When we come to mention belly dancing in Egypt, images of Nagwa Fuad, Lucy, Fifi Abdo, Dina, and Safwa come to the mind. Over the past years and in their quest to enhance belly dancing in the world and in Egypt in particular, renowned dancers have come together in one work, a first of its kind. “Ameerat al Raqs al Sharqi” (Princesses of Eastern Dance), the upcoming release of a dance video featuring the icons of belly dancing at the same time.
According to the London based daily, Al Sharq Al Awsat, the video cost a total of 800 thousand Egyptian pounds to produce. It is scheduled to be release during the Eid al Fitr holiday, to include dance performances in the form of video clips featuring all the dancers at once.
On a different note, Eid al Fitr will witness the release of a total of 15 albums at one time by 7 different production companies. The most noted releases are for Amr Diab, Hisham Abbas, Mohammad Munir, and Hamada Halal. Twenty other albums have postponed their releases due to the strong competition till New Years Eve.
Dina and Zizi Mustafa led a campaign in September requesting the foundation of an Oriental Dancing Syndicate, by sending official papers to the Egyptian Ministry of Social Affairs.
With the absence of Fifi Abdo, Lucy, Nagwa Fuad and Suhair Zaki, the ministry announced the initial foundation of the syndicate, appointing Dina the chairman of the board, being the only dancer in Egypt holding a high degree, and Zizi Mustafa the deputy of the union.
The initial announcement of the foundation came to explain the importance of belly dancing in Egypt and the world, "We are eager to enhance the position of belly dancing in Egypt in particular. We are also looking to boost the social, cultural and artistic levels of dancers in Egypt," the statement said.
The Annual Cairo Belly Dance Festival that kicked off in June included the participation of three thousand dancers from Egypt and other Arab and European countries. The Egyptian dancer, who quit the dance profession and took training as a new career with Rida Folk Arts’ Troupe, Ruqayyah Hasan, organized the festival. She also issued the first magazine specialized in belly dance.
Invitations extended to a number of renowned working or retired dancers in order to participate in the festival and jury including Suhair Zaki, Farida Fahmi and Dina. The festival’s management decided not to invite Fifi Abdo for previous disputes with her in the previous session. - Albawaba.com
