by Luna

by Luna

Luna

Luna

Blog Intro

Hello, I'm Luna, and I'd like to welcome you to "Kisses from Kairo,"* my blog about living and working as an American belly dancer in Cairo.

Life in Cairo isn't easy for dancers, foreigners, women, or even Egyptians. It is, however, always thrilling. This was what inspired me to share my exquisitely unique experiences with the world. From dancing at the most prestigious venues to almost being deported, not a day had passed without something unexpected or magical happening. You will thus find these pages filled with bits of my history in Cairo (2008 - 2018) —my experiences, successes, mistakes, and observations.

You will also find my thoughts on different aspects of Egyptian culture and political developments, as well as my personal struggles living through the revolution.

I should note that I have a love/hate relationship with Egypt. Any criticisms about the country were made with the utmost love, respect, and honesty. As this country had become my home, I wanted to avoid romanticizing and apologizing for its myriad social maladies, as most foreigners have done; I always found that approach misguided, patronizing, and insulting.

I hope you find this blog insightful and entertaining, and that we can make this as interactive as possible. That means I'd love to hear from you. Send me your comments, questions, complaints, suggestions, pics, doctoral dissertations, money, etc., and I will get back to you. Promise. :)~



My Videos

Wednesday, May 9, 2012

"Being a foreign Belly Dancer in Egypt Interview with Luna of Cairo


Interview by Isis Zahara

WEDNESDAY, MAY 09, 2012  
"We are all of us stars, and we deserve to twinkle."--Marilyn Monroe 


Luna of Cairo is an American Belly Dancer originally from Brooklyn, New York (she studied in Harvard!) and has been living in Cairo for the past three years. She is contracted at the Nile Memphis in Cairo (Memphis Tours Nile Cruises) .

Luna will be at the next Salamat MasrEgyptian Festival (July 05th till  July 12th  2012) teaching with well-known Egyptian belly dancers stars Mona El Said, Zizi Mostafa, and Najwa Fouad.
She has a polemical  blog: Kisses from Kairo.  Where you can read experiences about being a  foreign belly dancer in Egypt, some cultural contrasts and - as she says - her mistakes, observations and successes!

IZ: When and why did you decide to start a successful dance carrier in Egypt?

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Posted by Luna of Cairo at 4:49 PM 3 comments

Friday, May 4, 2012

The Big Yellow "M"


photo

Yes, I’m talking about that M. McDonald’s. The place in which no self-respecting American traveling abroad would be caught dead. We Americans who travel abroad suffer from a sort of McDonald’s complex. We are painfully aware that the rest of the world stereotypes us as provincial, untraveled, uncultured cowboys who only speak one language and only eat fast food.  So, to prove to the world (and ourselves) otherwise, one of the things we do is avoid eating at McDonald’s. Even when it might be in our interest to do so.   

I am one of those Americans who suffers from McDonald’s complex. Not just because eating at McDonald’s would be an indication of close-mindedness, but because of all of the things the fast-food chain has come to symbolize over the years. Especially here in the Middle East. As one of the largest corporations in the world, it is a symbol of American economic and cultural hegemony. Is it any surprise, then, that McDonald’s restaurants have become a favored target of anti-American violence in the Arab world, alongside our embassies?

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Posted by Luna of Cairo at 3:17 AM 4 comments
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