What do I love most about being a Bellydancer in Cairo?
Making people smile.
It sounds corny I know... but it is true!
Yesterday I had 5 shows;
The first two shows were a tourist group (from UK, USA, Australia
and all over Europe). I had lots of people shaking their shoulders along with
me and everyone smiling. I asked one table where they were from, and they said ‘Scotland’......
you can imagine their surprise when they found out I was too! Seemingly they
spent the rest of the sail trying to work out my story- how did a girl from Edinburgh
end up being a dancer on the Nile? I ask myself sometimes too! One thing is for
sure though... and I figured I’d put it here in writing... no, I did not move
to Egypt for ‘a man’. People have no imagination! I came here for the dance,
for the music, for the sunshine... isn’t that enough? It is for me!
The next sail was a private charter too... and rather than
tourists it was all Egyptians... two engagement parties had hired out the one
boat, one group downstairs, one up. I couldn’t work out the connection to the
two groups, but they were obviously related or friends or something, since most
of the time everyone just piled onto one deck- whether there were seats or not.
I am not sure I can explain how lovely and warmly welcoming everyone was. The
older ladies especially kept calling me assel (honey) and hugging me. The first
‘bride’, we’ll call her that since Egyptians do despite it only being the
engagement rather than the wedding, was very shy at first but then at one point
in my show I felt a hand on my hip, it was her... feeling my shimmy!!! I looked
surprised, she looked embarrassed (I think she must have done it without thinking!)
and then we both, and everyone around us laughed out loud! Then all her
girlfriends gathered round her and with their hands tried to make her shimmy
too! The love was overwhelming. For the music, for the dance, for the people
around and for me.
That is why I dance.
Upstairs the ‘bride and groom’ were younger and more self
conscious. However, everyone who had just watched my show downstairs came up to
carry on the party, so they soon got everyone up on stage... and let me tell
you, that stage is not big at the best of times... so just imagine me trying to
dance in the centre with about 40 other people on it with me!!!
At one point they pushed a young boy fwd and begged me to
dance with him. He had Down syndrome. The love and care everyone was showing
towards him was very sweet. One young man said, ‘he is the greatest of us all’...
the boy was beaming with happiness as he performed his fabulous shimmies beside
me... but he got just too excited.. and threw up.. all over the already tiny
stage. Some guests just led him off and carried on dancing. I had a
conversation recently with another dancer who said the worst thing to stand in
barefoot was mashed potato. I beg to differ! It was hard to keep my nose from
wrinkling up... but the energy and warmth of the people helped me ignore the
floor beneath me. And you thought being a bellydancer was glamorous? (Once he
had recovered the boy came back onto the stage so he could finish his dance
with me and take his bow!)
The, another man was pushed into the centre of the circle
beside me. He could certainly dance. One man smilingly challenged- “see, he is
better than you”... then a few of them started chanting the man’s name. I didn’t
know what to do... but I felt somehow it would be ok. A girl behind me asked me
“what is your name?”... I answered, not realising why she was asking, and within
seconds the entire engagement party was chanting my name, supporting me! What a
rush! Over 100 people chanting my name!!!
The last show of the night was somewhat more subdued (at one
point in the engagement I was up on a chair dancing so everyone could see
me!!!). There were some ladies there wearing the full niqab. I could only see their eyes. One lady stood up
and walked out with her husband, as soon as I arrived on to the stage. I was
sad, but fair enough, if she wasn’t comfortable then it was for the best for
her and me.However, I could see other people round the room take note too.
Almost as if she had passed a moral judgement on me, and therefore on anyone
who stayed to watch. The mood of the room changed, people leant back in their
seats instead of forward, the smiles moved away from the eyes. I tried to
ignore it and carry on. Then the mood completely changed again to a very
positive and relaxed attitude. She was back again... she had obviously just
gone to the bathroom!!! I made eye contact and she was smiling and appreciative
of the dance.
We had a great night.
.... and all with a new band... but that is a story for
another blog entry!