WELL - so much for starting a blog when I'm not even writing on it! My 3-month absence is all due to Raqia one morning bursting into the studio, exclaiming "We have to work hard because I want you to dance in Cairo!" and then swishing out again, leaving me in shock. Of course I was practically flying with joy to hear that Raqia Hassan - RAQIA HASSAN - considers me a good enough dancer to work here, but I was also t-e-r-r-i-f-i-e-d that I would let her down.
So that one sentence sent me into a 3-month frenzy of 6 hours practise a day, a very traumatic photo shoot, wild stress to fix costumes, 2 auditions, and weeks and weeks of waiting. Waiting for auditions, waiting for the agents to show up, waiting for papers to be fixed and most of all waiting for all this shimmy practise to finally pay off grrrrr.
In addition to the abovementioned, poor Raqia fell and broke her leg (and no, this did NOT include "something awful" happening to her dog, I don't know where that rumor came from) and I got the job of showing all the new students her choreographies and being her "puppet" in creating new ones. So I have my excuses for not having time to write, but to everybody who has been asking about new blog entries - sorrrrrrry! I will make it up to you! I have been writing lots of notes that need spellchecking but insha'allah, now that Raqia is leaving for Washington I might finally have time to sort out this blog business.
tirsdag 13. mai 2008
lørdag 26. januar 2008
It's raining cats and dogs...or at least dogs
So I managed to get sick and thus missed my classes with Raqia and Shalaby the last days. Not a good idea to exhaust yourself with dancing right after a climate change. Should probably have realized that I was overdosing a bit on dancing when I realized I was eating almost all my meals at Raqia's! Today I finally managed to drag myself out of bed to do a workshop with Lorna Gow, who works at the Nile Pharaoh boat here. AND she keeps a great blog at bellylorna.blogspot.com. Go to hers for the glamorous life of a fannana, and come to mine for the blood, sweat and tears!
To be honest, I wasn't sure what to expect of her. Yes, Cairo does have some of the best dancers I've seen in my life, but I have also seen some "professional" dancers here who wouldn't even cut it on the restaurant scene in little Norway. And the sad truth is that you don't necessarily get hired in Cairo based only on your dance skills. Anyway, long story cut short, she blew me away. She is tall, abolutely striking, has this wonderful positive energy about her ( I really tried to re-write this as I start to feel rather new-agey writing about all these energies, but can't find a better way to put it) and the cutest, most expressive face ever. Her dancing has that wonderful balance of earthy/heavy-ness and elegance that I would just kill to have myself. Fantastic strong, "gooey", sassy moves. For Norwegian readers: she is the only dancer I have seen that can match Lee Figenschow in facial expressions and authority in her dance. So now I'm just dying to go and see her show, if she impressed me this much in a beginner workshop, I can't even begin to imagine how she must be when she's "on". Definitely someone I want privates from, I just need to get well first. The bad news is that after standing next to her faboulousness for 3 hours I feel like a dustbunny myself...
This single week it has rained more than during my 3 months here last year, and today the skies just exploded. Cairo is just not prepared for rain. When the workshop started, the studio already had leakages here and there, and the traffic was just snailing along (is "snailing" even a word in English? Well you know what I mean). The roads don't have any ditches so all the water gathers in the dumps in the road, at times I felt more like a duck than a car-passenger. It stopped raining at about 2 pm and still when I went back to the hotel at 9, the traffic was really slow several places. Went to eat at a fairly nice restaurant and the water was dripping down on our heads through the roof, and the waiters had to mop the floor every 20 minutes. You can't help but laugh!
I spent the last half of the day visiting the ESMA dog shelter in Abu Sir at the outskirts of Cairo. It's a fairly new shelter, managed by Mona Khalil, who I met at the SPARE shelter last year. I immediately went to SPARE the day after I came to Cairo, and was both happy and disappointed when I was told that one of my favourite dogs, Roy, had been sent to Germany for adoption. However, it turned out there are 2 Roy's and MY Roy is still here in Cairo! He recognized me within a nanosecond, and we had a looong reunion with tales a-wagging and me crying my eyes out. Argh, I'm still welling up just thinking about it.
I will write a LOT more about the shelter later, but for now:
ESMA's website, still under construction: http://www.esmaegypt.org/
An article about the shelter: http://network.bestfriends.org/egypt/news/21532.html
After running around in the rain and cold (ok, so not cold by Norwegian standards, but I didn't bring any Norwegian clothes here either!), not to mention playing in wet sand with about 30 dogs, I can feel my flu flaring up again. I returned to the hotel armed with pills, nosespray and cough sirup and will hopefully be back in business soon. Should go to bed and rest but I will never sleep now, knowing I will see Roy, habibi Roy, again tomorrow!
To be honest, I wasn't sure what to expect of her. Yes, Cairo does have some of the best dancers I've seen in my life, but I have also seen some "professional" dancers here who wouldn't even cut it on the restaurant scene in little Norway. And the sad truth is that you don't necessarily get hired in Cairo based only on your dance skills. Anyway, long story cut short, she blew me away. She is tall, abolutely striking, has this wonderful positive energy about her ( I really tried to re-write this as I start to feel rather new-agey writing about all these energies, but can't find a better way to put it) and the cutest, most expressive face ever. Her dancing has that wonderful balance of earthy/heavy-ness and elegance that I would just kill to have myself. Fantastic strong, "gooey", sassy moves. For Norwegian readers: she is the only dancer I have seen that can match Lee Figenschow in facial expressions and authority in her dance. So now I'm just dying to go and see her show, if she impressed me this much in a beginner workshop, I can't even begin to imagine how she must be when she's "on". Definitely someone I want privates from, I just need to get well first. The bad news is that after standing next to her faboulousness for 3 hours I feel like a dustbunny myself...
This single week it has rained more than during my 3 months here last year, and today the skies just exploded. Cairo is just not prepared for rain. When the workshop started, the studio already had leakages here and there, and the traffic was just snailing along (is "snailing" even a word in English? Well you know what I mean). The roads don't have any ditches so all the water gathers in the dumps in the road, at times I felt more like a duck than a car-passenger. It stopped raining at about 2 pm and still when I went back to the hotel at 9, the traffic was really slow several places. Went to eat at a fairly nice restaurant and the water was dripping down on our heads through the roof, and the waiters had to mop the floor every 20 minutes. You can't help but laugh!
I spent the last half of the day visiting the ESMA dog shelter in Abu Sir at the outskirts of Cairo. It's a fairly new shelter, managed by Mona Khalil, who I met at the SPARE shelter last year. I immediately went to SPARE the day after I came to Cairo, and was both happy and disappointed when I was told that one of my favourite dogs, Roy, had been sent to Germany for adoption. However, it turned out there are 2 Roy's and MY Roy is still here in Cairo! He recognized me within a nanosecond, and we had a looong reunion with tales a-wagging and me crying my eyes out. Argh, I'm still welling up just thinking about it.
I will write a LOT more about the shelter later, but for now:
ESMA's website, still under construction: http://www.esmaegypt.org/
An article about the shelter: http://network.bestfriends.org/egypt/news/21532.html
After running around in the rain and cold (ok, so not cold by Norwegian standards, but I didn't bring any Norwegian clothes here either!), not to mention playing in wet sand with about 30 dogs, I can feel my flu flaring up again. I returned to the hotel armed with pills, nosespray and cough sirup and will hopefully be back in business soon. Should go to bed and rest but I will never sleep now, knowing I will see Roy, habibi Roy, again tomorrow!
onsdag 23. januar 2008
Kassoumi
Monday I went with Raqia to her atelier after class, and Kassoumi was there! Swoon! I felt so starstruck! I had just told Raqia the day before how much I loved her performance at Ahlan wa Sahlan in 2006 - she does a KILLER madjensi and a great "sagat-solo" with Sayed Tura - and suddenly there she was in front of me! She is really high energy, you can practically feel the energy bouncing off of her. I told her how much I liked her and was awarded with a bear hug and kisses. Swoon AGAIN! For those interested she is currently dancing at the Peking (?) boat in Zamalek Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays, I will definitely go and see her but need to fix my camera first so I can get some pics to post.
Raqia Hassan
"Your arms, YOUR ARMS! Look at my arms when I turn!". Raqia lets out a sigh and demonstrates perfect arms for the millionth time. I look like an injured seagull compared to her effortless elegance. Even Raqia's chihuahua, Chocolatta, seems to look at me disapprovingly. "Yalla, you practise this and when I come back I must fix your arms of course!"
I turn and I turn, trying to control my bloody arms. After 10 minutes, the blue dinosaur sitting on a shelf has become 50 blurry blue dinosaurs and I am ready to throw up any minute. Yes, I am definitely back at Raqia's for the I-don't-know-which time. And whoever advertising for dance "holidays" in Egypt is a LIAR.
Since one of my teachers in Norway, the fantastic Hilde Lund (www.magedans.no), is Raqia-trained through and through, Raqia Hassan was a natural teacher-choice for me when I came here the first time. And considering the impact she has had on Egyptian style, she should be for everyone!
I already know most of her typical steps from Hilde, but Raqia has an unique ability to put basic steps together in combinations I would never have thought of, thus making them look new. She interprets the music in a very interesting way. However, what I love her most for, is her legwork. She has so many fancy arabesques and kicks and she does the most delicious hipwork.
She is very warm and generous, but strict. She won't tell you it's good unless she means it, so when you DO get a compliment from her, it really makes your day!
And while we're on the subject, I got her newest technique video (vol 9) the other day, and I llloved it. Raqia does some great technique sections, including one on the Egyptian shimmy. My highlight is Katia from Russia performing her own choreo. She is just getting better and better, I think I'm falling in love with her! I adore her interpretation of the music. And her costume is to die for, with little silver butterflies. Must. Have.It!
I turn and I turn, trying to control my bloody arms. After 10 minutes, the blue dinosaur sitting on a shelf has become 50 blurry blue dinosaurs and I am ready to throw up any minute. Yes, I am definitely back at Raqia's for the I-don't-know-which time. And whoever advertising for dance "holidays" in Egypt is a LIAR.
Since one of my teachers in Norway, the fantastic Hilde Lund (www.magedans.no), is Raqia-trained through and through, Raqia Hassan was a natural teacher-choice for me when I came here the first time. And considering the impact she has had on Egyptian style, she should be for everyone!
I already know most of her typical steps from Hilde, but Raqia has an unique ability to put basic steps together in combinations I would never have thought of, thus making them look new. She interprets the music in a very interesting way. However, what I love her most for, is her legwork. She has so many fancy arabesques and kicks and she does the most delicious hipwork.
She is very warm and generous, but strict. She won't tell you it's good unless she means it, so when you DO get a compliment from her, it really makes your day!
And while we're on the subject, I got her newest technique video (vol 9) the other day, and I llloved it. Raqia does some great technique sections, including one on the Egyptian shimmy. My highlight is Katia from Russia performing her own choreo. She is just getting better and better, I think I'm falling in love with her! I adore her interpretation of the music. And her costume is to die for, with little silver butterflies. Must. Have.It!
First blog entry
Finally, my first blog entry! Everything takes time in Cairo, that goes for finding a computer with a tolerably fast internet connection as well!
I spent 3 months in Cairo last year, and when I came back to Norway I was completely overwhelmed by all the questions I was met with from my fellow dancers. So this time I thought it would be fun to keep a blog for all of you that don't have the opportunity to be here yourselves. I also see it as a way for me to speak warmly of the teachers I train with, and I really don't have time to send e-mails to all relatives and friends, so now they can see what I'm doing down here through the blog. Maybe even my mum will finally understand the allure of al-Qaahira...
I spent 3 months in Cairo last year, and when I came back to Norway I was completely overwhelmed by all the questions I was met with from my fellow dancers. So this time I thought it would be fun to keep a blog for all of you that don't have the opportunity to be here yourselves. I also see it as a way for me to speak warmly of the teachers I train with, and I really don't have time to send e-mails to all relatives and friends, so now they can see what I'm doing down here through the blog. Maybe even my mum will finally understand the allure of al-Qaahira...
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