Product Description

Join American bellydancer Natasha Senkovich as she journeys to Egypt and speaks to many Oriental dancers – from the struggling Cabaret performers to the very famous, sexy Dina and the legendary Nagwa Fuad. With unprecedented access, we see them perform and hear them share their personal stories of conflict and struggle they have experienced throughout their careers. This fascinating documentary provides a unique look into the lives of these most unusually strong women. Born into a world where a woman is expected to be covered and demure, they achieve independence and wealth by taking great risks and flaunting their sensuality. It also explores the controversial question of prostitution, which is how most dancers are regarded in the Middle Eastern societies...plus the history of Oriental Dance, and its decline as a result of growing conservatism in the Middle East.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #47659 in DVD
• Brand: UNIVERSAL MUSIC VIDEO DIST.
• Released on: 2006-09-12
• Rating: NR (Not Rated)
• Aspect ratio: 1.33:1
• Formats: AC-3, Color, Compilation, Dolby, DVD, Widescreen, NTSC
• Original language: English
• Number of discs: 1
• Dimensions: 5.00 pounds
• Running time: 73 minutes

Features

• Join American bellydancer Natasha Senkovich as she journeys to Egypt and speaks to many Oriental dancers from the struggling Cabaret performers to the very famous, sexy Dina and the legendary Nagwa Fuad. With unprecedented access, we see them perform and hear them share their personal stories of conflict and struggle they have experienced throughout their careers. This fascinating documentary prov

Customer Reviews

Requisite Viewing for all Belly Dance Students
Last night, I watched The Belly Dancers of Cairo. It's an excellent but sad documentary on the state of raqs sharqi in Egypt today. Despite the increasing popularity of the dance internationally, belly dance is dying in Egypt. Through interviews with Egyptian dance legends (eg. Dina, Nagwa Fuad, Lucy), current performers, a Muslim feminist, and a variety of Egyptian men from different walks of life, we can see how dancers are simultaneously loved and reviled. We are given cultural and religious context for this apparent contradiction.

Although raqs sharqi from the golden age of Egyptian cinema is looked upon fondly by the conservative men interviewed, their appreciation is conflicted. Dancers are looked upon as whores, a view reinforced by the dance films shown on a daily basis. Dancers in movies are invariably portrayed as wanton women, or gangsters' molls. To allow a female member of one's family to become a dancer would bring shame down on the entire family. More liberally-minded men may date a dancer, but once they get married, or once she bears children, she will have to end her career.

The film touches on how women in the public eye are considered to have questionable virtue. However, there is no mention of Oum Kalthoum, who was considered a national treasure. I can't help but be curious to see if she was considered a floozy at the same time that she was revered.

The documentary ends on a bittersweet note. Although the dance is dying in Egypt, it has spread itself over the world. These non-Egyptian dancers are responsible to carry on the legacy, and to save what would otherwise be a dying art form. And just so we're not without context, the DVD has an excellent features section which contains full-length performances by a variety of Egyptian dancers.

I need to get myself a copy of this. I recommend it to students of all varieties of belly dance (whether traditional Egyptian or any of the more modern fusion variants).

Brilliant tool for understanding
As a belly dance instructor, I found this to be a terrific tool for understanding the strange place raks sharki has in Cairo society -- Dancers are enormous stars who are beloved and command huge sums for performances, and yet they are seen as prostitutes.

The film includes interviews with Samasem, Dina, Lucy, Nagwa Fouad, Khayreyya Maazin, and others. Eman Zaki talks at length about her mothers' recollections of dancing for Badia Masabni.

The special features include eight or nine performances and the filmmakers' lengthy discussion about their experiences during filming. They were charmingly open and honest about all their experiences and I enjoyed the discussion almost as much as the documentary!

I was riveted throughout the entire documentary AND the special features. This is a must-have for the library of serious dancers or dance teachers.

an important documentary detailing the struggles of courageous artists in Cairo
Watcing this documentary, I was surprised by how little I knew about the Bellydancers of Cairo.

I viewed this documentary with a friend, and was extremely touched by the stories of these women. It amazes me that an entire society is able to both love and despise this artform and the women who perform it.

The struggles and sacrifices women have gone through in order to do what they love is truly inspiring, and I watch videos of egyptian bellydancers with renewed respect and appreciation.

As a student of this artform, I've purchased many bellydance dvd's and tapes. It was amazing to me that so many egyptian superstars were willing to be interviewed and were willing to speak about their lives in such a candid manner.

This documentary is definitely a must have for any serious student of oriental dance.