TITO SEIF is an internationally acclaimed male oriental dancer, instructor, choreographer and one of the world's top oriental artists. Born in Egypt in 1971, he started to dance at the age of 14 learning folklore and then oriental.
Within
a very short period of time he became one of the biggest names in the
Oriental Dance and a prominent, innovative and mesmerizing dancer
worldwide. Tito has been dancing for 28 years and he has been teaching
for 18 years.
A prominent, technically
proficient, innovative and mesmerizing belly dancer, he is recognized as a leader
in the belly dance world. Tito's talents as an entertainer and a gifted prolific
instructor are sought after all over the world. Source: AlAhram
Videos:
Tito dancing with 4 sticks in Valencia, 2008
Tito performing 'drumsolo on a drum' with Issam Houshan at BDC, 2013
Tito at Stockholm BD Festival 2015
Tito workshop, 2015
Tito in Switzerland, 2019
Enjoy!!
xx K.
PS: If you study online with me.. then my online BOOST Membership is for you! Tap www.khalidadance.com/vip for all details and the Enrollment form
The theme of 2024's live BOOST classes is 'Time Traveling with the Stars' - plus you'll get streaming bonus access to my props DVDs and online courses.
I look forward to welcoming you as a BOOSTie member.
Modern Legends - Randa Kamel (EG)
RANDA KAMEL was born in Mansoura, Egypt. When she was a kid, she had
many problems with her family because she used to dance in her friends
and neighbours weddings and in scholar festivals. In that traditionalist
city, her family disapproved her pleasure of dancing.
At the age of 15, she began studying egyptian folklore with the
famous group Reda. She took part of it during 7 years. Nevertheless, she
never attended to oriental dance courses, she always developed her own
style.
After studying to be a psychologist (which is a discipline that helps her
to be a dancer), Randa began her career as a professional dancer at the
age of 21, in Alexandria. She lived there fore two years.
Afterwards, she moved on to El Cairo and worked in restaurants and
cabarets during four months until she began to work in Meridien hotel.
There, she shared the stage during a week with the famous dancer Fifi
Abdou.
Randa danced as soloist in the hotel´s night show for two years, and
later she began to work in Nile Maxim, a luxury cruiser that sails
through the Nile river.
She likes working in El Cairo because she loves live music, but she
also likes traveling and teaching oriental dance. “When I dance abroad, I
feel as my country and my culture´s messenger”. She also tells us about
the belly dance prejudices in her country that: “In Egypt, we believe
that the oriental dance is a representation of the women’s beauty in
order to seduce men. But I don’t agree with this. This is a millenary
dance, and one of the most difficult ways of dancing. That’s why I don’t
dance in a seductive way”.
About her own style, Randa says that she puts together ballet steps,
the folklore style of Suheir Zaki or Samia Gamal and her own invention
steps.
For her: “dance must be energy and power, constant movement. I don’t
like soft movements. I like to show different expressions, feelings;
every single part of my body must move. I want that anyone that looks at
me, feels my movements. It’s the only way to catch the spectator’s
attention, to surprise them”.
Even if she enjoys dancing baladi and modern oriental, her favourite
music is Um Kulthum, because “everything in these songs is beautiful,
the music, the lyrics; there are so many feelings that they catch my
heart”
Sources: Randa Kamel (by Yasmina for Gilded Serpent.com)
PS: If you want to dance and move with me online.. then my BOOST Membership is for you! Tap www.khalidadance.com/vip for all details and the Enrollment form - The theme of 2024's live BOOST classes is 'Time Traveling with the Stars' - plus you'll get access to my bonus DVDs and online courses.
I look forward to welcoming you as a BOOSTie member :)
Modern Legends - Nesma Al-Andalus (ES)
NESMA lived in Cairo from 1993–1998, where she obtained her extensive knowledge of Oriental dance, Egyptian folklore, Arabic music, culture and traditions. During this time she performed as a soloist with her own orchestra in over 3,500 shows on the most prestigious
stages of Cairo. She broadened her artistic career in the National
Egyptian Folkloric Ballet, The Reda Troupe, becoming over the years one
of Mahmoud Reda’s closest collaborators.
Since 1998 she has danced and taught around the world. In Spain she founded her own school and a prestigious dance company, Al-Andalus Danza. She presented her shows in prestigious stages in Europe and at the Cairo Opera House, the Opera of Alexandria, and the Library of Alexandria in Egypt. Her early interest in creating shows inspired in the Spanish Moorish heritage made her a pioneer of Andalusian style dance.
Along with her dance company, Nesma has established a record company,
Nesma Music, presenting a great line of authentic music and videos, and a
major festival, Raks Madrid, which takes place yearly in July in the
grand city of Madrid.
Note: I've been lucky enough to take workshops with Nesma at several events, and she is one of the most inspiring artists I have met. If you'd like to know more about Reda style, Andalusian dance, understanding Egyptian music and folklore, and/or working with live music and/or finding femininity and elegance in dance, I highly highly recommend her workshops, festival and formations. Also be sure to check out her music CDs, which have beautiful full-orchestra arrangements of known and new songs.
Enjoy!!
xx K.
PS: If you want to dance and move with me online.. then my BOOST Membership is for you! Tap www.khalidadance.com/vip for all details and the Enrollment form - The theme of 2024's live BOOST classes is 'Time Traveling with the Stars' - plus you'll get access to my bonus DVDs and online courses.
I look forward to welcoming you as a BOOSTie member :)
NESRIN TOPKAPI (born as Nesrin Gökkaya; 1951) is a Turkish belly dancer. She is known as the first belly dancer to appear on TRT screens.
Nesrin Gökkaya born in Akhisar, Manisa Province, learned to dance from her mother Rabia Gökkaya at a young age. She also took ballet lessons.
She appeared on the stage as a belly dancer in a casino in Adana when she was six years old. However, due to her childhood, she was forbidden to dance in the casino and the casino was also sealed.
Nesrin Gökkaya lost her father when she was 15 years old. She worked in different jobs due to the family's financial difficulties.
She went to London in 1968 and started working as a belly dancer in a nightclub under the name "Nesrin Topkapı". Six years later she returned to Turkey.
She appeared on the stage in 1974 at the Maksim Casino in Istanbul in honor of the Shah of Iran, Mohammad Reza Pahlavi.
Especially in the 1970s, she became one of the most sought-after belly dancers like Tülay Karaca and Seher Şeniz in Turkey.
After she stopped dancing in the mid-80ies, she gave belly dance lessons to people performing on stage such as Hadise, Sertab Erener, Nurgül Yeşilçay and Nil Karaibrahimgil.
PS: If you study online with me.. then my online BOOST Membership is for you! Tap www.khalidadance.com/vip for all details and the Enrollment form
The theme of 2024's live BOOST classes is 'Time Traveling with the Stars' - plus you'll get streaming bonus access to my props DVDs and online courses.
I look forward to welcoming you as a BOOSTie member.
Dina Talaat Sayed Muhammad is an Egyptian belly dancer and actress, born in Rome, Italy in 1964. She was named as the "Last Egyptian Dancer" by the American magazine Newsweek.
Her father was correspondent for the Middle East News Agency in Rome. Her sister, Rita, was a professional singer in the 1980s.
At age 16, Dina became depressed after her fiancé committed suicide and she attempted to kill herself. She earned a master's degree in philosophy from Ain Shams University at the insistence of her father.
Dina started her career in the early 1970s with the Reda Dance Troupe. She became a solo dancer in the 1980s and soon became well known.
In the 1990s she became known for her gigs at hotels like the Cairo Sheraton where she shocked Egyptian society by eschewing the traditional bellydance costume for shorts and a bikini.
Like most belly dancers, Dina dances for private functions as well as public engagements. As of 2007, she charged around E£7,000 to appear at weddings.
She has traveled to various countries to teach workshops and perform.
In 2011, she released her autobiography, Huriati Fi Al Raqs (My Freedom in Dancing).
Because of the 2011 Egyptian revolution it did not sell well in Egypt, but the French-language edition Ma liberté de danser (2011) was more successful.
PS: If you study online with me.. then my online BOOST Membership is for you! Tap www.khalidadance.com/vip for all details and the Enrollment form
The theme of 2024's live BOOST classes is 'Time Traveling with the Stars' - plus you'll get streaming bonus access to my props DVDs and online courses.
I look forward to welcoming you as a BOOSTie member.
Stars of the Sixties/Seventies - Mona Said (born 1954)
Born in 1954 in Suez Canal, Mona Ibrahim Wafa grew up loving to dance folkloric dances at school. It was not until she moved to Cairo, having had to leave Suez Canal because of the Egypt/Israel war in 1967, that her professional dance career started when she was only 13.
Her dancing meant she had to flee Egypt for Lebanon in 1970 to escape the anger of her conservative Bedouin father. By the time she returned from Lebanon a few years later, she was a star.
During her career, from 1970 until the mid-1990s, Mona moved a few times between Lebanon, Cairo and London.
Tahiya Carioca nicknamed her the “Princess of Raqs Sharqi” She is a perfect example of the "less is more" philosophy applied in belly dance
PS: If you want to dance and move with me online.. then my BOOST Membership is for you! Tap www.khalidadance.com/vip for all details and the Enrollment form
The theme of 2024's live BOOST classes is 'Time Traveling with the Stars' - plus you'll get access to my bonus DVDs and online courses.
I look forward to welcoming you as a BOOSTie member :)
Stars of the Sixties/Seventies - Fifi Abdo (born 1953)
FIFI ABDO was born in Cairo on April 26, 1953 and named Atiyat Abdul Fattah
Ibrahim. Her father is a policeman and she has 11 siblings, including
her famous brother Abdelraheem Abdul Fattah Ibrahim, who encouraged her
career.
When she was 12 years old she joined a baladi
troupe and later found work as a model. She began to gain attention in
the early 1970s when she became the main attraction at the Arizona.
Over the years she danced at many other venues such as Le Meridien, Mena House and the El Gezira Sheraton.
Her performances usually lasted around two hours and she received up to
$10,000 per performance.
In addition to dancing, her routines often
included circus tricks and even rapping. The Moroccan newspaper La Vie Eco
reported in 2004 shortly before her retirement that she possessed 5,000
costumes with the most expensive being valued at $40,000
In her acting career, she is known as the woman-empowering type where,
rarely in Egyptian culture and film, she beats up and overpowers men.
(Source: Wikipedia)
PS: If you want to dance and move with me.. then my online BOOST Membership is for you! Tap www.khalidadance.com/vip for all details and the enrollment form.
The theme of 2024's live BOOST classes is 'Time Traveling with the Stars' - all levels are welcome!
I look forward to welcoming you as a BOOSTie member :)
Stars of the Sixties/Seventies - Soheir Zaki (born 1944)
SOHEIR ZAKI was born in Mansoura in 1944. In 1953, when she was nine years old, she and her family moved
to the Mediterranean city of Alexandria. Souhair Zaki fell in love
with music and dance and showed natural talent, teaching herself to
dance by listening to the radio.
Souhair Zaki was most inspired by
the dances of Tahia Carioca and Samia Gamal. By the age of eleven she
was being noticed at the birthday and wedding parties of friends and
family, and started dancing professionally in the Greek nightclubs in
Alexandria.
She is known for her elegant, natural style
and exquisite musicality, even to this day. The 'Soheir Zaki hips'
movement is named after her.
Music, such as “Shik Shak
Shok”, was specially created for her every 6 months, and it is said
she was the first dancer to perform to the music of Om Khalsoum (see a
video of Soheir performing to 'Leylet Hob' below)
Note: the videos below are no longer available on youtube currently sadly - if you happen to find another version of them, please let me know at info@khalidadance.com
Soheir in 'The River of Life', directed by Hassan Reda, 1965 Soheir dancing to 'Amal Hayati' in 'The foolish', 1966 Soheir dancing to Daret Al Ayam in 'Struggle With Death' , 1970
Soheir performing in Wakr al-ashrar (1972)
Soheir dancing to 'Hassan Ya Kholy El Genena' in the film 'Two women', 1975
Soheir dancing to 'Aghadan Alqak'
Videoclips update (2024)
Soheir dancing in 'Matloub Zawga Fawran', 1964
Part 1:
Part 2 (check 1:41 for the famous 'Soheir Zaki Hips' move!
Soheir dancing in 'Hadith al Madina', 1964
Soheir dancing in 'Nahr al Hayat', 1964 (love her outfit!)
Soheir in 'Ana wa Huwa wa Hiya', 1965
Soheir in 'Muharris Khusushu', 1965
Soheir dancing to 'Rigal fi al Musida', 1971 (gorgeous dress and styling!)
Soheir dancing in 'Allo I'm the cat', 1975 (excellent stageing :))
Soheir dancing to 'Shik Shak Shok', 1979 (a classic!)
Enjoy!
PS: If you want to dance and move with me online.. then my BOOST Membership is for you! Tap www.khalidadance.com/vip for all details and the Enrollment form - The theme of 2024's live BOOST classes is 'Time Traveling with the Stars' - plus you'll get access to my bonus DVDs and online courses.
I look forward to welcoming you as a BOOSTie member :)
Favourites of the Fourties/Fifties - Nagua Fouad (born 1936)
NAGWA FOUAD was born in Cairo, Egypt as Awatif Mohamed Agami to an Egyptian father and a
Palestinian mother.
Nagwa performed at the Abdeen Casino where she met Ahmad Fouad Hassan
(her future husband for 6 years), a producer of stage
shows that later became a famous conductor.
He convinced her to perform
live at the most prestigious music and dance show in the 1960s called
“Adwa al-Madeena i.e. City Lights” which had featured such superstars as
Shadia, Abdul Haleem Haafez, Fayza Ahmad, and Sabaah.
In 1976, the famous composer Mohammed Abdel Wahab wrote an entire
musical piece exclusively for her belly dancing show titled “Aamar
Arba'tashar i.e. Full moon” it was her transition from traditional
oriental dance to a choreographed stage performances.
Her stage
performance to this special piece allowed her to change the way
belly-dancing was presented on stage, transforming it from traditional
oriental dance to more of a choreographed lavish spectacle adding more
dramatic elements to it than ever before.
Nagwa featured on many of the covers of the Ahmed Fouad Hassan
LP's/CD's.
(Sources: Wikipedia, Elcinema.com)
Nagwa dancing to 'Moghram Sababa' by Mohamed Roshdy
Nagua Fouad (date unknown)
Nagwa in Cairo, 1964
Nagua's Amar 14 (composed by Mohamed Abdel Wahab)
Note: The videos below are sadly no longer available on youtube. If you happen to find another version of the clips with these titles, please let me know! I will re-add them to the blog in that case.
Nagwa performing in the movie 'Touha', directed by Hassan El-Seify, 1957
From the movie The Police Inspector 'Mufattish el mabahess', 1960
From Sab'el leil, directed by Hassan El-Seify, 1970
From 'Khamsa share' al-habaib', directed by El Sayed Bedeir, 1971
From 'No, You who Were my Beloved', by Helmy Rafl, 1976
Nagua dancing to 'Set El Hosen' - part 2
Enjoy!
PS: If you want to dance and move with me online.. then my BOOST Membership is for you! Tap www.khalidadance.com/vip for all details and the Enrollment form - The theme of 2024's live BOOST classes is 'Time Traveling with the Stars' - plus you'll get access to my bonus DVDs and online courses.
I look forward to welcoming you as a BOOSTie member :)
Favourites of the Fourties/Fifties - Mahmoud Reda & Farida Fahmy (Founders of the Reda Troupe) MAHMOUD REDA, born in 1930, is a pioneer of dance theater in Egypt. He is best known for co-founding the Reda Troupe.
He
was the eighth of ten children and his father was the head librarian at
Cairo University. His older brother Ali was a dancer and through his
influence (and that of Gene Kelly and Fred Astaire films) Mahmoud became interested in dance.
Mahmoud Reda originally trained as a gymnast, representing Egypt in the 1952 Summer Olympics
in Helsinki. He attended Cairo University where he received a degree in
Political Economics.
However, his main interest was
dance and he joined
an Argentinian dance troupe after graduating and toured Europe. While
on tour in Paris he resolved to start his own dance troupe back
in Egypt, but due to lack of funds he had to work as an accountant for
Royal Dutch Shell.
He joined the Heliolido Club in
Cairo where he met Anglo-Egyptian baladi dancer Farida Fahmy who became
his dancing partner. After the two performed in the Soviet Union in 1957
they decided to start a folk dancing troupe in Egypt with Ali Reda.
(source: Wikipedia)
As a soloist, choreographer and director, Mahmoud
Reda made four world tours to 58 countries with his troupe. He performed
on the world's most prestigious stages such as Carnegie Hall (New York,
USA), Royal Albert Hall (London, UK), Congress Hall (Berlin, Germany),
Stanislavsky & Gorky Theaters (Moscow, USSR), Olympia (Paris,
France) and the United Nations (New York & Geneva). The Reda Troupe
has performed for many world leaders and Heads of states.
Mahmoud
Reda draws from techniques of jazz, ballet, Hindu dance and folkloric
dance from the USSR. His work has shaped and influenced what is known
today as Oriental Dance (Raks Sharki). Many former troupe members
include master teachers Raqia Hassan, Momo Kadous, Mo Geddawi and Yousry
Sharif
Videos:
Farida Fahmi and Mahmoud Reda movie sequence:
Farida and Mahmoud:
Muhawashat - to Agaban Lel Gazal:
Reda Troupe - Egyptian folklore (Halawet Samsnenah)
Mahmoud Reda and Farida Fahmy - Workshop in Hungary, 2009:
Enjoy!
PS: If you want to dance and move with me online.. then my BOOST Membership is for you! Tap www.khalidadance.com/vip for all details and the Enrollment form - The theme of 2024's live BOOST classes is 'Time Traveling with the Stars' - plus you'll get access to my bonus DVDs and online courses.
I look forward to welcoming you as a BOOSTie member :)
