A memorable performance reinforces Egyptian identity
The dancers in their colorful outfits twirled around with their hands held high to the beat of the rhythm. The cheers from the crowd never ceased to end and only grew louder with each passing performance.
The Egyptian Folklore Performance was held on November 28 at the Bassily Auditorium at the New Cairo campus. It featured various music and dance performances from Alexandria, Marsah Matrouh, Upper Egypt, and Nubia.
In El-Dahia, the opening dance performance from North Sinai, the troupe gracefully danced onto and off the stage with each segment. They made a flawless transition as authentic Egyptian music played in the background.
“I loved the El Haggala dance it reminds me of the movie Love in Karnak where the Reda troupe performed the same dance,” said student Sara El Nahal.
“I also liked the idea of the musicians, because the songs were live and not recorded,” she said.
A crowd favorite of the event was the Mask where two puppets, joined at the waist, faced each other and struggled with themselves. It appeared as though two men were underneath the costume as they moved around the stage, fell to the ground and even fell off the stage, which left the audience erupting in laughter.
The performer revealed that he was the sole puppeteer, which again drove the audience to cheer even louder.
The performers said they intend on targeting the youth and reinforcing Egyptian identity.
“Nowadays, the new generation is more interested in modern-western dances like hip-hop or salsa, they have no idea what Egyptian folklore means. It is important for them to also learn about Egyptian folklore types of dance because it represents the true Egyptian identity,” said Hassan Farouk, the chief dance trainer.
The group began rehearsals and training for this event at the start of the fall semester with around 25-30 dancers.
“I heard about folklore before entering university from my cousin and I got excited to know what it is about,” said Karma Negm, an accounting major and folklore group member since fall 2010.
She said that her favorite dance is Saeedi – indigenous to Upper Egypt – where the whole ensemble dances together.
“The whole group of musicians and dancers participated and cooperated together. Some of them cleaned and ironed their clothes from their expenses. Even though, the AUC activities fee should take care of that,” said Nadia Abdelhady, Associate Director of Cultural Programs.
The popular event was originally set to be held on November 19 but was postponed due to the tragic bus accident in Assiut.
“We decided to move the event to another date out of respect to all those who lost their lives in the accident,” said Abdelhady.
“The purpose of the event is not only to have fun, but also to keep alive the Egyptian culture, tradition and identity,” she said.
