Foreigners Versus Egyptians&Arabs.

It seems the subject is on fire lately:



The so called purists call for a return to the REAL EGYPTIAN DANCE by the hands of egyptian and arab dancers as they see foreigner dancers taking over the Art and, often, turning it into something far from the ORIGINAL. Fair enough BUT...



In Egypt, as in the whole world, it is known that the Oriental and Egyptian Folcloric market is dominated by foreigner dancers who, in their majority, LOVE, RESPECT and try hard to study this Dance in a way that dignifies it as we all wish.



As a working performer in Egypt for the last 6 years, I have to speak up from my own experience and defend the TRUTH I see with my own eyes. If the SOUL and TRUE PURPOSE of Egyptian Oriental Dance is being lost this is not due to foreigner dancers taking over the subject. Sure there is a lot of misconceptions, ignorance and distortion due to a general lack of deep information about the Dance and its context (a much wider subject than many presume!).



But putting the fault on foreigner´s back is unfair. Madame Raqia Hassan (creator of "Ahlan Wa Sahlan" Festival) was the first egyptian who took a REAL daring and risky step towards the recognition of this Art in Egypt and the world on a large scale. This is a deed that MUST be recognized. Although other great events of the kind were created, the merit of taking that first courageous step belongs to her.



There was my dearest teacher and friend Mahmoud Reda and the "Reda Troupe" which is ONLY related with Egyptian Folklore, NOT "Raks Sharki" but nothing else with a true impact in the way the world saw this Art came from Egypt until now.



Egyptian women have been discouraged from taking this profession by a crescent religious extremism easily observed in the country in the last few years and by a society which still sees and treats dancers like prostitutes. The few who dare to work in the field don´t do much for its DIGNIFICATION as you can see if you make a round on the egyptian night clubs of today. You just have to go around Cairo and check who are the egyptian dancers who are doing a GOOD JOB in this field and you will know what I mean. Extremely rare and practicaly unknown from egyptian people.



I have seen foreigners as well as egyptians/arabs doing a great job and an horrible one. Why do people insist on creating hate, useless competition and limitations when we could ALL learn and benefit from each other´s infos/background/doubts/knowledge?!



For me, the question of ORIENTAL DANCE being rescued from its intense commercial, superficial, distorted side is not on blaming FOREIGNERS for it or EGYPTIANS. I suggest ALL dancers forget about nationality - ART has no nationality - and GATHER forces to RESCUE an ART FORM that has been deformed and misunderstood everywhere, specially in Egypt.



What UNITE us is more powerful than what separate us. Being born EGYPTIAN does not garantee that you KNOW how to Dance as being born a foreigner does not stop you from deeply feeling and understanding this dance.



We are together in this ride, fellow Dancers: Don´t we all wish to see ORIENTAL DANCE taught, performed and respected as an ART FORM?!



So PLEASE stop blaming foreigners or egyptians for that and DO your own job, individually and in group. We have a LOT to learn from each other.Ride your humbleness and intelligence and start to REUNITE the dots. Foreigners bring some essencial LIGHT to this Dance as well as EGYPTIANS. Different lights but both ESSENTIAL.



Wouldn´t it be great to WAKE UP and be a part of a REBIRTH of our beloved ART?

Remember the cliché: Union is strenght. Division is weakness.




We´re all ONE. Remember that.