the culture of the place where this dance genre originates from, once you have travelled to the Land of Egypt at least once, you will get a deeper understanding for the music and the concept of this dance that goes beyond pure physical training. In Egypt, dancers can get training in different types of dance from raqs sharqi (classical oriental), to raqs baladi (traditional Egyptian improvised style), folkloric such as saidi and the modern social dance style called shaabi.

Dance training

oriental dance Egypt

In Cairo you can receive dance training from many reputable Egyptian dancers, as well as from non Egyptian dancers who have, however, lived and performed there professionally for a while. I would say that Cairo is the best place for this and other Egyptian destinations do not offer the same choice and level of teaching. In Cairo you can arrange training from teachers such as Randa Kamel, Dandesha, Hassaan (specialised in folklore), Mohamed Kazafy (great teacher, who started his dancing career in the Reda troupe) and many more. In terms of non Egyptian teachers but who know the culture and the dance extremely well

 

Attractions off the Beaten Track

In Cairo there are many famous tourist attractions, which I do not mention everywhere as they are extremely popular; you can easily find information on the pyramids or on the Citadel. However, if you are a dancer or are enthusiastic about Egyptian music, there are a couple of attractions off the beaten track that could interest you.

One is the Um Kalthoum Museum. As many belly dancers know, Um Kalthoum was a legendary Egyptian singer still very loved in Egypt and to whom the government has dedicated a museum, visited by many school trips but not so well known by foreign tourists. In the museum you can see photographs, videos of Um Kalthoum and some of her personal possessions.

The second off the beaten track attraction for Egyptian music lovers is  the new Cairo Opera House. This was inaugurated in 1988, it has two opera halls and an open air theatre and it is where ballet and opera are performed. It is possible to go on a guided tour of the premises.

 

If you go to Cairo for the first time and you are not familiar with the city an the culture, some of these attractions can be hard to find. Hence, it would be better to go with a specialized group that can introduce you to some hidden jewels

Shopping

 

In terms of shopping for belly dance items, Cairo is a paradise and it has something for every taste and purse. In Khan el-Khalili you can find many shops selling costumes in every price range, which go from the cheapest but lower quality to better quality mid-range (equivalent of about an average of GBP 200 per costume). One of such upper-mid range quality is Yasser, which has a big choice of costumes and designs. Another shop famous amongst belly dancers is Al Wikalah, 3 floors of belly dance paraphernalia, where you can find anything you desire located at 73, Gawhar Al-Qayid St, Khan el-Khalili. In Khan el-Khalili, a good place to buy CDs and DVDs is a small shop near the El Fishawy, the oldest café in Cairo. I do not remember the name of the shop, but if you go near El Fishawy you should find it easily.

If you have money to spend, you can also buy designer costumes. The price range for these is the equivalent, at the time of writing, of about GBP 300 to 500 and you need to go to the designers’ shops, which are not in the market but are located around the city

Some of the most well known costume designers in Cairo are Hanan, Raqia Hassan.

 

Seeing dance performances

The places which are most visited to see raqs sharqi performances are boats along the river Nile. On the boat tourists can have dinner while watching a dance performance to live music and singing. The performance usually includes a solo dance performance and a tannoura number (a performance inspired by Sufi dancing, usually done by a man who spins around with a colourful skirt). There are various classes of boats, from the cheapest to the deluxe ones, such as the Nile Maxim where Randa Kamel usually performs. These performances are for tourists mainly, but if you go the first times with someone who knows where to take you, you can watch very good dancers, such as Luna of Cairo, Lorna Gow or Randa Kamel.

 

Another place I went to, which is mainly for locals, is the Felfela Vilage in Giza. On Friday’s people go and eat there and there is a big stage in the middle where musicians play and customers can stand up and dance socially, in between performances. Performances are usually group folkloric dances, rather than raqs sharqi solos and the main attraction is Hassan (a multitalented singer, dancer, actor and choreographer) with his troupe.