Badriyah - Introduction to Golden Era - lecture

The whole festival is about Golden Era but what actually is Golden Era? What do we mean by Golden Era bellydance? Is it one particular dance style, or are there any other branches? What time period do we talk about? Is it focused on Egypt, or any other parts of the world? This lecture, led by one of the organizers, Badriyah, will explain the most urgent questions about Golden Era, dance in movies, cabarets, and in what forms it has its come back nowadays.

1 hour | 20 Euro

Basinah - Golden Era Toolkit

This workshop will cover the dance steps that we already know and love, and show you how to alter them for "Golden Era" style. We will break down common steps, adding Golden Era flair as we go. By the end of the class, you will have lots of inspirational elements to play with and incorporate into your repertoire.

1,5 hour | 25 Euro

Eman Zaki - Costumes in Golden Era - Lecture

Eman Zaki, a world-famous costume designer, will talk about the dance costumes of the Golden Era from her perspective. She will discuss the costuming trends back in that time, what materials were used and what kind of costumes legends such as Samia Gamal wore on screen. She will also discuss the changes in costuming that have taken place since that era.

1 hour | 20 Euro

Golden Era Favourites’ - Watch Party

Let’s have some tea or a drink and let’ watch together some old dance clips from Golden Era. Dancers Basinah, Melissa Gamal, Roshana, and Shining, will share their favourite clips with you and discuss the beauty of Golden Era. The watch party will be moderated with Badriyah who might sneak in some of her favourite clips too.

Free admission

Open stage

We would love to a create space for dancers not only to learn, dance, listen, create and discuss, but also to show their own dance! You can apply your dance video to the Open Stage

Sheyla - Folklore in Golden Era cinema

Egyptian folklore existed long before Egyptian cinema and Cairo famous cabarets. What do we know about folklore in the pre-Golden Era? How was it later presented in the Egyptian cinema? Interestingly, more than a real folklore, with some rare and beautiful exceptions, one can see mostly character dances in the old Egyptian movies. Take a tour with Sheyla on how folklore was shown in the Golden Era times, learn some fascinating facts, listen to a few legends, and watch several rare movie clips showing real folklore versus character dances in the Egyptian movies.

1 hour | 20 Euro

Shahrzad - Raqs Sharqi in Late Golden Era

The Golden Era of Raqs Sharqi peaked around 1940’ and 1950’. But what about Raqs Sharqi in the later time period of 1960’ and 1970’ in Egypt? Although some older legends such as Samia Gamal still performed, a new generation of dancers emerged, such as Nagwa Fouad or Suheir Zaki. They brought new dance moves and ideas, as well as followed the new trends in Raqs Sharqi, such as more hip accents, or extended usage of a veil. Shahrzad will guide you through the late Golden Era bellydance, including some of the most prominent technique and wrap up the beauty of 1960’ and 1970’ in a short dance combination.

1,5 hour | 25 Euro

Shruti - Of Stars and Signature Steps

Studying the stars of the Golden Era and observing their styling can significantly help improve your own connection with the dance, supersize your stage personality and give you a toolbox of new techniques that you can include in your own modern routines. Do you want to dance like a legend from the Golden Era? Do you want to learn how to interpret the many moods and the complex lyricism of the songs of this period through cinematic artistry and stillness? Want to learn how to appreciate, understand and embody the rich technique of the Golden Era legends through combinations, stylistic nuances and a stimulating after-class discussion? Of Stars And Signature Steps will focus on the trademark moves and styling of three of the most well-known Golden Era stars - Taheya Carioca, Samia Gamal and Naima Akef. The workshop will focus on integrating context with movement and music, expressivity with styling and equip you with the basic know-how of the rich performance principles of the Golden Era. You will learn four mini-combinations, set to original tunes that you can build into your daily practice routine or use as is in your choreographies going forward! Curious? Join in!

2 hours | 30 Euro

Nisaa - Birth of Raqs Sharqi

The dance form now recognized as raqs sharqi was born on the stages of Egypt's urban entertainment halls at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries. But how? And why? What were the circumstances that set in motion such a momentous transformation of Egyptian belly dance at this particular point in Egyptian history? In this lecture, Nisaa discusses the unique constellation of social, political, and cultural developments in late 19th century Egypt that enabled and nurtured the emergence and early development of raqs sharqi. Join Nisaa and learn how the birth of raqs sharqi reflected broader trends in turn-of-the-century Egyptian arts and entertainment, and how cultural expressions like raqs sharqi embodied and expressed the struggle for Egyptian national and cultural identity.

1,5 hour | 25 Euro

Nisaa - Early (Pre-Golden Era) Raqs Sharqi

Decades before the rise of Golden Era celebrities such as Taheya Carioca and Samia Gamal, Egyptian belly dance had made its way to the stages of Cairo's theaters and music halls. In those settings, the traditional dancing of Egypt's awalim and the ghawazi was transformed into the dance form now recognized as raqs sharqi. In this workshop, join Nisaa for a movement exploration of raqs sharqi before the glamorous Golden Era. Nisaa will guide you through a reconstruction of the technique and aesthetic of raqs sharqi from the 1890s through the 1920s. Explore how early raqs sharqi retained some aspects of awalim and ghawazi styles, and how innovative and foreign elements were absorbed into the dance over the course of this 40-year period.

1,5 hour | 25 Euro

Shining - Shamadan in Golden Era

From Zuba el Klobatiyya to Nagwa Fouad, the dancers of Egypt's cinematic golden era brought their unique candelabra balancing dance to the silver screen in scenes varying from cabaret entertainment to upper class familial celebrations of matrimonial union or new births. In this workshop we'll explore the connection between the roots of raqs el-shamadan and its cinematic presentations as we learn movements and stylizations from the famous and lesser known dancers of this era to help us retain a "classic" look while performing this dance in modern venues. (No floorwork movements included in this workshop. No shamadan required, but bring it if you have it.)

2 hours | 30 Euro

Shining - How to Make an Awalim/Ghawazee Ribbon Belt

Costuming Class for Awalim/Ghawazee/Khawal [1860-1910]. The ribbon belt, seen in dozens of iconic postcards and early photos from Egypt, was the key identifying element of a professional dancer from the mid 19th to early 20th centuries. Shining will guide you through the process of recreating your own belt in this live online costuming workshop in addition to exploring the role and possible origins of this unique garment. A list of materials will be sent to you by email in advance, so you can be ready to create your very own ribbon belt with Shining's personal guidance!

1 hours | 20 Euro

George Sawa - Early Raqs Sharqi music

Description of the takht, that is, the music instruments used in the Early Raqs Sharqi ensemble (qanun, ud, nay, violin, riqq) Description of three main musical forms used: 1) the rondo type (Raqset Sayyed Mohammad); 2) Raqset el-Hawanem (Dance of the Noble Ladies) which consists of a series of sections in the same meter and the same melodic mode; 3) Dakhlet el-Awalem (Entrance of the Learned Ladies, i.e., dancers, who, it should be emphasized, were learned people in times past) which consists of many section in the same melodic mode but many different rhythmic modes, a real classic in the dance repertoire. If time permits, I will also include Raqset el-Romman (Dance of the pomegranate) which is in rondo form but include many melodic modes. Emphasis will also be put on the flirtatious aspects of these dances. I will illustrate these dances with a qanun without levers and likely built in the early 20th century, a real period instrument to bring back the sound of this glorious era.

1,5 hours | 25 Euro

Gala show

The teachers of the festival prepared for you an online show devoted to Golden Era. The show will have its premiere on Sunday 14 March at 1:00 CET on Kan Zaman’s YouTube channel. The link will be presented here once the show is ready. Stay tuned!

Free admission

Badriyah - Online Bellydance Museum Tour

Badriyah is the founder of Online Bellydance Museum based on her expansive collection of over 400 items depicting bellydancers (famous raqs sharqi dancers such as Samia Gamal, Tahia Carioca, and Badia Masabni, awaleem & ghawazee from (mostly) Egypt, and Westernized versions of oriental dancers including Little Egypt, and Salomé) across nearly 300 years. In this tour you will visit a little dance studio of Badriyah and go through the most exciting items in her collection, including signed photograph by Samia Gamal, antique photo of Shafiqa El Koptiya, movie brochures with Tahia Carioca, engraving of Egyptian dancers from 1738 and 1807, or a billboard from the 1950’s with Samia Gamal. This tour is FREE, but please register in advance.

Free admission

Jrisi - Golden Era recreation

Golden Era Raqs Sharqi dancers were trained in many dance styles, from Latin to ballroom dances. However, when they danced styles such as ghawazee, baladi or awaleem they not always portrayed the dance style authentically. Dance staged for film were influenced by many outside aspect such as director’s ideas, location, storyline and theme, to name a few. In this workshop Jrisi will teach you a recreating of a famous Naima Akef dance performance form the movie Amir Al Dahaa 1964, where Naima is portraying a ghawazee dancer. The dance reflects her Raqs Sharqi background as well as her endless creativity and innovation.

1,5 hour | 25 Euro

Julia Farid - Golden Era in Modern Raqs Sharqi

I invite you to travel in time and to take an exciting trip, diving into Golden Era, an exquisite epoche of dance and music in the 30-50s of the XX century. Let's learn the elegance and graceful moves of dancers of that time. And then close your eyes - with just one click we will find ourselves in 2021, performing modern Oriental dance - with its fast transitions, rich dance vocabulary and refined technique.. This class is about interlacement of Vintage and Modern Raqs Sharki styles, about preserving the culture: let's bring the best of Golden Era on today's stage, let's enrich modern dance with its grace. May the art of Golden Era legends not be lost in the past and live in our hearts and talk through our bodies.

1,5 hour | 25 Euro

Melissa Gamal - Sagat in Golden Era

Dancers in the Golden Era were versatile performers, who took on many different roles including singer, actor... and sometimes musician too! Many dancers of the time period were proficient and masterful Sagat players, and there is an established history of professional dancers in Egypt playing Sagat (brass finger cymbals) much before the start of the Golden Era. Let's take a trip back in time to understand the history and technique - and revive the Sagat playing of the Golden Era with a dance piece inspired by one of it's most famous icons, Taheya Carioca.

1,5 hour | 25 Euro

Roshana Nofret - Golden Era hair & make up

Grab your hair rollers, hairspray, and red lipstick -- let's get vintage glam together! Era-appropriate hair and makeup is the cherry on top for your Golden Era dance performance. Join vintage aficionada and dance artist Roshana Nofret in learning some of the basics of 1940s-1950s vintage hair and makeup to add to the authenticity of your vintage look. In this live tutorial workshop (including a mini lecture), we will work on a full hair and makeup routine together inspired by a Golden Era artist. We will also discuss what is a true vintage makeup look versus modern vintage/pinup, tips for enhancing our makeup for the stage without losing the classic vintage look, and suggestions for appropriate/complementing accessories. Full instructions for curling and setting your hair, as well as a list of required tools and products, will be provided in advance.

2 hours | 30 Euro

Shahrzad & Soot Il Sharq - Golden Era Singers

Live from Cairo, the heart of Raqs Sharqi! Join a concert and a lecture about the main and the most famous Golden Era singers - Oum Kalthoum, Farid Al-Atrash, Mohamed Abdel Wahab and Abdel Halim Hafez. The band Soot Il Sharq, including great Egyptian musicians, will play for you famous and signature songs of these Golden Era legends, as well as give short talk about their life and music. You can look forward a unique event with live music.

2 hours | 30 Euro

Golden Era and Modern Times - Discussion

Comparing Golden Era of bellydance with modern bellydance, one can come up with thousands of questions. Most of them do not have a simple answer but are worth discussing. Is it necessary to learn about history of Raqs Sharqi? Is studying Golden Era dance important if you are interested in modern and fusion bellydance? Is modern bellydance less artistic and elegant than in Golden Era? What is the difference in appearance of bellydance in media now and then? Shahrzad, Julia Farid, Shruti, and Nisaa will discuss these and other intriguing questions.

Free admission

Dance Talk with Dr Mo Geddawi - A personal Insight into Golden Era

A candid chat “talk show” style with Dr Mo Geddawi sharing his lived experience in the magic of the Golden Era. What was it like to work with Samia Gamal? What was the audition process to be in a movie in the 1950’s? Who choreographed the dance scenes? We know the history but we want to know the juicy drama behind the silver screen. Join Jrisi in this Dance Talk for a personal insight with master teacher and living legend Dr Mo Geddawi.

Free to participants of 2 or more paid workshops