DATELINE CAIRO: AHLAN WA SAHLAN 2011 PART TWO

As The Ahlan WA Sahlan Festival began, there was the usual flurry of activity on the Mena House grounds and in the hallways, with dancers running back and forth to the many classes offered and shopping in the festival’s costume souk. But the Mena House itself, one of Cairo’s grandest five-star hotels and originally a palace built in 1869, would have been virtually empty if not for the festival.

The Egyptian Revolution was still in the forefront of everyone’s mind as Ahlan WA Sahlan got rolling. Many Egyptians I spoke with were hopeful; some were a bit skeptical or adapting a “wait and see” attitude about the up-coming September elections and the country’s future. Nonetheless, whether in serious or more light-hearted opinions, Egypt’s volatile protests and current political climate were a constant source of speculation and conversation. Many locals and visitors were sporting I (HEART) Egypt T-shirts, and when I complimented costume designer Eman Zaki about her new hairdo, a dark mahogany bob, she smiled, ruffled her tresses and proclaimed jokingly,
“It’s my Revolution hairstyle- new Egypt, new hair!”

But on a more serious note, due to the unrest, many businesses had been closed for a month or more, and because of the curfews that had been enforced until the end of June, Cairo’s famous nightlife had been significantly reduced, resulting in an alarming situation for the citizens and ex-pats who made their living that way: the dancers and their dressers, hair stylists and drivers; costume designers and their tailors and beaders, musicians, nightclub managers, waiters, bar staff, lavatory attendants, cooks, cab drivers, and so on.

Though all the classes at Ahlan Wa Sahlan were significantly smaller this year, the Master classes were the most crowded- and rightly so- with instructors like Azza Sherrif, Yasmina Of Cairo, Leila Haddad, Nelly Fouad, Dandash, Leila Farid and Raqia Hassan and many more teaching. The lesser amount of festival attendees meant more one-on-one time with the instructors, and most of the students were thrilled with this arrangement. It also meant that there was a lot more time for talking shop with Egyptian and foreign dancers. Every night there were many tables full of dancers- both teachers and students- socializing at The Mena House’s Khan Al Khalili coffee shop.

The Teacher’s Night Show began with a fantastic, rowdy Saidi band, headed by Amr Abu Ziab, who had the whole Mena House ballroom rocking. As the band’s musicians, singers, Tannoura and Saidi dancers roved through the crowd, beckoning people to get up to dance, the entire place turned into a raucous, deliriously sweaty dance party. Normally staid instructors like Zaza Hassan were handed canes and obliged with twirling assaya dancing; there were rings of people holding hands doing line dances around the ballroom, and many audience members boogying on top of tables and chairs.

Later in the evening, Safaa Farid took the stage, and many teachers opted to dance to his band’s live music. Safaa’s band sounds just like his many CDs, produced by his wife, Leila of Cairo, and they played almost every night of the festival- it was a joy to hear them playing favorites like “Wahashtini”, “Esmaouni” and various Om Kalthoum and more contemporary popular songs.

Every night during the festival (as with past years) there were open dancing slots which attendees could sign up for as well as the popular “Queen Of Raks Sharqi” competition, which featured the Master Class instructors as a judging panel. The performers for both types of shows ranged from seasoned professionals to brand new students, all of whom had cheering sections from their various countries of origin. Some of the standout performers on these shows were Esmeralda Conrad from France, Said El Amir from Germany and his lovely troupe, Leyla Lanty, Yasmina Of Cairo, Aziza Abdul Ridha from Italy, and Anastasia Biservova, who won the competition dancing Om Kalthoum’s “Ansak” pleasing the crowd with her great technique and beautiful spins.

During the course of the festival, many dancers opted to skip a day or two of classes to go on expeditions to Egypt’s monuments and antiquities, or to Downtown Cairo for trips to the Khan Al Khalili bazaar and the nearby Folkloric Tannoura show. Again, most of Cairo’s sightseeing spots were uncharacteristically quiet, due to lack of tourism, so this was a prime opportunity to enjoy Egypt without teeming crowds. On my trips outside the festival, I noticed there were roadblocks set up around Tahrir Square, and one morning on my way to Khan Al Khalili, there was a very large Muslim Brotherhood rally going on, with a number of bearded men preaching -literally as well as figuratively- from a raised stage, in front of large banners.

The Ahlan Wa Sahlan staff was hyper-sensitive about dancer safety and security, and if any dancers ventured off without a pre-arranged tour, the staff made sure to note where they were going, when they planned to return, and that they had Ahlan Wa Sahlan contact numbers- just in case.

The end of the festival came too soon, and the Closing Gala was superb. It was held at The Mena House’s Abu Nawas Night club, an intimate space with great sightlines.
The show featured a number of stars from foreign countries, including Magda from Argentina, elegant Yael Zarca from France, and gorgeous Nelly from Greece, currently working in Dubai. Amir Thaleb thrilled the audience with his dynamic, balletic style, and 2009 Queen Of Raks Sharqi champion Daria Mitskevich showed off her winning non-stop spins and supple backbends, in a ridiculously awesome floofy-ruffle –skirted teal costume that was like, 90% pure bling. Very unique, it looked as though it was probably made by a Russian ballroom dance designer.

Headliners Leila Of Cairo and Jillina each wowed the audience. Their signature styles are so different- Leila is laid back and very Cairene, Jillina’s polished and jazzy. Both did multiple costume changes. Leila’s first costume-, which I think was a Hallah Moustapha, was amazing- it had a vibrant graphic print, which looked like a Navajo blanket, in navy blue, red, and orange, and long, zigzag fringe to match on the belt. Her folkloric section started with two male tahtib dancers and Saidi musicians, who were uniformly mesmerizing. For her Saidi number, Leila wore a slinky turquoise “balady dress” which looked more like a Juicy Couture beach creation than an actual costume! Jillina entered in a crazy costume, which had a black corset covering the entire midriff, with wings attached. At the conclusion of her opening piece, she the corset and the wings in one piece, and went straight into oriental. She also did an introspective, emotional rendition of Om Kalthoum’s classic “Baed Anak”, in a cream; bronze and green costume, which had a net leg covering that, was embroidered with beaded vines. Her finale, she began in an insane Tahitian costume, complete with a feathered headdress, and feathered skirt… and later shed half her costume (again!) morphing into a more Oriental drum solo.

Young up-and-coming singer Ahmed Elkteb ended the night. I had seen him singing the year before with Safaa’s band and he was really great… but I had to catch a plane in less than four hours, so I had to leave the show right as he stepped onto the stage.

As left Egypt, and, cliché as it may sound, watched the sun rising over the Nile, I heard there was going to be a large demonstration on Friday, July 8th. As I write this, that demonstration did take place and there have been more since then, in Cairo, Suez and other Egyptian cities. No one is certain of what the future holds for Egypt… but I was really so glad to have gone this year!

If you would like to keep up with the belly dance scene in Cairo as well as political events in Egypt, I recommend that you visit my dear friend Aleya’s blog. She is an American belly dancer living in Cairo, and is always on top of the dance scene… and she has also just published (with partner Rami Salem) a fantastic book of photos from the Revolution, titled “ 18 Days”. Find her blog- and a link to purchase the book here:
www.aleyabellydance.com


Photos:

Late Night dancer shop-talk at The Mena House, L to R: Leila Haddad, Zaza Hassan, Raksanna Princess, Fahtiem, Kim, and Angelika Nemeth

German Dancer Said Al Amir's Troupe onstage at the Mena House

Dancer's Night Out: Mohamed Shahin, Aleya, Princess And Jillina... as Ahlan Wa Sahlan audience members

I HEART EGYPT: Princess with Ahmad of Crazy Move Costumes

Daria Mitskevich onstage at The Mena House

CRAZY IN CAIRO: AHLAN WA SAHLAN 2009

Every year Raqia Hassan’s Ahlan WA Sahlan Festival takes over the world of belly dance in the last week of June, drawing Oriental dancers from all over the planet to Cairo, Egypt. The weeklong extravaganza is always a dizzying array of Egyptian music and dance performances, workshops taught by living legends, and blindingly blinged-out couture costumes. 2009 marked the Tenth Anniversary of the festival, and the ante was upped accordingly to celebrate the landmark occasion. This year, even though overall attendance seemed to be down a bit due to the global economic crisis, the gala opening and closing shows, competitions, classes and general ambiance were super-charged and amazing.

A decade ago, in 1999, I went to the first Ahlan Wa Sahlan Festival with my friend Layla. We were both starry-eyed Los Angeles-based dancers eager to take as many classes and see as many dancers as possible. We also got into a boat-load of crazy belly dance shenanigans, but trust me- that story is so involved-and so scandalous- I'll save it for a later date!

Ten years later, Layla and I are both professional dancers who work all over the world. In 2008 when I was visiting Cairo, Raqia Hassan asked me to teach at the Festival, and of course I took her up on it! Happily, Layla had a baby boy last year, but sadly, that blessed event prevented her from attending this year...so I was prepared to have an adventure on my own, until i realized there would be many of my dance-pals from LA as well as around the world in attendance.
I got to spend some quality time with my friend Aleya, who recently moved to Cairo to pursue her career as a dancer; I also hung out A LOT with Angelika Nemeth, Fahtiem, and Morocco- all amazing women whom I've known for years, and am constantly inspired by. It was also a pleasure to see my old Cairo friends Katia and Hallah Moustafa, and spend time with new ones, like Astryd Farah, Caroline of Cairo, Diana, Zula, Mohamed Shahin and Sara Farouk.

Arriving in Egypt this year was full-on crackers, just crazy- and not just cause of the jet-lag!


Before passengers even cleared the arrival gates, legions of policemen and Army officers in surgical masks and latex gloves met all the new travellers, scanning them with heat-sensing devices, ostensibly to prevent the spread of H1N1 Swine Flu. I was so tired, I couldn't understand why they were taking everyone's picture...DUH!

I shared a weary ride to the Mena House with Rashida, a wonderful dancer who lives in Morocco, Paris and Sharm El Sheikh. We checked in, had tea and went to sleep early.

Like many other dancers, I arrived a few days early to shake my jet lag before the Festival began, but the Cairo dance scene was already a humming hotbed of activity. The Nile Group Festival had just ended, and between those lingering post-Nile Group, and early arrivals for Ahlan WA Sahlan, nobody- from musicians to Cairo-based dancers to costumers- was taking even a moment to breathe!

Madame Raqia’s apartment was a madhouse, with students from far-flung locales taking privates (every day, for practically a week solid) from 8:30am-10:00pm; many others were there just to hang out. Among them: Nelly Fouad, folkloric dancer Shalaby, Russian dancer Katia, Hungary’s Beata Thoth, Doaa Salam of The Reda Troupe, French –Algerian dancer Cherine, and male dancer Abdou from Paris. Brazilian dancer Soraya stopped by to pick up costume pieces, while others sorted out musicians for different performances…even Dr. Mo Geddawi stopped in, fresh from the airport, raving about the wonders of Facebook! Azza Sheriff was on the phone with Madame Raqia discussing her just-added Master Class and the schedule was literally being updated every five minutes. Arabic music was blaring from boom-boxes in the studio and the living room, Jillina’s temporary Egyptian Cabaret License was being sorted out; Turkish coffee and koshary were all being consumed at an alarming rate, visa emergencies with dancers from China and Russia were being negotiated.

Next door, at Eman Zaki’s costume atelier, things were no different. Bedlahs and dresses in various states of completion were flung onto every available surface while finished costumes were being stuffed into boxes for transport to the Mena House; at least five dancers were being fitted simultaneously for costumes, kids ran through the atelier shrieking as groups of worker sat at tables, on couches and the floor furiously beading; Ali Zaki (Eman’s brother and business manager) sisters Hoda and Nadia, and Eman’s assistant Sara Farouk fielded numerous cell-phone calls with mouths full of pins , furiously working on Randa Kamel’s Assuit costume for Ahlan Wa Sahlan’s Opening Gala. Yasmina of Cairo was there, chatting Cairo resident American dancer Aleya; Wholesale orders for Dahlal and The Belly Dance Store were being packed for shipping: a runner was being dispatched to the Cairo Airport to deliver a just-finished costume to a departing Korean dancer.

The next day, all this mayhem moved to The Mena House.

As Morocco’s, Fahtiem’s and Angelika Nemeth’s tour groups arrived from the US, other jet-lagged dancers fresh from Taiwan, Ukraine, Brazil and Argentina and many other countries wearily dragged suitcases though the lobby, while the hallways were being transformed into a souk, goodies from Crazy Move, Hanan, Yasser, Mamdou, Sahar Okasha and many others. Egyptian tunes blared simultaneously from cell phones, laptops and boom boxes. Registration opened and it was a madhouse with a crazy scramble for workshop spaces and performance slots.


The Opening Night Gala kicked things off with a performance by a children’s Tannoura (whirling dervish) group that was nothing short of incredible. Little kids, utterly tranced out and spinning for like, twenty minutes at a time. During their performance, as I watched them, I thought to myself that they looked like a Sufi version of The Jackson Five... so imagine my shock soon after when I found out that Michael jackson had died! Yes, the sad news spread to Cairo via CNN immediately and when I texted Aleya about it, she was so dumbfounded she thought I was making it up!

But back to the show... Amir Thaleb ( who has a new long 'do looks downright foxy in a Pocahontas-meets-Fabio way) and his group performed a fantastic mini-suite featuring Oriental, Debke, Folkloric and Fusion. Then came full shows by Randa Kamel and Brazilian dancer Soraya, a rising star and the featured dancer at The Cairo Sheraton. Both employed twenty-plus piece bands and incredible singers. Soraya’s show included an Oriental opening, a Malaya Leff where she wore a Catholic school-girl plaid skirt and knee socks (yes, really!) and ended with a Brazillian Samba, complete with towering headdress, culminating in a drum solo. Randa’s show had the audience breathless with her sheer power and clean, strong technique. Both Randa and Soraya (and later, Dina) wore costumes embellished with HUGE paillettes… the latest trend in Cairo costumes. To me, it looked like Randa had a mullet, but Aleya insisted it was just new hair-extensions!

The evening concluded with Shaabi singer Essam Karika, who went on after 2:00 am. i was about to go to sleep and Aleya forced me to stay... I was SO glad I did! He had an entire circus in tow, all dressed in insane black and white costumes, including a clown riding a unicycle onstage, Samba dancers, belly dancing clowns on stilts, jugglers, midgets, dervishes who stood on top of tables spinning, and a guy in a gorilla suit chasing audience members through the ballroom!

The next morning, classes began at 10:00am- hell for everybody who stayed til the end of Karika’s set, which concluded around 3:30am.

My taxim and abdominal technique class was scheduled for this day, and in spite of the late night and early class-time, it was packed full with students from Taiwan, Korea, Mainland China, Spain, Italy, Morocco, Netherlands, France, and I’m not even sure where else. Only four students spoke fluent English, so breaking down the technique became akin to a game of belly dance charades! Since I couldn't accurately verbalize my muscular movements in a way non-English speakers could understand, i had to literally take the student's hands and place them on my belly!

Though festival attendees were disappointed that Dina was a no-show for the Opening Gala - due to a scheduling snafu she was traveling back to Cairo that night- she made up for it by performing a full set that evening. Dina’s entire show was brand new, except for her signature opening and of course, “Tahtil Shebak”. Luscious as usual, she talked to and teased the audience, and wore a parade of her trademark scandalous costumes including a zebra print dress that looked spray-painted on and a crazy burlesque-influenced black and red number, complete with a garter on one thigh and a red rhinestone heart pierced with an arrow on her left breast.

The next days were filled with workshops and master classes by the likes of Raqia Hassan, Momo Kadous, Nabil Mabrouk, Jillina, Katia, Morocco, Dina, Fahtiem, Angelika, Atef and Magda Farag, and Mohamad Shahin. My personal favorite workshops were with living legend Azza Sheriff, Mona El Said (who taught in cut-off jean shorts and an Ed Hardy belt!) and Eman Zaki. Most know Eman as a costumer, but from the 1970’s-1980’s, she and sister Hoda were dancers, as was their mother in the 1940’s. Eman taught Golden Age technique and was breathtaking.

The festival’s teachers, as well as competitions filled the evenings with performances. It was a delight seeing Leyla Jouvana and Roland, Spain’s Munique Neith, and Meera’s Bollywood was a welcome break from “Oriental Overload”! Many of the teacher’s performances, including mine, were to Khemis Henkesh and his band, and when they played the opening strains of “We Daret El Ayam” and I stepped onto the stage, I got goose bumps! After I came offstage, the musicians were also taking a break. Three or four of them pressed me into a corner while one screamed into my face, his eyes practically rolling back in his head,

"BLACK AND WHITE!!!! BLACK AND WHITE!!"

I had no idea what he was talking about, and started to get a little...well, concerned.

Finally, one of the other musicians translated:

"He think you look very helwa, like one hundred percent Black And White Movie, very very old 1960's, forty-year-ago movie!"

In hindsight, it was one of the best compliments I'ver ever recieved!


Astryd Farah, Diana Tarkhan, and a dancer from Miami whose real name was Princess were doing stage-managing. They all valiantly tried to keep order, but there was none to be had....it was a mess back there! Astryd especially remained cool-headed, but mostly backstage was a madhouse, due to the many performers and the myriad languages spoken. One night, there was even a belly dance catfight backstage, with actual punches- as well as a chair- being thrown!

Sometimes the sheer amount of belly dancers and live Arabic music played at top volume made it a necessity for me to retire to my room for ten minutes of "Quiet Time". Really, it was great, but with jet-lag the constant dancing and music sometimes relentless and put me into sensory overdrive.... something I tried to acheive for years with all manner of controlled substances was happening with belly dance- it was kinda nuts!

In the competitions, the dancers from Ukraine and Russia swept the top three spots- they were dynamite. Everyone at the Teacher’s Table- inckuding Mohamed Shahin, Meera, Aleya, Diana, and me vowed jokingly to retire during the winner of the Children’s category set- she was a seven year old Russian dancer who was mind-blowing!

The Closing Night Gala was fantastic. Said El Artist and a group of drummers started the night off with a bang; Katia performed opening with her signature piece “Amar El Laily”, did a stunning assaya, and three costume changes, ending with a lavender and rhinestone outfit that was blinding and beautiful. Jillina’s set began with a heartfelt “thank you” speech, progressed into a flawless “Alf Leyla WA Leyla”, and concluded with “El Hantour” and of course she did her tablo solo perched on the drum itself. She did a great job considering she’d had only an afternoon of rehearsals with the musicians…. and was leaving to the airport directly after her show! Shaabi singer Sa’ad Sagheir ended the evening with a show to rival Karika’s on the first night. He came into the ballroom accompanied by at least fifty male dancers, in hot pink shirts and vintage gangster-like fedora hats. As Sa’ad sang from atop somebody’s table, the dancers alternately performed in sync on stage and ran through the audience like maniacs, inciting the crow to dance. One grabbed a costume-mannequin and began ardently making love to it, directly on our table for an entire song!

After the show, I hung out in Jillina's room as she prepared to leave for the airport. Our mutual old friend, costumer Hallah Moustafa was there with a veiled assistant and some of her latest creations, and Angelika Nemeth and I were gleefully trying them on. Jillina was in the shower when the front desk called, saying that her ride to the airport was arriving in fifteen minutes. Just then, Room Service rung the doorbell, with soup Jillina had ordered. Jumping out of the shower and over a room full of open suitcases, she quickly tied on a towel sarong-style , as Angelika and I, both half-naked, ran to hide in the window drapery. Hallah's assistant answered the door, trying to act normal, while the waiter's mouth fell open in disbelief as Jillina paid him in her terry-cloth ensemble!

In between all this, I somehow found the time for “extra-curricular” activities. I did photos with legendary dance photographer Andre Elbing and the Pyramids as a backdrop and I went with Morocco to the Khan Al Khalili Folklore show. It was Cairo-based dancer ( and Harvard grad!) Diana’s birthday and costumer Yasser threw her a party on the Nile Pasha, where tables full of Saudis boogied down to the live band. Yasser happily smoked sheesha while Mohamed Shahin, Diana and Aleya treated us to live music and impromptu performance.

I also went to the Nile Pharoah with Fahtiem and Angelika’s group to see Lorna (great show, impeccable bodylines) and a Tannoura dancer who looked just like Robert Mitchum!

Another night, we went to the Nile Maxim to watch Asmahan. What an incredible performer! Asmahan was carried onstage by her male dancers concealed in a heart-shaped red box, and popped out of it in rainbow Isis Wings and an insane costume encrusted with 3-D hot pink roses. She then did a Bedouin fortuneteller routine in Assuit. Her stage presence and slinky technique were impressive, as was her black costume (reminiscent of Cher in the 1970’s) with floor-length fringe and “ASMAHAN” in rhinestones across her hip-belt!

The night I left, I also hit my favorite seedy joint The Lido, on Sharia Haram, with my friend Ahmed and the lovely Aussie dancer Caroline, who lives in Cairo.

That night we saw eight dancers who ranged from technically sound to downright wild. One dancer was getting fed mezza by patrons- while she danced! Dancer Marika paraded around yelling a customers, lifting her skirts literally over her head, and jiggled crazily while one of the house singers- a little person – shorter than her hip-level, sang. We stayed til dawn, and tried to go to The Sphinx for sunrise, but it wasn't open yet.

I think I slept less than four hours every night I was in Cairo, and some nights, i didn't sleep at all. The whole two weeks was a major whirlwind, and it took me a pretty long time to recover! I’m definitely doing it again next year…. Care to join me?


Photo by Aleya

MADAME RAQIA'S WORLD

This June 2009 marks the tenth anniversary of what is perhaps the world's largest belly dance festival: Ahlan Wa Sahlan in Cairo, Egypt. I am stoked not just to be attending this year, but also to be teaching at the Festival. it's something I never would have ever dared to dream when I first began belly dancing...in fact, I am still pinching myself to make sure it's real!

I first met the Festival's mastermind, Raqia Hassan, in the early 1990's, on her first trip to America. I attended an LA workshop, and was just a baby dancer- imagine me in a room with a plethora of pro dancers, not to mention Raqia herself! Over the years, Raqia has been a wonderful teacher as well as an inspiration to me. When I am in cairo, she is like my belly dance Auntie. We took this picture together in her atelier, in between my costume fittings.

For those of you who may not know her, Raqia Hassan is a living legend whose astonishing career has spanned nearly four decades. Many have credited her for single-handedly keeping the art of Egyptian dance alive. From her debut as a folkloric dancer in the hey-day of Egypt’s world-renowned Reda Troupe, she later morphed into the Grande Dame of Raqs Sharqi- and is widely considered to be the top oriental dance choreographer in the world. Over the years, she has trained generations of performers. Many of Madame Raqia’s current devotees and/or former students are literally “household names” in the global belly dance community, including Egyptian stars Dina, Randa Kamel, Aza Sherif, Dandash and Mona El Said, as well as non-Egyptian dancers such as Russian-born Katia, and Americans Jillina and Zahra Zuhair. Her work with these top-notch performers is comparable to that of George Balanchine or Mikhail Baryshnikov in the world of ballet.

Madam Raqia also is the brains and life force behind the Ahlan Wa Sahlan Festival. One of the largest events of it’s kind, the festival has been held every June for the past eight years in Cairo. The weeklong event draws both avid belly dance enthusiasts and highly trained professionals from fifty-five countries; in 2007 the registration brimmed with over twelve hundred dancers. The teachers at the festival are mostly stars and legends in their own right, such as Mona El Said, Nagwa Fouad, Morocco, Dina, Lucy, Dr. Mo Geddawi, Josephine Wise, Randa Kamel, Diana Tarkhan and Amir Thaleb…. to name just a few. The sheer orchestration of mounting a festival on this level is staggering.

Though many would be content to sit on the laurels of such an impressive career, Madame Raqia shows absolutely no sign of slowing down. She oversees Ahlan Wa Sahlan in way that could only be termed extremely hands-on, and in spite of being a doting grandmother, also finds the time to travel extensively. In the past year alone she has visited Japan, Korea, China, Spain and Sweden, and have course, the United States. Even a broken leg (sustained in early 2008) has not managed to stop her! I spoke to her on the phone this morning, and she had just retruned from a month in Spain and was on her way to Kazhakistan! One of her latest endeavors is opening up her own costume atelier- but more on that later.

Though it’s one thing to read about her accomplishments, experiencing Raqia Hassan live and in action is an entirely different animal-just ask anyone who has ever taken one of her workshops, private lessons or had the good fortune to spend some quality time with her. She is every inch the diva, but smashes the superstar stereotype of being aloof and remote. A vibrant bundle of non-stop energy, she is a force to be reckoned with. Swathed in her signature leopard print, her brown doe-eyes sparkle with enthusiasm at a volume that is not quite upstaged by her flashy earrings and dangly charm bracelets. Her facial expressions are numerous and animated; her laughter is loud, uproarious and constant. This genuine joie de vivre extends into her connection with the dance, which is clearly why her work is so often labeled with adjectives like “passionate” and “magical”. Every time dances to a piece of music, it seems as significant and fresh as though it was brand-new to her, and not the whatever-hundredth time she might be teaching or performing it. Not only that, her unique feeling is contagious, so anyone around her is immediately affected-or infected- with her love for the art form.

Her spacious flat is undeniably the nerve center for belly dance in Egypt. On a recent visit to Cairo, Jim Boz and I spent a lot of time there. Boz being a ‘Cairo virgin’, he was practically speechless at the non-stop activity that transpired in Madame Raqia’s world on what would be termed “an average day”. Her abode is cluttered with baroque furniture and low tables covered with crocheted doilies; in June there is still a gay Mylar banner reading “HAPPY NEW YEAR!” spread across a doorway, cartoons blare from a television in another room, and her beloved lap-dogs are constantly underfoot. Madame Raqia can usually be found ensconced in a throne-like arm chair, cuddling a grand-daughter or her Chihuahua, Chocolata, chatting animatedly and endlessly on two cell phones at once, in both Arabic and English. The mobiles and the landline phones never stop ringing- EVER- and neither does the doorbell.

French/Algerian dancer Chirin is staying here while she waits for her dance license to come through. She’s on the couch along with recently married (and newly retired from performing) Egyptian star Amany- they are busily engaged in painting Raqia’s five-year-old granddaughter’s toenails. Next to them is Russian belly dance star Katia, glamorous with her cascading dark hair and a rhinestone Chanel T-shirt. Katia is sipping coffee and also on a cell-phone, talking in Russian (as well as Arabic and English) trying to sort out the details for her next-day trip to the Ukraine to judge a belly dance contest and teach workshops. The doorbell rings and acclaimed folkloric artist Mr. Shalaby jumps up to answer it. Fresh from a Pilate’s session, legend-in-the-making Sorraya sails in wearing gym clothes, clutching a Betty Boop handbag. She is here to work on Andalusian choreography with the Reda Troupe’s Doa, who hasn’t arrived yet. Sorraya gets out her mobile phone and begins a conversation in Portuguese. Housekeeper Aza constantly scuttles in and out of the room with trays of mint tea, Turkish coffee and bowls of the traditional Egyptian macaroni dish koshary.

“Eat, eat!” Raqia yells to no one in particular, holding a cell-phone up to each ear, “But you must eat!”

The doorbell rings again and Mr. Shalaby opens the door to Italian belly dancer Dalila, who has been working in Cairo for the past year. Tonight she is doing a wedding at the Five Star Hotel Concorde in Heliopolis, and has come here to make arrangements about borrowing Randa Kamel’s orchestra. She greets the other dancers with double kisses, talks on her mobile phone in Italian and Spanish, simultaneously conversing with Madame Raqia in English and Arabic. The doorbell punctuates the cacophony again and Doa sweeps in wearing a long gypsy skirt, her “ tweenage “ daughter in tow. Doa turns on Andalusian music loudly in the adjacent studio, and then swirls around the living room with Sorraya, demonstrating kicks and turns.

Slightly shell-shocked, Boz is half-way through his bowl of koshary when Madame Raqia declares we must leave now for our final fittings at the atelier- the elevator, which in true Cairene style has been broken for days, is finally working again.

“Yella, let’s go!” declares Raqia, amidst the chaos.

After a hair-raising kamikaze ride with Madame Raqia and Katia through Cairo’s crowded streets blasting Mahmoud El Leity’s new cd, we arrive at the atelier, where the scene is much the same as it was at the flat. The staff is in a flurry of activity preparing for Ahlan WA Sahlan, and costumes in every stage of completion are draped over all available surfaces. Bolts of shiny spandex fabric printed with everything from stars to flowers to silver sunglasses stand against each wall, and are flanked by racks of dazzling balady dresses as well as the standard two piece costumes. A boy sits at a table with huge veterinary-sized hypodermic needles full of glue attaching crystals to bedlahs, while his co-worker is draping a rose colored, feather- accented dress over a mannequin. The new style is clean and spare-it’s all about draping and fit- not a lot of fringe.

Veiled women sit on the couch with bowls of beads on their laps working busily. The whir of sewing machines competes with a tinny radio loudly playing Abdel Halim Hafez; the girls doing the hand beading are humming along to the song. Madame Raqia, in a brief break from both her mobile phones, explains that everyone in the atelier has their own specialty, and that whatever they do – from fitting bra’s to embellishing- is the only thing they do.

Raqia’s brother is on his mobile phone and of course the landline is ringing. Madame Raqia’s sister, with a measuring tape around her neck and pins in her mouth, grabs Boz and me by each hand and hustles us into a back room. Someone fetches us coffee and water while somebody else clears costume pieces, bags of rhinestones, butt-filled ashtrays, belly dance magazines, pin cushions and beaded appliqués off a table, swiftly covers it in newspaper and prepares a spread of lentil soup, aish balad (fresh pita) and cheese for us, while the veiled girls swarm in and begin undressing me and pinning costumes onto my body in place of my clothes. I’m commanded to stand on demi-point while Raqia’s sister cuts the hem of my skirt. At the same time, my fitter Heba hoists a halter around my neck. Someone else is shoving gauntlets onto each of my arms. A smiling woman proudly brings in Boz’s “Tarzan” costume (an affair of turquoise velvet and shiny leopard-print studded with beadwork) while Raqia crows her approval. I’m now in a gold lame’ Pharonic number, embroidered with chunky aurora borealis crystals and metallic beads, swags of royal blue tulle snaking from hip to hip attached with rhinestone buckles. Fingering a half-finished made-to-order acid-green costume, Katia looks up at me, exhales a thin stream of cigarette smoke, declares it “perfect” and then goes back to her cell phone, while Raqia playfully slaps me on the butt, giggling,

“ This one… marvelous!”

Later, back at our hotel, Boz is exhausted from jet lag, not to mention the frenetic day we’ve spent with Madame Raqia.

“That was… intense”, he sighs weakly.

As we relax watching Egyptian music videos on the telly, I privately stress about the amount of costumes I’ve ordered… it’s not like I need them! I succumbed to the above-mentioned Pharonic one as well as a leopard and teal costume, a midnight blue animal print- and- lame’ with a Spanish skirt, an Art Deco-style leopard number dripping crystals with naughty cut-outs, and one made of glittery, see-through camouflage print material- yes, really.

That night, Boz and I accompanied Dalila and Randa’s band to their Concorde wedding performance, and she wore two of Raqia’s creations. The next night, we catch Sorraya’s show at the Cairo Marriott Zamalek and she’s wearing three different Madame Raqia showstoppers. All of the costumes feature stunningly fitted bras, beautiful beadwork and impeccably gored full skirts that swing delightfully. They are so gorgeous I realize I’ve made the right decision in ordering many of them for myself.

Yes indeed, I came home with a lot of costumes, and many hot new Oriental combinations to boot. But the main thing I brought back to the States with me was another candid glimpse into Madame Raqia’s world…just enough to inspire me and tide me over until the next time I experience the gift of her presence.

For more info on this amazing woman or Ahlan Wa Sahlan, please visit www.raqiahassan.net