{"id":441779,"date":"2025-07-01T18:56:46","date_gmt":"2025-07-01T13:56:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/propakistani.pk\/lens\/?p=441779"},"modified":"2025-07-01T18:58:22","modified_gmt":"2025-07-01T13:58:22","slug":"young-dancers-fight-to-restore-belly-dance-in-egypt","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/propakistani.pk\/lens\/young-dancers-fight-to-restore-belly-dance-in-egypt\/","title":{"rendered":"Young Dancers Fight to Restore Belly Dance in Egypt"},"content":{"rendered":"

In the heart of Cairo, a new generation of Egyptian women is shimmying to rewrite the story of belly dance, an art form once celebrated in the country\u2019s cinematic golden age but now shrouded in stigma. As belly dancing surges in popularity worldwide, young performers like Safy Akef and Safaa Saeed are working to reclaim its place as a cornerstone of Egyptian heritage, pushing back against decades of moral judgment and colonial baggage to restore its prestige.<\/p>\n

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Once synonymous with the glamour of Egypt\u2019s mid-20th-century cinema, belly dancers like Naima Akef, Tahiya Carioca, and Samia Gamal were cultural icons, their fluid movements captivating audiences in iconic films. But today, the art form\u2014formally known as oriental dance or \u201cbaladi,\u201d meaning \u201chomeland\u201d in Arabic\u2014has been relegated to nightclubs and wedding halls, often performed by foreign dancers or a dwindling number of Egyptians.<\/p>\n\t\t

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\u201cNo woman can be a belly dancer today and feel she\u2019s truly respected,\u201d said Safy Akef, 33, an instructor and great-niece of the legendary Naima Akef. Despite her celebrated lineage, Safy has never performed on stage in Egypt, wary of the objectification that follows. \u201cOnce the show ends, the audience doesn\u2019t respect you, they objectify you,\u201d she told AFP.<\/p>\n

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This shift in perception has deep roots. In her book Imperialism and the Heshk Beshk, author Shatha Yehia traces belly dance\u2019s origins to ancient Egypt, but notes that its modern colloquial term, coined as \u201cdanse du ventre\u201d (dance of the belly) by 19th-century French colonizers, exoticized the art and shaped negative perceptions both locally and globally. The term \u201cheshk beshk,\u201d an onomatopoeic Egyptian phrase evoking the dancer\u2019s rhythmic shakes, has become a loaded label. Yehia describes it as synonymous with \u201cfemme fatale,\u201d implying immorality and debauchery\u2014a far cry from the artistry of Egypt\u2019s golden age dancers.<\/p>\n

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Leading the charge to restore belly dance\u2019s dignity is choreographer Amie Sultan, a classically trained ballerina turned baladi advocate. Through her Taqseem Institute, launched in 2022, Sultan is training a new generation of dancers in not just choreography but also the music, history, and theory of Egyptian dance. Named after the improvisational solos of Arabic music, the institute has already trained dozens of women, seven of whom now teach full-time. \u201cBaladi reflects the soul of who we are,\u201d Sultan told AFP. \u201cBut now it carries images of superficial entertainment, disconnected from its roots.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Sultan\u2019s mission is to reframe belly dance as a legitimate art form fit for theatres and festivals, not just nightlife venues. Her students study the legacy of pioneers like Bamba Kashshar and Badia Masabni, alongside golden age stars, to reconnect the dance with its cultural roots. Sultan even takes her message to universities, delivering talks to demystify baladi for younger audiences. In 2023, she staged El-Naddaha, a performance blending Sufi themes with traditional and contemporary Egyptian movement, earning praise for its artistry.<\/p>\n

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As belly dance continues to captivate global audiences\u2014from North America to Asia\u2014Egypt\u2019s young performers are determined to reclaim their narrative at home. \u201cIt\u2019s not just about shaking your hips,\u201d Saeed said with a smile. \u201cIt\u2019s about telling the story of who we are.\u201d With each performance, they\u2019re inching closer to a future where baladi is celebrated, not stigmatized, and where Egypt\u2019s dance heritage shines once more on the world stage.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

In the heart of Cairo, a new generation of Egyptian women is shimmying to rewrite the story of belly dance, an art form once celebrated in the country\u2019s cinematic golden age but now shrouded in stigma. As belly dancing surges in popularity worldwide, young performers like Safy Akef and Safaa Saeed are working to reclaim its place as a cornerstone […] More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":85,"featured_media":441785,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2494,1298,2520,2556,2540],"tags":[],"adace-sponsor":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-441779","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-art","8":"category-culture","9":"category-dance","10":"category-dancer","11":"category-international"},"wps_subtitle":"","img_urls":{"thumbnail":["https:\/\/propakistani.pk\/lens\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/belly-dance-1-364x205.jpg",364,205,true],"medium":["https:\/\/propakistani.pk\/lens\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/belly-dance-1.jpg",1000,560,false],"full":["https:\/\/propakistani.pk\/lens\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/belly-dance-1.jpg",1000,560,false]},"author_name":"Rija Sohaib","categories_name":["Art","Culture","Dance","Dancer","International"],"title_text":"Young Dancers Fight to Restore Belly Dance in Egypt","related_stories":"https:\/\/propakistani.pk\/lens\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts?filter&per_page=4&categories=2494,1298,2520,2556,2540&exclude=441779","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/propakistani.pk\/lens\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/441779","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/propakistani.pk\/lens\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/propakistani.pk\/lens\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/propakistani.pk\/lens\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/85"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/propakistani.pk\/lens\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=441779"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/propakistani.pk\/lens\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/441779\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/propakistani.pk\/lens\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/441785"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/propakistani.pk\/lens\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=441779"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/propakistani.pk\/lens\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=441779"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/propakistani.pk\/lens\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=441779"},{"taxonomy":"adace-sponsor","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/propakistani.pk\/lens\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/adace-sponsor?post=441779"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}