Tag: raqs sharqi

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This post was originally written for Siobhan Camille’s newsletter subscribers in 2022, and updated after another trip to Egypt in 2023. To receive cultural tidbits like this in your inbox, sign up for the Greenstone Dance Arts newsletter!

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Different venues and contexts for raqs sharqi (“belly dance”) in Cairo

I’m going to dive into some of the different venues in which you can see raqs sharqi (“belly dance”) in Cairo, and how these spaces (and the clientele) affects the kind of dance you see in Egypt. Let’s dive in!

Above: Being showered with money in a Cairo Cabaret

Nile Boat Restaurants (Moored)

These don’t move, and are boats that are moored and often have a club, different kinds of restaurants, and sometimes a cabaret all on the same boat. 

I went to the Blue Nile to see Egyptian dance superstar Sahar Samara. The place was packed so it was hard to get a great view, but thankfully Sahar is super tall! 

She danced with her band on a non-raised stage, but did travel around the room for tips and taheyya (the shout outs the singer gives to generous tippers) and danced right in front of us then! 

This particular restaurant had a largely Egyptian clientele, who were obviously there for Sahar (most of the crowd left after Sahar’s act, even though there was a DJ afterwards) and very super excited and vocal. 

There was a mix of families, women, and men. We saw Vlada first around 11:30pm, and Sahar came on around 1:30am (I think!). We were home by around 3am. 

Above: Sahar Samara at the Blue Nile 
Above: Sahara Samara at the Blue Nile

Cruising Nile Boats

These are the boats that do the cruises you often hear of as a tourist. Like restaurants, there are different kinds of cruising boats at different pay scales and catering to different audiences. 

I went on one specifically to see UK/Egyptian dancer Zara. She dances on that boat specifically because it has more of an Egyptian clientele, so I didn’t see any of the boats that were super touristy.

There were a lot of families on this particular boat, and they also had a shaabi singer and well-known tanoura dance Osman, who was fantastic! This Nile cruise reminded me a lot of the restaurant show set ups outside of Egypt; there was a lot of audience interaction and animation involved, and dancing around and to different customers throughout the sets. 

The cruise started at 8pm and finished around 10:30pm, which was really early for a show in Cairo (and meant I could go to the cabaret after!).

Pictured: Siobhan Camille and Zara on the cruising Nile Boat. No videos unfortunately because Siobhan’s phone was out of battery!

Five star Hotels

These are usually for the wealthier tourists – there are lots of Saudi guests here. It’s really expensive to get in, but the dancer is on a raised stage with a full live band. This is a really high quality show, where the really big names appear. 

I saw Oxana at the Fairmont and she was incredible. No filming is allowed in these venues, for a variety of reasons; primarily that the clientele don’t want to appear on film. 

The shows typically start with a dancer and progress to live singers. Oxana was the first act and started around 11:30pm. We left early (!) at around 2:30am, partway through the second singer’s act.

Unfortunately no video of Oxana from the Fairmont because no filming is allowed, so here’s a video of the fab Oxana for you to enjoy!

Gala Shows at Dance Festivals

I didn’t even realise that my trip coincided with a couple of big festivals! Like elsewhere, these sorts of shows are mainly frequented by dancers. 

I didn’t go to any festivals apart from the opening show of the Ahlan Wa Sahlan festival, because DINA was the star dancer! Dina does the fastest costume changes I’ve ever seen (I timed them – about 90 seconds), and her band is INCREDIBLE. 

Sneaky shots of SUPERSTAR Dina performing at the Ahlan Wa Sahlan opening gala in 2022 – she did her costume changes in just 90 seconds!

A lot of people say you have to see Dina to understand why she is so loved, and I agree. She is incredibly charismatic, and you really feel the tarab / saltanah experience whilst in the audience (a huge sense of presence and emotional connection, because of her connection with the music, the audience, and the moment). 

Dina on stage in Cairo, 2022
Dina sprinting on stage after one of her legendary costume changes! She had a man side of stage whose sole job was to signal to the band when she was ready to run back on

We were super lucky, because Dina has largely stopped performing since COVID, so this was my one chance to see her whilst in Egypt in 2022. At the same show I also got to see rising Egyptian star Hendaya, who was awesome and killed an improvised drum solo when the power went out and her band couldn’t play! Hendaya usually dances in cabarets around Cairo.

Rising Cairo star Hendaya, who dances primarily in cabarets
Hendaya, a Cairo cabaret dancer and rising Egyptian star, dancing with a live band on stage at the 2022 Ahlan Wa Sahlan opening gala
Siobhan Camille with Egyptian dance superstar Dina of Cairo

Above: Siobhan CHEESING with Egyptian dance superstar Dina!

Below: With friends at the Ahlan Wa Sahlan gala show!

NightClubs

This venue type is honestly incredibly similar to clubs outside of Egypt. It is a young clientele wanting to hear the latest hits, dance, drink, and have a good time. But the dance floor really gets FLOODED when the Raqs Sharqi dancer appears.

The dancer often has a tiny stage on the floor (you can see it in this video, it’s black), and a bodyguard / bouncer (he’s to the left just out of frame of this video) to make sure no one touches her. Because of the small space the dancer has to perform on, she’s limited in her movements, but she’s ultimately just there to get the party started!

I unfortunately didn’t find out this dancer’s name, but she was performing in a nightclub on the outskirts of Cairo and we are pretty certain she was Russian

In this video below you can actually see the bodyguard to the left. Notice that the dancer shimmies in *his* direction so she’s essentially protected (you can hear my friend Magda, who lives in Cairo, explaining this to me in the video actually!), and you can see him telling an excited night club goer to stop waving his crutch around!

Footage in the Cairo nightclub where you can clearly see the dancer shimmying in the direction of the bodyguard

Interestingly, I know that as recently as 2022, it is illegal for dancers to perform without a live band. So even in the cabarets, there is a drummer and a sagat player accompanying the dancer. However, this nightclub was on the outskirts of town, and there wasn’t even a live tabla player. I wonder if the rules have changed, or if they just get away with it because they’re not in the centre of Cairo, so less likely to be checked on.

Cabarets

Above: Fangirling as we meet famous Egyptian cabaret dancer Mokka!


I was lucky to make the acquaintance of dance ethnologist Meg Morley whilst in Cairo, and she got us booked for the particular cabaret we went to.

These venues can be a little bit harder to get into as foreigners unless you speak Arabic or have a contact. In general, photography and filming is not allowed here, for the same reasons as in the five star night clubs. The cabaret was a really surreal experience, and in many ways hard to describe. It’s seen as a lower class venue, and yet they try to make it a high-class experience in that you’re waited on by tuxedo-ed waiters, an abundance of food is served. 

The big difference between other venues and cabarets is that cabarets are primarily frequented by men, and the main activity here is encouraging these men to spend money. There is a really wild cash rental system. In the clip at the beginning of this blog post, you’ll see us being showered in thousands of Egyptian pounds. 

Men rent cash in the cabarets (I don’t think they have to, but a big part of attending the cabarets is to show off how wealthy you are to those around you). They pay around 1,000 Egyptian pounds (around 50 euro / USD) to rent 10,000 Egyptian pounds (around 500 euro / USD). For reference, when I was in Cairo in 2023, it cost 50 Egyptian pounds to FILL a tank of gas in a car. A full meal out with drinks for two people at a fancy place cost around 20 euro total (two mains, drinks, sometimes entrees as well).

They then throw this money on the dancers, musicians, or even as you see with us, other patrons!

The really wild thing is no one gets to keep this money except for the cabarets themselves. Theres are tens of young men in the cabaret whose job it is to pick up the money as soon as possible, and take it away to restack it for further renting. 

So how did we end up showered in money? Aside from two other foreign dancers, we were the only foreigners in this venue. But of course, we knew all the words to the songs, because we love Egyptian music! One man at a table next to us was tickled by the sight of 4 foreign women singing and dancing (we were just boogieing in our seats), and came over and showered us with money until we agreed to get up and dance on stage with the legendary Aziza of Cairo!

Aziza of Cairo is a total sweetheart. We unfortunately didnt’ get to see her dance all that much – because the cabarets are more about getting people to throw money, the dancers tend to just walk around and shimmy a little. But she knew right away when she came out on stage that we were fans (us screaming “AZIZA” was probably a give away!!), so she paid us a little extra attention. When we were on stage with her (and even more money was flying!), she really danced with us, and was super fun and lovely.

No cameras allowed in cabarets, so here’s the amazing Aziza of Cairo on stage at a festival in Turkey!

Aziza was accompanied by her AWESOME sagat (finger cymbal) player, who was an artist and serious performer himself! As well as tabla players and a singer who spent a lot of time singing to encourage the tips! Its interesting, because whenever he sang in the direction of a man who had cash, the man seemed sometimes annoyed that he was being asked to throw money again – but the man being sung at would ALWAYS do it, because of this pressure to appear wealthy and generous.

I found a new favourite Egyptian dancer at this cabaret – Nany.  She was one of the few dancers that night that really danced, and I was SUPER impressed by her skills! Overall, the cabaret is a FASCINATING place. I can’t wait to go back!

Did you learn something new about Cairo dance venues?

I find dancers who are not Egyptian (or have never been to Egypt) can sometimes make dispraging remarks about the dance styles they see coming out of Cairo. But that’s often because they don’t understand the context within these dancers are performing, and the clientele they’re performing for.

I hope this blog post helps you understand a bit more!

Siobhan Camille in Alexandria, Egypt

This post was originally written for Siobhan Camille’s newsletter subscribers in 2022, and updated after another trip to Egypt in 2023. To receive cultural tidbits like this in your inbox, sign up for the Greenstone Dance Arts newsletter!

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I recently learned a pretty tricky drum solo by another dancer in 5 hours, over 3 days.

When I was cast in Jillina’s stage production of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, I learned 7 choreographies in about 6 weeks. So here are some of my main tips to learn choreography quickly!

1. I watch well

Mirror neurons are a type of brain cell that fires both when we perform a specific action (like an arabesque) and when we observe someone else performing the same action.

That is to say, when we see another dancer perform an arabesque, the mirror neurons in our brains fire as if we were performing the movements ourselves.

This can help us understand and learn movements more effectively – so watch first, try second!

2. I don’t repeat mistakes

This one sounds really silly, but I’ll explain what I mean!

If I’m running through a choreography, and I keep making the same mistake, I don’t just keep going and hope it will get better.

I stop what I’m doing. I watch that section again. I practice it without the music. And then I do the run-through again. If I get it wrong again, I stop the music there immediately to break the pattern in my brain. I go from the top (or the top of that section again) and try to get it right.

3. I sing the timing

Especially with lyrical pieces or raqs sharqi pieces in general, steps are not usually on counts, but they follow the melody or other musical accents.

If I’m struggling with a step, I watch the piece again (there’s a theme here!) and I sing the steps. So if there’s a tricky arabesque combo with suspension, I sing along to the dancer performing it in whatever way makes sense for my brain. For example: “left, right, left, riiiiiiiiight, turn and….”

This helps me hear where it fits in the music.

4. I ask the silly questions!

If it’s an in-person or live-streamed choreography workshop, I’m not afraid to ask questions.

Don’t be afraid of looking silly. You’ll be more equipped to learn things independently if you ask questions about the technique or choreography while the expert is right there in front of you.

And chances are, there are other people in the room or the class who have the same questions as you, but are too shy to ask!

5. I prioritise practice frequency

Here for a good time, not for a long time! When trying to learn choreography quickly, I prioritise practice frequency over practice duration.

This increases the chances of me retaining the choreography in the long-term, compared to one or two super long practice blocks in a week.

6. I review right before bed

Sleep provides a lot of benefits to memory consolidation and learning (so getting enough sleep is also key to learn well).

Something I’ve done for a long time, is reviewing tricky things right before bed – even just once, perhaps even just watching instead of dancing.

So my brain can consolidate while I sleep!

These are just some of the ways that I learn choreography quickly!

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P.S. Here’s the drum solo I learned in 5 hours, employing a lot of these tricks:

Siobhan Camille challenged herself to learn this drum solo in 5 hours over 3 days

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Defining belly dance styles is always tricky! 

Much like music styles, lines blur and definitions change over time. Do you know Def Leppard used to be considered a heavy metal band? Today they’re probably more considered to be in the rock category, with heavy metal bands sounding much heavier. Much like the Ramones were once considered super punk, but now there are much louder, noisier sounding bands in the punk category.

Dance is the same. Definitions we once used might change and evolve.

As a belly dancer, I’ve studied extensively and consistently with Egyptian and Egyptian-trained dancers, and lived in North America where I spent several years consistently studying American Cabaret (AmCab) style belly dance.

I remember asking one of my first belly dance teachers what the difference between these two styles was, and her reply to me was that she was still learning (aren’t we all!). So, I’m going to share with you the main differences and similarities that I’ve noticed or been taught about.

Take note that due to the ever-changing nature of dance, and the fact that every dancer brings their own personal style to the art form, there are no hard and fast facts. These are generalisations, not rules – and rules are often broken!

(Modern) Egyptian Belly Dance

In general, Egyptian style belly dance is (or has been) characterised by:

  • Shifting the weight of the body with each step
  • Being more integrated and less isolated than AmCab (but that doesn’t mean isolation does not exist; there is still great control over the body. While AmCab dancers may often stand still and perform isolations while standing in place like in a drum solo, Egyptian style dancers may do this less often, or be more likely to perform isolations while traveling, moving other body parts, etc.)
  • Less upright posture/less balletic posture compared to AmCab
  • Often more likely to see “inward” rather than “outward” movements, drawing isolations in towards the core (e.g. inward rather than outward horizontal and vertical figure 8s, often with a heel lift for the latter where AmCab would keep heels down). There are exceptions of course; Randa has started using outward vertical figure 8s (mayas) in recent years
  • Undulations tend to have less focus on the chest, and more focus on upper and lower abs
  • Arms often incorporated in a more organic way than the arm isolations used in AmCab style

Egyptian style belly dance is performed to Egyptian Arabic music. It can have an “earthier” feel than American Cabaret.

Up until 1:04 in this clip above you can see Randa’s feet quite clearly. Notice the ball of her foot is almost always in contact with the ground, even during hip work on one leg (like at around 0:15). 

You are generally less likely to see a super pointed toe during one-sided hipwork in Egyptian style belly dance, as dancers of this style often use the ground and the flexing capabilities of their joints (ankle, knee and hips) to help generate their hipwork.

For contrast, notice how Aziza, in this more AmCab style performance, has a very pointed toe, with just the toe making contact with the ground during standing postures and isolations in the clip below.

I have heard some dancers say that Egyptian style dance is less muscular than its Cabaret and Fusion counterparts; I would argue that this is a misunderstanding. 

Egyptian belly dance in particular draws a lot from using the force of the ground, but also, so many moves are generated from the core (and particularly the muscles in the front of the body), where in other styles, they might be generated from other parts of the body. 

For example, the more American Cabaret style undulation starts in the chest and rolls its way down, making use of the whole spine. The more Egyptian style undulation starts in the pelvis and travels mainly through the belly and pelvic area, using the belly muscles strongly and not affecting the chest so much. 

You’ll see examples of tight, internal, core-driven hip work in many of Randa’s performances, like the one below.

Of course, all Egyptian dancers have their own style, so you’ll see differences between each dancer as well. It takes a lot of watching and dancing to understand the nuances in each style (an excuse to procrastinate on YouTube!).

American Cabaret Style Belly Dance (AmCab)

“Belly dance is an art form that has been adapted in western cultures to create “related hybrid forms.” It is generally thought to have been first introduced to North America at the 1893 Chicago World’s Fair, after which it saw a surge in popularity as recreational dance during the 1960s and 1970s in the wake of the second wave of feminism and the sexual revolution and experienced a plateau in the 1980s.” – Milner et al., 2019

Belly Dance was super popular in the United States in the 60s and 70s, but at this time, the internet was not quite what it is today. Many dancers danced to live bands instead of tapes (although American dancers who were active in clubs and restaurants at that time have told me they did use tapes when there was not a live band!), and learned their technique and stylisations through their own teachers, through feedback from the (Middle Eastern) bands they worked with, or from simply mimicking what they saw other dancers do.

If they were working in clubs with live Arabic bands, they did often learn from dancers or musicians who had firsthand experience of belly dancers in their own culture (such as in Turkey or Egypt). However, because bands and native dancers were often from different countries, American dancers learned how to dance to Turkish rhythms and songs, Egyptian rhythms and songs, etc., etc. American Cabaret belly dance thus became a sort of fusion of many styles of Middle Eastern dance.

Like Egyptian belly dance, American Cabaret (AmCab) style belly dance has evolved and continues to evolve over time, but in general, AmCab is often:

  • More isolated and upright than Egyptian style belly dance (e.g. heels on ground for vertical figure 8s, whereas Egyptian style often allow the heels to lift)
  • More shapes and isolations are used in the chest in AmCab compared to Egyptian; although we are seeing more circles and pops in the chest now in Modern Egyptian styling
  • Hands and arms can be a bit more deliberate than in Egyptian style, sometimes less “organic”
  • The modern “Drum Solo” as a standalone performance is much more AmCab than Egyptian. Drum solos by themselves are rarer in Egyptian dance, but you do see them in the context of mejances and baladi progressions
  • Tends to blend technique from a variety of belly dance styles, and has had quite a heavy influence from Turkish style; lots of technique also similar to modern fusion styles

I hope you learned something new! Keep in mind, dancers have their own individual styles, dance evolves and changes over time, and rules are broken. Nothing is ever black or white, but I hope you’ve got more of an idea of the differences and similarities between Egyptian and AmCab style belly dance.

Siobhan Camille teaches regular classes online! See the full class schedule here, and sign up for classes in the Greenstone Belly Dance shop.

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“Baladi” is a term used widely within the international belly dance community, but also within Egypt. It’s a word that can describe a person, a dance, a musical style, food, and so much more! So it can get a little confusing when trying to understand what exactly baladi is.

In this blog post, I’ll touch on the multiple meanings of baladi, along with baladi dance stylisation and musical progressions.  

I’ll be discussing:

  • The idealised archetype of a baladi person in Egypt
  • What we tend to mean when we’re talking about baladi stylised dance
  • What a baladi solo or baladi progression is

Ibn-il balad and bint il-balad: The Sons and Daughters of Egypt

The idealised archetype of a baladi person in Egypt

“Like the ibn-il balad, the bint-il balad is perceived as fahlawiyya, clever, and trained in the “school of life.” – van Nieuwkerk, 1995.

Baladi means “of the country,” and “ibn-il balad” and “bint-il balad” mean son and daughter of the country, respectively. Specifically in the lower-middle class in Egypt, there is a specific (positive) stereotype associated with these roles. It is important to note that other social classes may have negative stereotypes regarding the roles of “the sons and daughers of the country.” When it come to dance, however, we are generally trying to embody the style of the proud, clever, good-humoured, and honourable baladi woman.

learn more about baladi, and the music styles and dance stylisations it can refer to: Register now for Siobhan Camille’s 4 Week Online Series: Baladi Feeling & Stylisation

The above quote is from Karin van Nieuwkerk’s 1995 book, “A Trade Like Any Other.” She also recently published “Manhood is Not Easy” (2019). I had the pleasure to speak to van Nieuwkerk last weekend during a book club meeting. I asked her whether the archetype of the baladi man and woman had changed over the years. She said that in the same social class, she has not seen the archetype change much. However, she did say that she has not interviewed many young Egyptians in the lower-middle class. Most of the Egyptians that she has interviewed over the years are the same people.

So, much the same way our grandparents might stick to beliefs from their childhood, it could be that she hasn’t seen much change as she is interviewing the same people over time. It would be interesting to know if younger Egyptians are changing their outlook on what the ideal Egyptian man or woman is.

“The “daughters of the country,” the banât il-balad (singular: bint il-balad), have similar characteristics and attributes. They dress… with a milâya-laff… a multicolored headkerchief, high-heeled slippers, and if possible, many golden bracelets.” – van Nieuwkerk, 1995.

You’ll notice that the description van Nieuwkerk provides above of the banât il-balad closely resembles the “costume” we see dancers don when performing milâya-laff dance (sometimes spelled melaya leff, and a multitude of other ways).

A little tangent: It’s worth knowing that the “melaya dance” is a theatrical piece developed by Mahmoud Reda and Farida Fahmy, not a traditional dance. Milâyat are worn as a general sort of cover up when leaving the house to do errands. So when performing dance with milâya, many advocate that you should try to embody the proud bint il-balad – that is, perhaps flirtatious or cheeky, but also good-humoured and honourable.

See Farida Fahmy below speaking about some of the misconceptions around dancing with the milâya.

So as you may be starting to see, baladi is a term that is used quite positively within the same class of Egyptian people who primarily engage in the entertainment and performing arts trade.

Baladi can be used to describe almost anything within Egypt: a person, food, music.

What we tend to mean when we’re talking about baladi stylised dance

I will preface this section by saying there is a lot of debate over this! I’ve seen many experience dancers passionately argue that baladi is not a dance style.

I sit somewhere in the middle. I wouldn’t say baladi is a style of its own, but I do think that there are more baladi ways to dance, and more raqs sharqi (professional belly dance, but I’m specifically referring to modern raqs sharqi, like that of Randa Kamel) ways to approach dance.

I see it this way:

Baladi stylisations tend to be a little bouncier, and more movements are generated from the floor than in modern raqs sharqi. Some movements, while still isolated, tend to be a little bigger or looser than in modern raqs sharqi. Baladi stylisation – to me – has a lot of crossover with sa’idi and even sha’abi and mahraganat stylisations, as it draws heavily on social dancing. However, when a professional dancer includes baladi stylisations in his or her set, he or she will likely still perform in a way that shows she is a trained/experienced dancer. They may embody the aforementioned movement qualities (bouncy, looser, driven from the ground), but they likely won’t just have a casual boogie on stage, as they are still providing a show!

This dance stylisation can be performed to a whole range of songs that we generally consider baladi – kind of like “popular” music. Current popular music may lean more towards the sha’abi or mahraganat styles, but as I say, there’s some crossover in the movement quality.

Here is a good example of Shems (USA) performing baladi stylised dance:

learn more about baladi MUSIC and dance stylisations: Register now for Siobhan Camille’s 4 Week Online Series: Baladi Feeling & Stylisation

What is a baladi solo or baladi progression?

Here the confusion can sink in a little more – some people in the belly dance community are primarily referring to a baladi solo or baladi progression when they talk about baladi music.

As I’ve mentioned above, multiple types of music can be considered baladi. But a baladi progression is actually a specific musical form that originated on stage between a band and a dancer. So while a baladi solo could be performed with baladi dance stylisation, it is likely when performing to a baladi progression, you’ll perform in a way that shows you have at least some professional dance training (or experience working as a dancer) – and some dancers may not necessarily nod to this aforementioned baladi dance stylisation at all, they may perform in a very modern raqs sharqi styling.

I personally don’t think there is anything wrong with either approach: dancing in either stylisation. As I say, the baladi solo originated on stage, so we expect to see a professional dancer dancing their own stylisation.

You’ll see above that Shems does perform to a baladi progression (the second song), but that’s not the only music she performs to. She also performs to a piece of music that is more popular, but still considered baladi in its stylisation.

Below is an example of Fifi Abdo (Egypt) performing to a baladi progression / baladi solo. The baladi solo usually follows the form of: melodic improvisation, drum accents, rhythm joining in; then some sections may be repeated, and then there is sometimes a drum solo to end, or just a hard ending.

Fifi’s white galaybeya has become so iconic that many people choose to wear this style of costume for baladi stylised performances!

Baladi means a lot of things – and it’s okay to keep learning!

One of the beautiful things about raqs sharqi and its related dance forms is that there is such a rich history and cultural context to this art form, and it’s a living, breathing art form that is still evolving and changing in the Middle East, North Africa, Hellenistic and Turkish countries!

I know it can feel overwhelming – “There’s so much to learn!” But I think it’s really important to remember that it’s okay to keep learning. It’s okay to not know everything. But we do want to continue to seek out knowledge to deepen our understanding of the dance form and its associated forms.

For a quick overview of some of the Arabic terms mentioned in this blog post, see below!

A quick overview of some of the Arabic terms mentioned in this article: ibn il-balad = son of the country; bint il-balad = daughter of the country; banat il-balad = daughters (plural) of the country; fahlawiyya = clever/shrewd/cunning; milâya-laff = a square of black cloth wrapped around the body for modesty; baladi = of the country.

Want to learn more about the multiple meanings of baladi, and the music styles and dance stylisations in can refer to? Register now for Siobhan Camille’s 4 Week Online Series: Baladi Feeling & Stylisation! Starting March 3, 2021!

I would like to acknowledge the study I have done under the direction of Amanda Rose, Karim Nagi, Yasmina Ramzy, Shahrzad, Shems, The Ruby Lady and Badriyah that have helped contribute to my interpretations in this article.