She showed me what was possible🌟
Once upon a time, a time that seems distant and yet so close, I had an awakening.
A Tunisian artist called Leila Haddad was going to present an Oriental Dance performance at "Culturgest", one of the most prestigious theatres in Lisbon, Portugal.
Leila dragged a fascinating culture behind her. Her photo on the poster of the performance smelled of cumin and "bokhour" (incense); her ellusive presence promised a magic I´d never witnessed.
At the time, I knew close to nothing about Oriental Dance - "Raks el Sharki", which people erroneously call "belly dance" - but my curiosity for everything foreign was at its peak.
While my colleagues and friends listened to the trendy pop American music, I spent hours flying in my teenage dungeon - aka the bedroom I shared with my sister - listening to African music, Indian Ragas, Latin music, tunes from Afghanistan, Persia, China. You name it. The more distant and exotic, the better.
I listened and danced to those foreign tunes - and felt like I was going back home.
Not knowing why, not even trying to understand it, I was dragged into far-away worlds that contrasted with the suburbs of the suburbs of the suburbs where I lived. I was hungry for an escape, thirsty for knowledge, the scent of "souks", dusty "medinas", foreign languages speaking beyond words.
When I saw the publicity of a dance performance featuring Leila Haddad, (un)covered in colourful veils, I knew I couldn´t miss it.
I entered the theatre with my ticket in hand, shaking with excitement. I sat down and observed the room: fancy people with their long trench coats arriving slowly - seemingly floating -, greeting each other, whispering in each other´s ears; an atmosphere of art, elegance, and magic.
I don´t remember what, exactly, I thought about her dance performance. But I remember the impact it had on me: she showed me what was possible.
Leila presented her Oriental Dance performance in the same setting and at the same level the best dancers present their pieces around the world. She did so unapologetically - proving that she, the musicians, and the dance they represented belonged there (´cause they did).
Her performance could have happened at the Bolshoi, the Scalla, the Royal Opera House. No doubt about it.
Above all, I remember the beauty, the elegance, and the dignity of what she and the musicians she brought along with her gifted us.
A few years after that fateful evening, when I started to study Egyptian Dance, I´d be told that it wasn´t dignified enough; artistic enough; complex enough; good enough to be presented in prestigious theatres.
In Egypt, and then around the world, I was shown the best and the worst of the field. Through it all, unbeknown to her, Leila remained in my heart, like an anchor that wouldn´t let me go astray:
"Raks el Sharki" is an art form and it deserves to be presented as such.
This is possible. And it´s just the beginning.
🎧🎤☕For that, and other reasons, she became one of my inspirations, a reference I went back to every time I felt discouraged or disoriented.
And, now, I´m honoured to announce Episode #3 of "The Oriental Café" Podcast, by yours truly, where she´s featured.
In this episode, we discuss the definition of "Raks el Sharki", or the lack of it; the role of Art, Om Kolthoum, and more.
It´s delicious and you can´t miss it.
👉To watch it on Youtube, click here
👉To listen to it on Apple Podcasts, click here
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