Cairo, the 20th June, 2009
“Yousry Sheriff class, Sufi show at the Hussein and Sayeda Zeinab Moulid – a passion driven day!”
*** Wow…today was a tremendous time to be lived…from where did I take so much energy to face it may be a mystery without solution. Maybe the excitement, the interest and the magic of it all made it seem so much lighter than it was in reality…who knows?
Because of days like this, I remember why I love Egypt so much and I cannot imagine my life outside of it (exception to my major temptation New York and to the dream of my life: an hacienda in the Mexican jungle near from the Caribbean sea…).
*** 10.00h – Class at my home with a wonderful dancer from Portugal.
She had been my student and lost direct contact with since I moved to Egypt until she started to listen about my work here and decided to make a “crash course” with me and watch me perform. Lucky her…Not only she saw me perform as I could take her to one of my rehearsals – very rare and demanding these days…- and show her the work with the dancers (my beloved-hated choreography work ) and with the orchestra. I made a point on explaining her how I
orchestrate each song and how each instrument speaks a different language, chatting between each other like a joyful group in a heated, passionate discussion. It was my best class ever and a privilege for her, as a dancer, to experience herself all this information I was glad to provide to her.
*** 13.0h – Class with Yousry Sheriff
May I say UAU. And yet, may I also be objective and fair, as journalists are taught to be at universities. Yes, I do LOVE this teacher and he always manages to make me feel even more passionate about dance, art and life itself. Yes, I still enjoyed his class and had a wonderful time with his endless energy and “Broadway inspired style”, always theatrical, intense and all-dances-inclusive.
And despite all the fun and joy I experienced in the class, I have to say I was less than satisfied with the choreography Yousry taught this time. The same steps and “Yousry style” movements (tango, rumba, tcha-tcha-tcha, Spanish, Broadway and Oriental) as in previous choreographies and the same exact combinations as the few past creations I learnt from him. Nothing new or fresh to add to my own dance or inspiration. It´s painful to admit it but I was disappointed and couldn´t take anything real from his class, for the first time.
* Great detail of the class: Watching Yousry in action always reminds me of the passion you must ALWAYS put in your dance (or in whatever you do, for that matter). Real passion, not acted like most dancers manage to do. He dances like a man with the sensuality and strength I don´t find in most female dancers and he clearly loves what he does with a visceral
* Naughty detail of the class: Yousry dramatically reprimanding a girl who dared to speak on the mobile during class. I totally agree with his policy (no mobiles or cameras, no talking and giggling while in class because, just in case students are not aware of it, the class is meant to be a space of concentration and learning and not a playground where you pay to chat with your friends).
The only difference between his reaction and my own in such cases is the dramatic effect he adds to it and the explosive rage that takes hold of him in a second…I even feared for the girl´s physical integrity as he stood there, motionless, with his penetrating, big black google eyes shooting imaginary bullets at her and requesting an apology that he pronounced “aplochi” leaving everyone startled and trying to figure out what he meant and if he was going to throw himself at the “phone girl”´s neck (well, he didn’t…just in case, you were also wondering and enjoying the scandal…).
*** Sufi show at the Hussein (“El Khoury Palace”)- Brilliant!
*** This is something you don´t want to miss. If you´re an artist (musician, dancer, painter, photographer, sculptor, whatever!), you HAVE to see this show.
The Ministry of Culture – in a rare spasm of lucidity – has been sponsoring this incredible for many years but only now I was persuaded to watch it and I kept silence, in deep reverence during the whole 90 minute performance.
*** Sufism comes from Turkey but found a great deal of followers in Egypt where they created their own rituals, music and dances targeting that ancient need to connect with God or our higher selves, much beyond our always childish and deceiving little egos.
*** I ´ve seen the “tannoura” show many times performed in night-clubs and other venues but always defaulted and missing its spiritual meaning and its soul. As pure entertainment, it´s something that has never seduced me.
Now this “Darwish” show was something else…the palace where it´s presented is stunning and all the musicians and dancers are talented and/or experienced in a way that makes you appreciate the whole show and also each individual presence on the stage.
*** The energy of the show is purely spiritual and uplifting. LIGHT and FIRE joining in a dance trance that leads both artists and the audience into a better, higher dimension of our reality. I felt in heaven…
*** Amazing! I will return soon, Inshah Allah!
*** Every Wednesday and Saturday, around 20h at the “El Khoury” palace in the Hussein (“Khan el Khalili” market).
*** Sayeda Zeinab Moulid
*** A country like Egypt has many, many faces. I feel I am living, indeed, in a place which is fairly denominated “Om Dounya” (“Mother of the World”) where distinct, contradictory realities live face to face with no fuss.
Travelling between worlds is a task I take with much pleasure under the surprised, condemnatory eyes of local egyptians and arabs for whom every person belongs to a certain place/standard and the mixing with an “inferior” cast of people is seen as a self-value lowering most of them would never accept to go through.
As a dancer, I have been in 5 star places and met rich people. Most of my experiences in this posh side of Egypt has taught me that, behind luxury walls and a fat bank account is, usually, corruption, deceive and lots of lies people tell to themselves and to others in order to keep their life style alive.
On the other hand, I have been in extremely poor environments where people have not much more than a roof over their heads – if they have it! – and remain generous, smiling from the soul and good at heart.
One thing I am sure of: Egypt, its complexities and contradictions will never stop surprising me!
“Yousry Sheriff class, Sufi show at the Hussein and Sayeda Zeinab Moulid – a passion driven day!”
*** Wow…today was a tremendous time to be lived…from where did I take so much energy to face it may be a mystery without solution. Maybe the excitement, the interest and the magic of it all made it seem so much lighter than it was in reality…who knows?
Because of days like this, I remember why I love Egypt so much and I cannot imagine my life outside of it (exception to my major temptation New York and to the dream of my life: an hacienda in the Mexican jungle near from the Caribbean sea…).
*** 10.00h – Class at my home with a wonderful dancer from Portugal.
She had been my student and lost direct contact with since I moved to Egypt until she started to listen about my work here and decided to make a “crash course” with me and watch me perform. Lucky her…Not only she saw me perform as I could take her to one of my rehearsals – very rare and demanding these days…- and show her the work with the dancers (my beloved-hated choreography work ) and with the orchestra. I made a point on explaining her how I
orchestrate each song and how each instrument speaks a different language, chatting between each other like a joyful group in a heated, passionate discussion. It was my best class ever and a privilege for her, as a dancer, to experience herself all this information I was glad to provide to her.*** 13.0h – Class with Yousry Sheriff
May I say UAU. And yet, may I also be objective and fair, as journalists are taught to be at universities. Yes, I do LOVE this teacher and he always manages to make me feel even more passionate about dance, art and life itself. Yes, I still enjoyed his class and had a wonderful time with his endless energy and “Broadway inspired style”, always theatrical, intense and all-dances-inclusive.
And despite all the fun and joy I experienced in the class, I have to say I was less than satisfied with the choreography Yousry taught this time. The same steps and “Yousry style” movements (tango, rumba, tcha-tcha-tcha, Spanish, Broadway and Oriental) as in previous choreographies and the same exact combinations as the few past creations I learnt from him. Nothing new or fresh to add to my own dance or inspiration. It´s painful to admit it but I was disappointed and couldn´t take anything real from his class, for the first time.
* Great detail of the class: Watching Yousry in action always reminds me of the passion you must ALWAYS put in your dance (or in whatever you do, for that matter). Real passion, not acted like most dancers manage to do. He dances like a man with the sensuality and strength I don´t find in most female dancers and he clearly loves what he does with a visceral
* Naughty detail of the class: Yousry dramatically reprimanding a girl who dared to speak on the mobile during class. I totally agree with his policy (no mobiles or cameras, no talking and giggling while in class because, just in case students are not aware of it, the class is meant to be a space of concentration and learning and not a playground where you pay to chat with your friends).
The only difference between his reaction and my own in such cases is the dramatic effect he adds to it and the explosive rage that takes hold of him in a second…I even feared for the girl´s physical integrity as he stood there, motionless, with his penetrating, big black google eyes shooting imaginary bullets at her and requesting an apology that he pronounced “aplochi” leaving everyone startled and trying to figure out what he meant and if he was going to throw himself at the “phone girl”´s neck (well, he didn’t…just in case, you were also wondering and enjoying the scandal…).
*** Sufi show at the Hussein (“El Khoury Palace”)- Brilliant!
*** This is something you don´t want to miss. If you´re an artist (musician, dancer, painter, photographer, sculptor, whatever!), you HAVE to see this show.
The Ministry of Culture – in a rare spasm of lucidity – has been sponsoring this incredible for many years but only now I was persuaded to watch it and I kept silence, in deep reverence during the whole 90 minute performance.
*** Sufism comes from Turkey but found a great deal of followers in Egypt where they created their own rituals, music and dances targeting that ancient need to connect with God or our higher selves, much beyond our always childish and deceiving little egos.
*** I ´ve seen the “tannoura” show many times performed in night-clubs and other venues but always defaulted and missing its spiritual meaning and its soul. As pure entertainment, it´s something that has never seduced me.
Now this “Darwish” show was something else…the palace where it´s presented is stunning and all the musicians and dancers are talented and/or experienced in a way that makes you appreciate the whole show and also each individual presence on the stage.
*** The energy of the show is purely spiritual and uplifting. LIGHT and FIRE joining in a dance trance that leads both artists and the audience into a better, higher dimension of our reality. I felt in heaven…
*** Amazing! I will return soon, Inshah Allah!
*** Every Wednesday and Saturday, around 20h at the “El Khoury” palace in the Hussein (“Khan el Khalili” market).
*** Sayeda Zeinab Moulid
*** A country like Egypt has many, many faces. I feel I am living, indeed, in a place which is fairly denominated “Om Dounya” (“Mother of the World”) where distinct, contradictory realities live face to face with no fuss.
Travelling between worlds is a task I take with much pleasure under the surprised, condemnatory eyes of local egyptians and arabs for whom every person belongs to a certain place/standard and the mixing with an “inferior” cast of people is seen as a self-value lowering most of them would never accept to go through.
As a dancer, I have been in 5 star places and met rich people. Most of my experiences in this posh side of Egypt has taught me that, behind luxury walls and a fat bank account is, usually, corruption, deceive and lots of lies people tell to themselves and to others in order to keep their life style alive.
On the other hand, I have been in extremely poor environments where people have not much more than a roof over their heads – if they have it! – and remain generous, smiling from the soul and good at heart.
One thing I am sure of: Egypt, its complexities and contradictions will never stop surprising me!
Singer and band in the "Moulid"
*** Taken by the hand of some egyptian friends – musicians and dancers themselves – I had the opportunity to visit and participate in one of the cathedrals of egyptian “underground culture” : The Mawalid (plural of Arabic ‘moulid’,meaning ‘anniversary’ or ‘birthday’) are
held each year throughout Egypt to celebrate the lives of Muslim awliaa
(‘saints’) and direct descendants of the Prophet Mohammed.
These are popular celebrations performed by the lowest class of egyptian society (besides the despising looks of the rich and educated ones who consider these celebrations a pure manifestation of ignorance and loose principles) aiming to celebrate the birthdays of important figures of Islam iconography.
Sayeda Zeinab moulid is one of the most famous and chaotic mawalid in town and, for the second time, I had the chance to see how much these celebrations save – or postpone – the egyptian poors from going mad – more than they already are – and revolting against their own government and a life of misery and social injustice.
held each year throughout Egypt to celebrate the lives of Muslim awliaa
(‘saints’) and direct descendants of the Prophet Mohammed.
These are popular celebrations performed by the lowest class of egyptian society (besides the despising looks of the rich and educated ones who consider these celebrations a pure manifestation of ignorance and loose principles) aiming to celebrate the birthdays of important figures of Islam iconography.
Sayeda Zeinab moulid is one of the most famous and chaotic mawalid in town and, for the second time, I had the chance to see how much these celebrations save – or postpone – the egyptian poors from going mad – more than they already are – and revolting against their own government and a life of misery and social injustice.
Me and children and famous character of Sayeda Zeinab "Moulid"
*** Penetrating in one of Cairo´s most dangerous zones is an experience of a life time by itself. The famous “City of the Dead” where (out of money and in desperation) people started to build houses using the local tombs as bases for them is a famous spot for drug dealing and all kinds of crimes police don´t dare to reach and deal with. Going against all wise advices, I once went inside of this city for two days – by myself – to collect photos for a magazine issue I was preparing three years ago. Not only I was not robbed or raped – as all the voices pointed out that it would happen – but I was received with a natural curiosity and much kindness, turning my initial lonely ride into a friend´s meeting during which I was invited for tea and “ful” at every other house of strangers. At the end of each day, I found myself lost in the dirty labyrinth of the city but I was sure someone would guide me out from there from his own hand with much tenderness and a sincere smile. Someone always did.
I was right, the wise voices were wrong!
*** We entered the city by foot and I was aware of the negative sensation my sleeveless shirt was causing in people passing by us. One of the musicians son – a small boy with 8 years old – made a silent promise to protect me and never loose sight of me during our visit to the “Moulid” and so he did.
I was stoned twice and my little guardian angel couldn´t avoid it or even understand from where the stones came from. Everybody was surprised – my guardian angel and my fellow artists – but not me. I have been through enough in this country to be stoned on my back and move on as if nothing happened with a serene smile resting on my lips. I´ve been stabbed on my back in ways that hurt so much more than this and I understand how much ignorance, darkness and religious hysteria is moving egyptians these days. Life is becoming too hard to bare, religion and its fanatics seem to be the only escape and stoning a sleeveless foreigner girl who dared to come out in the street in a context they consider masculine is nothing spectacular.
***I know you always pay for your freedom, specially in a place like Egypt.
For a woman, being free is synonymous of being “loose and half way to being a prostitute”. I pay for the choice of being a dancer, I pay for the choice of going to places where male dominance rules. I pay for dressing the way I do – with so many concessions from my part – and for being myself and always saying and doing what I think it´s right. There was a price I had to pay for loving and being loved back and also a fine to punish me for being strong, brave and proud. Those features are not welcome in a woman, thank you very much!
Being an INDIVIDUAL and a WOMAN, at the same time, it´s not something you can get away with for free and the stoning – and several comments – during my visit to the “moulid” was just a reminder of that.
*** We had dinner in a “baladi” restaurant surrounded by children who fled into my arms like bees to honey and followed a specific itinerary of small “local rave parties” (as my dear student Jackie pointed out with her wonderful sense of humour) where different sectors of “Sufism” gathered announcing their ideology with a standing coloured flag on each spot.
There were musicians and spontaneous dancers moving away their demons and frustrations and using the music – created for that purpose – to release all that words could not express. Devils and unsolved fears and desires were flying away from each person as they moved to the cadence of the trance music.
I sit between the musicians who invited me to be with them and gently covered my arms with one of their scarves noticing, with no surprise, I had a small wound from the stoning on the back of my shoulder.
*** I could smell a mix of sweat, incense, heavy breathing being exercised through the hypnotic music and the presence of spirits whom are never dangerous to the ones who have peace in their hearts. “Be afraid of the living, not the dead”, my paternal grandfather used to tell me and my sister when he was alive between one and another spiritual tale he would tell us (vampires, neighbours who transformed themselves into wolves at night, women who were witches and took him for moon rides in the countryside…my grandpa had it all in his endless bag of scary tales).
The fact that I can see further than the friends who are with me doesn´t scare me as it doesn´t scare me the fact of seeing different devils floating in the trance dancers gathered to release the ticking bomb they carry in their chests, minds and humanness.
*** Some of my friends also dance along with the locals but never allowing themselves to really go into trance. I just watch. It´s more useful to watch and, anyway, I have made this travels on my own, though my dance or while making love with my man. I´ve been there in so many different ways and saw my own demons and my own LIGHT.
*** Prejudices and class distinctions are nothing but ignorance and fear.
Tonight I felt in contact with that essential need of every human being of being FREE from the load of a hard life. Too much garbage gets accumulated in one´s mind, heart and spirit. If releasing it is a kingdom ruled by the ignorant, then I consider myself one of them and always, for sure, an ignorant like them.
I was right, the wise voices were wrong!
*** We entered the city by foot and I was aware of the negative sensation my sleeveless shirt was causing in people passing by us. One of the musicians son – a small boy with 8 years old – made a silent promise to protect me and never loose sight of me during our visit to the “Moulid” and so he did.
I was stoned twice and my little guardian angel couldn´t avoid it or even understand from where the stones came from. Everybody was surprised – my guardian angel and my fellow artists – but not me. I have been through enough in this country to be stoned on my back and move on as if nothing happened with a serene smile resting on my lips. I´ve been stabbed on my back in ways that hurt so much more than this and I understand how much ignorance, darkness and religious hysteria is moving egyptians these days. Life is becoming too hard to bare, religion and its fanatics seem to be the only escape and stoning a sleeveless foreigner girl who dared to come out in the street in a context they consider masculine is nothing spectacular.
***I know you always pay for your freedom, specially in a place like Egypt.
For a woman, being free is synonymous of being “loose and half way to being a prostitute”. I pay for the choice of being a dancer, I pay for the choice of going to places where male dominance rules. I pay for dressing the way I do – with so many concessions from my part – and for being myself and always saying and doing what I think it´s right. There was a price I had to pay for loving and being loved back and also a fine to punish me for being strong, brave and proud. Those features are not welcome in a woman, thank you very much!
Being an INDIVIDUAL and a WOMAN, at the same time, it´s not something you can get away with for free and the stoning – and several comments – during my visit to the “moulid” was just a reminder of that.
*** We had dinner in a “baladi” restaurant surrounded by children who fled into my arms like bees to honey and followed a specific itinerary of small “local rave parties” (as my dear student Jackie pointed out with her wonderful sense of humour) where different sectors of “Sufism” gathered announcing their ideology with a standing coloured flag on each spot.
There were musicians and spontaneous dancers moving away their demons and frustrations and using the music – created for that purpose – to release all that words could not express. Devils and unsolved fears and desires were flying away from each person as they moved to the cadence of the trance music.
I sit between the musicians who invited me to be with them and gently covered my arms with one of their scarves noticing, with no surprise, I had a small wound from the stoning on the back of my shoulder.
*** I could smell a mix of sweat, incense, heavy breathing being exercised through the hypnotic music and the presence of spirits whom are never dangerous to the ones who have peace in their hearts. “Be afraid of the living, not the dead”, my paternal grandfather used to tell me and my sister when he was alive between one and another spiritual tale he would tell us (vampires, neighbours who transformed themselves into wolves at night, women who were witches and took him for moon rides in the countryside…my grandpa had it all in his endless bag of scary tales).
The fact that I can see further than the friends who are with me doesn´t scare me as it doesn´t scare me the fact of seeing different devils floating in the trance dancers gathered to release the ticking bomb they carry in their chests, minds and humanness.
*** Some of my friends also dance along with the locals but never allowing themselves to really go into trance. I just watch. It´s more useful to watch and, anyway, I have made this travels on my own, though my dance or while making love with my man. I´ve been there in so many different ways and saw my own demons and my own LIGHT.
*** Prejudices and class distinctions are nothing but ignorance and fear.
Tonight I felt in contact with that essential need of every human being of being FREE from the load of a hard life. Too much garbage gets accumulated in one´s mind, heart and spirit. If releasing it is a kingdom ruled by the ignorant, then I consider myself one of them and always, for sure, an ignorant like them.
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