An Entirely Possible Possibility

Egyptian belly dancers are an endangered species. On the road to extinction. That is, if there isn’t a belly dance renaissance in Egypt sometime soon. Even Dina fears as much. For the truth is, aside from Dina, Randa, Camelia, and more recently, Aziza, there is a conspicuous lack of good Egyptian belly dancers on the market. This is ironic, considering that most of us imagine Egypt to be Planet Belly Dance, and that Egypt is the home of belly dance legends Samia Gamal, Fifi Abdo, and Soheir Zaki. There are also at least 40 million Egyptian women living here. You would think that with those numbers, this music and dance-oriented country could produce a few more star belly dancers. Yet the reality is that an ugly combination of economic and socio-religious factors is robbing this country of one of its greatest artistic achievements.

I remember first moving to Cairo and being excited about all the belly dancers I thought I would see. Expecting to discover hundreds of naturally talented women, I visited nearly every venue that featured belly dancing. But what I expected and what I discovered were two different things.  To my dismay, the level of dancing here of most Egyptian belly dancers is appallingly low.  To be frank, it is quite bad. With the notable exceptions of the four superstars I previously mentioned, the majority of Egyptian dancers leave a lot to be desired.

Flying High...

Well, more like drunk. Is there a better way to celebrate my coming home to Brooklyn than drinking cranberry and vodka on the flight home? But hey, it has been a good while since I’ve consumed alcohol. It’s just not a priority when you live in Egypt, a country as dry as its dessert sands.

I will admit, I’m a lightweight. That’s because I rarely drink. It only took one cup of the stuff to blur my already blurry vision and make me giggle out loud while watching Aasal Iswid. Aasal Iswid is an Egyptian comedy which translates as ‘Black Honey.’ It satirizes the oftentimes repugnant ways in which Egyptians treat each other by juxtaposing it with the royal treatment they often bestow upon foreigners. The protagonist is Egyptian actor Ahmed Hilmy, who returns to Cairo to work as a photographer after living in the United States for twenty years. Intent on ‘going native,’ Ahmed deliberately leaves his American passport in the States and proudly identifies as Egyptian. The film progresses by showing all the unnecessary travails he experienced because of this. From taxi drivers to authorities to horses(!), no one treats Ahmed the way he expects to be treated as a native of Egypt.

Teaching in NYC Nov. 14th-16th

11/13: Performing @ Columbia University Raqs    2-4pm

11/14: Egyptian Shaabi Choreography                       5-7pm

11/15: “Feeling” & Sas - Taqsim Baladi                       6-8pm

11/16: Classical Egyptian Choreography                   6-8pm

All classes are $45 and require prior notification of attendance.  Please e-mail lunaofcairo@gmail.com to reserve a spot. Classes will be held

@ Anamita Navatman Studios

344 W 38th Street, 5th floor, New York, NY, 10018 

I will also be available for private lessons.

My Interview with BellyDanceFinder!

Bellydancefinder: Tell us a bit about yourself. What is your background? What do you do when you aren’t dancing?

Luna: Three years ago, I won a Fulbright Scholarship to write a book about the history, development and decline of belly dance in Egypt. I had just graduated from Harvard University with a Masters degree in Middle Eastern Studies, and would soon be moving to Cairo. I originally planned to return home after 9 months upon terminating the scholarship. However the dance distracted me and I never finished my book! I kept taking classes and meeting new people, and one thing led to another. Before I knew it, I was performing regularly at all of the 5-star resorts along the Red Sea. Exactly one year later, I auditioned at the Semiramis Hotel and the Nile Memphis and was awarded contracts to dance at both. The Semiramis gig didn’t work out (for very ugly reasons), but I am happily dancing at the Nile Memphis every night. I also perform regularly at weddings and upscale corporate events with my band.