OraliaDance
Egyptian, Middle Eastern bellydance
Here you will find my musings of everything belly dance
in addition to postings about my Cairo experiences.
Oralia
March 21, 2008
Today we are going back to the bazaar to do some last minute shopping. Then tonight we are going to Astryd's flat to have a little hafla. She has invited some of the people we have met during the trip and we will have a chance to say good-bye.
I leave to catch my plane at midnight tonight. I had a great trip. I learned a lot and ate well. But, I am ready to go home where the air is clean and where sleep is an inalienable right (not a luxury).
March 20, 2008
woman making pita bread with vase on head
Today we had a lesson in Oriental dance with Mahmoud Reda. What a treat to meet such a legend and to dance in his studio. He is such a sweetie. He must be in his 70's and he was still up there shaking his hips. he did 2 choreographies with us. They were more on the folkloric side of oriental dance and they were fun. He showed us some of his videos, and he showed us some of his photos that he took while he was studying dance and he showed up photos of his troupe on stage. His folkloric stuff is really cute, not overly dramatic but enough drama in the right places. It is also very steppy which is good training (especially for me). It was a pleasure and a treat to work with such a legend.
Then I went back to Amira's (Pharonics of Egypt) to get my costumes fitted. Basically, when we were there earlier we chose the costumes we liked and they worked on a shell of the costume. When we went back this time, the shell was ready and we tried them on. Amira has such an attention to detail. If that costume does not fit perfect it gets adjusted. By the end of the fitting, you have pins all over your costume marking where the adjustments should be. Amira is a genius and I know that my costumes are going to be perfectly fit to my body. Unfortunately, they are in the middle of getting ready for a show so I am not going to get them until early July:(
We saw Soraya at the Marriot tonight. The Marriot used to be King Farouks (sp?) old palace. It is gorgeous. The workmanship in that place is stunning. Soraya was also stunning. She is one of my favorite performers. She has technique, she has depth, she has charisma, and she has fabulous costumes. Her show last night was incredible. When I saw her last year she did not do a drum solo, but this year she did. Wow, she is definitely one of the best dancers I have ever seen.
March 19, 2008
Today, the group went to the Citadel, Coptic Cairo, and Mohammed Ali Street (famous for being a street where musicians and dancers used to hang out waiting for work--now it is kind of run down but you can still find some fantastic instrument shops there). I went last year and decided not to go this year-- I needed the rest.
Today, I had my 2 hour semi-private with Mona el Saied. She was just as fabulous this year as she was last year. She is so good at noticing those small details that are not right and she will make you work on it until you have it right. It is a lot of hard work and by the end of that class you are exhausted but completely satisfied that you got more out of those 2 hours then you could from weeks and weeks of class time.
Finally, we saw Randa Kamel on the boat. She is just as fabulous as ever. She even did a short Saidi piece, which was fun to watch. I am out of time, I will write more later.
March 17, 2008
Today we visited Sakkara and Memphis. Sakkara is the home to the first, second, and third pyramids. The first pyramid is different from the great pyramids of Giza. The first one is this series of 6 steps. The sides are not steep like the great pyramids and the size is smaller.
The second pyramid we could see in the distance. The second pyramid was created by a distant grandson of the king who created the first pyramid. He wanted a pyramid even larger then his grandfather's, so his architect tried to make a pyramid even larger. This pyramid did not have the steps like the first one. So, the architect started and got about 1/3 of the way through and the pyramid started collapsing in on itself. So he changed the angle of the pyramid about 1/3 of the way up to keep it from collapsing. They call this one the bent pyramid because of that. When the king saw this, he did not like and demanded another one be built. So next to the bent pyramid is another pyramid. This one they did get right and this is the one that the pyramids of Giza are based on.
One of the neatest things we got to do in Sakkara was go inside one of the tombs. This tomb belonged to one of the husbands of one of the king's daughters. This man was also a high court official and was apparently very wealthy. His tomb was covered with carving and hieroglyphs. It was really awesome to see these ancient hieroglyphs in person, in a real tomb. Our guide was able to read some of the hieroglyphs for us. They tell the story of the man for whom that tomb was made. For example, he was very wealthy. He made jewelry--they even told you how his jewelry was made. He married the king's daughter, and he fished a lot.
Memphis is a place where they dug up many of the artifacts left by King Ramsey's 2. They had some of the statues and stuff still on site.
The rest of the day we went to the Sakkara Palm club where we spent the whole afternoon at the pool for some much needed rest and relaxation.
March 16, 2008
After the crazy late night at the Dina show, we got a handful of hours to sleep and then off to a dance class. Tito was our instructor. We learned a really fun choreography with him. His style was really neat. We had a great time in his class. Hopefully some of you will get to see some of the stuff we learned from Tito when I get back.
After Tito, we got a little bit more rest because we got a table with some of Astyrd's friends at the local dance club. It was so much fun dancing and meeting people. The nightclub played a mix of Aerbic pop, American pop, and even some salsa. Afterward some of us went to the house of one of the guys at our table (of course Astryd was with us and this was one of Astryd's good friends). We did not get back until 6 am again. We got back to the hotel, ate breakfast and slept all morning until we had to wake up to go to the khan el khalili--the outdoor bazaar.
The bazaar is this shoppers paradise. There are so many allies and streets to explore. It seems like everything is for sale there. Of course, we visited Yasser's belly dance shop, in addition to El Sawy's music shop. You never really know what you are buying at the music shop, but the music is cheap enough that it is worth is to take some chances. The owner is usually pretty good at picking out good cd's for you also.
After the bazaar we headed to see the Tanoura dancers (Sufi dancers). Amazing as usual. It was really nice to sit in this calming environment after the chaos of the bazaar.
It was an early night--we ended up getting to bed around midnight.
March 15, 2008
My internet access in my hotel room has been sporadic and unreliable. When I do have access, I am having trouble uploading--especially the photo's. So, I am trying to get it to work, but we will see....
Today was crazy busy. Cairo is one of those places that the concept of day and night/morning and bedtime do not hold. We are now into the part of the tour where the 24 hour day does not hold any meaning. We basically sleep when we can--3 hours here, 5 hours there--could be morning, could be evening--who knows when you will get some sleep next.
Today started out early with a visit to the Antiquities museum. I could spend days there looking at all of the stuff they have. Mummies, coffins, tons of gold jewelry, statues, hieroglyphics, and of course the golden mask of King Tut and all of his treasure. Turns out, King Tut died when he was very young (18 or 19) and he has an entire floor of the museum devoted to the stuff found in his tomb. He had 4 coffins--each inside of eachother--all of them were carved and elaborately worked on. The 3rd coffin was cover with a sheet of gold and the coffin he was lying in was solid gold. He even had these huge perfume canisters, which are still full of perfume. Can you imagine what the coffins of the kings who lived to be their full age were filled with.
One of the most intriguing things was this huge mummified crocodile. I could go on and on about the wonders in that museum but then I would never get to write about the rest of my trip. I will say that we did have a tour guide and if anyone ever goes I highly recommend a tour guide. He was able to tell us all about the history of the statues in the museum.
After the museum, we went to the pyramids. They were just as impressive the second time around as they were the first time I saw them. It turns out that the Nile used to flood all the way to the pyramids of Giza every year and that is how they got the stones to the site. The stones used to make the pyramids did not come from on site.
If you go to the pyramids you have to ride the camels. So, of course we rode the camels from the second pyramid to the 3rd pyramid. I love riding the camels, it is so much fun. My camel was a little bit bumpy and he liked to wag his huge tongue around. It was fun.
Then we went on to visit the sphinx. The sphinx was not built out of blocks like the pyramids were, rather it is one huge piece of rock. The sphinx was carved out of the rock. It is a very impressive piece of work.
After the sphinx we took a visit to Amira's--she is my favorite costume designer. Her costumes are absolutely fabulous. Her designs are beautiful and work is high quality. Amira does the Pharonics of Egypt line. Not only are her costumes gorgeous but she is such a riot. We had such a fun time at her place. I ended up getting 2 costumes from her. I am very excited. One of the costumes I ended up getting is still a design in progress. She had half of a bra finished--but that half of the bra was really cool. I have never bought anything based on that small of a sample, but Amira is truly a visionary designer and I trust that she will put something spectacular together for me.
After Amira's, we had about a 2 hour nap and then off to see Dina. Dina was amazing. She is much better live then she is in her videos. She truly lived up to all of the hype that surrounds her. Her dancing is stunning, she has this charisma and style that is so captivating. She also has this amazing 20 or 25 piece orchestra that accompanies her.
After her show was over a singer named Saad Saougyer (I am sure the spelling is wrong) performed. It was a riot. He entered the stage and all of these dancing boys came out with him. They were everywhere--there must have been a hundred of them. They just kept coming--they filled the stage, they surrounded all of the tables--they were everywhere. Their job was to get people to dance. What happens when you get a table full of belly dancers mixed with live music and dancing boys trying to get people dancing? Of course we got up to dance! People were dancing on the stage, on tables, everywhere. It was so much fun. We did not get home until 6am that morning. Needless to say, we were exhausted.
March 14, 2008
I forgot how weird it was to have people stare at you all the time. People like to stare at you in Cairo. It is not that they are being rude or anything, it is just something they do here. There are a surprisingly large number of people who tend to stand or sit on the sidewalk with seemingly nothing to do, so they stare at the people walking by. As tourist, we get stared at a little bit more. But, like all things in this city, you get used to it pretty quickly.
Cairo is this interesting mix of western and Islamic cultures. Within one block you can find fabulous middle eastern food restaurants in addition to a Pizza Hit, a McDonalds, even a Cinnabon shop that recently opened up across the street. That mix of the cultures can be seen in the clothing also. In general, women have their shoulders and their knees covered (unless you do not mind a whole lot of attention). But beyond those sort of guidelines, you see people in basic western jeans and t-shirts to the full burka and everything in between.
We started the day off by walking around the neighborhood. Zamalek is one of the wealthier neighborhoods in Cairo but the streets are still broken and cracked in many place. Some of the embassies and schools around here have beautiful architecture. Some of the more interesting shops are the butcher shops with huge slabs of meat hanging in the windows. You can find everything in the shops from tourist trinkets to silver.
After we walked around, we went to Eman Zaki's. Eman creates some of the most beautiful designer belly dance costumes. Basically, you look at her stuff, you try it on and they take your measurements and any special altering requests (change the color, add this here etc.) and they make you a costume to fit your body. You can imagine the chaos that ensues when you put 8 belly dancers in a designer belly dancing costume shop. Needless to say we spent a good part of the afternoon there.
We had our first class today by Diana Tarkhan. She is a fabulous instructor and even though we were exhausted from trying on costumes, we still managed to have a great time.
After class, we went to this really cool restaurant called Sequoia. It is on the Nile and it is the type of place you imagine when you think of Egypt. The restaurant is outside but it is tented and you have these great sofa chairs to lounge around on. Everyone there is smoking shisha (flavored tobacco from a hookah) and the shisha smell hides the polluted smell of the city. We had a fabulous Egyptian dinner there complete with freshly made pita bread and hummus. Mmmm
We finally ended the evening with a Zar show. This show was incredible! The group doing the show is called Mazaher and unfortunately the Mazaher is one of the few remaining groups keeping this ancient tradition alive. The Zar is unusual because it is one of the rare ensembles where women play a leading role. It is a ritual dance and music ensemble where the participants are trying to harmonize and calm the spirit. They use lots of drums and some unusual instruments like these huge belts made out of hooves that the men wear and then dance out a rhythm.
Tomorrow, the pyramids, the antiquities museum, visit to Amira--Pharonics of Egypt (another costume atelier), and we finish the day off with a Dina show.
March 13, 2008
View of the Nile from my hotel Balcony in Zamalek, Cairo
By far the most challenging part of being in Egypt is getting there. I finally got in last night at about 5am after 2 days of travel. But, I am here at the Flamenco hotel in Zamalek Cairo. The hotel is located right on the Nile. I have a nice little balcony with a nice view of the river and right across from me is a Mosque.
The Mosque's play the call to prayer several times a day throughout the city. I remember from last year the early morning call to prayer rings somewhere between 5-6 in the morning and it would always wake me up. Last night as soon as I got into the hotel I fell asleep so quickly and deeply that even the call to prayer could not make me stir.
As soon as you step off the plane into the Cairo airport, it is apparent that you are in Cairo. The bustle and chaos of this place-even at 3am--is so different from the western cultures. People tend not to stand in lines, rather they congregate in these mass mobs and you have to be aggressive or at the minimum assertive in order to get where you want to go. It takes a little bit of time to get used to. In addition, as soon as you get through
customs, there are touts (people offering to help you in exchange for tips) everywhere. Offering to help you get your luggage, get you a taxi, anything your want, these guys will get it for you. They tend to be kind of pushy and you have to get used to ignoring them if you do not want your help.
The dollar has fallen quite a bit since last year. Last year, I was able to get 6 pounds for every dollar, but this year it is closer to 5 pounds per dollar. So, everything is slightly more expensive. It is still cheaper here but it is obvious that the weakness of the American economy and the fall of the value of the dollar is going to make this trip more expensive then last years trip.
Astryd has a ton of things planned for us. I got here a day before the official tour starts in order to get a days rest before the things get really busy. I addition to the dance classes we are taking (almost one a day), we are going to see a fashion show, eat dinner on the nile in one of their cruise boats, go to night clubs, see some of the top belly dance shows, visit multiple costume designers, see the pyramids, visit the Citadel, tour the Egyptian museum, shop at Khan el Khalili (the largest outdoor bazaar in Cairo), see a Sufi show, a Zar show, a folkloric show, eat dinner atop the Cairo revolving restaurant overlooking the city etc. I am getting tired already just looking at all the stuff we have planned. But today I rest and regain my energy before the whirlwind of activities begin.
February 20, 2008
Updated December 22, 2009
Well, I did it. I found that the best way to keep people informed on my ever changing performance and teaching schedule was to put up a website. In addition to keeping people informed on my comings and goings, I will also use this website to let you all know about my Cairo experiences. My next trip to Cairo will be May 13-23, 2008. I will attempt to post my comings and goings while in Cairo on this blog page--so stay tuned.
Now, a little about my dancing history. I first discovered belly dance
when I went to a show many, many years ago. My first teacher was a lady named Kathy who taught in Ft. Collins, Colorado. She gave me a love of the dance and my first hip scarf.
I then spent many years learning from a fabulous teacher from Corvallis, Kameal. She was a master of an American Cabaret/Gypsy style of dance in addition to single and double veil. Kameal also gave me my first performance opportunities to dance with the fabulous live music of Joseph Pusey. Kameal took me from a very awkward, shy girl who really liked to dance and she taught me how to shine and blossom through the music of the Middle East.
For many years, I studied an Egyptian style of Raks Sharki and Raks Assaya (cane dance) from the fabulous Astryd Farah (when she is in town and not in Cairo). When she is in Cairo, I act as a sub for her beginning class. Astryd Farah taught and continues to teach me the intricacies of Middle Eastern dance. She has a saying the music is your map
and through this understanding of the relationship between Middle Eastern music and dance, she has taken my dancing beyond technique and turned me into a dancer. I will forever be indebted to her for that.
After I left Oregon, I spent a year in the San Francisco Bay learning from many different dancers. The most influential dancers that I studied in depth with from California are Amy Luna and Ahava. Both fantastic ladies and wonderful dancers.
I recently relocated to New Hampshire and I am sure to have even more amazing dancing experiences here.