Egypt Dances

The lecturer will screen and narrate excerpts from the classic ethnographic documentary film "EGYPT DANCES" ( 1975-1977), which displays the variety of dance traditions both urban and  rural, communal, ritual, martial and performance - found in Egypt. These include, from distinct subcultures, Western Arab Haggala, Bormeyya of Siwa, Sohba from Alexandria, Bambootiyya from Port Said, Zar and Zikr from Cairo, a male Oriental dancer, Kaff from Aswan, Nubian from New Tushka, Tahtib from Sohag, among others.

The film is the audio-visual material supporting the doctoral thesis "A Documentation of the Ethnic Dance Traditions of the Arab Republic of Egypt" (Magda Saleh, New York University, 1979). It can be viewed in its entirety, together with the dissertation, at the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts at Lincoln Center.

Registration required to info@arceny.com

A graduate of the Bolshoi Academy of Ballet in Moscow and the Higher Institute of Ballet at the Academy of Arts of Egypt; a B.A. in English Language and Literature, Ain Shams University, Cairo; an M.A., the University of California at Los Angeles; and a Ph.D. from the New York University School of Education, Magda Saleh was Prima Ballerina of the Russian-trained Cairo Ballet Company established in 1966, Senior Professor and Dean of the Higher Institute of Ballet and Founding Director of the New Cairo opera House – National Cultural Center. The recipient of scholarships, awards, honors and distinctions, including the Order of Merit from President Gamal Abdel Nasser, she has been a member of the Conseil International de la Danse and the International Theater Institute, UNESCO, of the jury of international ballet competitions, the National Specialized Councils, Egypt, among other national and international associations. Currently a resident of New York, and married to Egyptologist Jack Josephson, she remains dedicated to promoting cultural exchange and furthering mutual understanding between the USA, Egypt and other nations of the Middle East.

There will be a reception folowing the event.

To RSVP, please email info@arceny.com.