The Golden Age of Cinema in Egypt sure brought some amazing talent in singing, composing and dancing to the public. Some historic stars of oriental dance were the ubiquitous Badia Masabni, Samia Gamal, Naïma Akef, Nagwa Fouad, Soheir Zaki and the supreme Tahia Carioca. The modern divas like Farida Fahmi, Fifi Abdou, Dina, Lucy and Suzy won't be left out. Of course there is a big difference between Farida Fahmi and Fifi Abdu. But they both have one thing in common: their passion for egyptian dance.
Soheir Zaki
Tahia Carioca
Nagwa Fouad
One of my favorite dancers from back in the day is definitely Samia Gamal, who started her dancing at the Casino Badia. Samia is considered to be second to Tahia Karioka and definitely made the dance more expressive and respectable. She wore high heeled shoes to dance in “because she could afford them” and started the fashion for barefoot dancing on stage when her shoe strap broke! She appeared in Valley of the King's in 1954, and was the first film to include Egyptian music, dance and costume. She appeared in many Egyptian films and gave the dance the elegance it possesses today.
There is a great DVD that brings together the most prominent belly dancers ever in the scenes that have won them the heart of millions of admirers worldwide. This collection features 16 classic performances by legends such as Tahia Karioka, Samia Gamal, Nagwa Fouad, Soheir Zaki and Fifi Abdou. A must have for all belly dance lovers! Find it on Amazon.
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