Raqia
Hassan was born in Cairo in a family without dance background. She was consciuos
of an innate interest towards Oriental dance at the early age of 4. Pursuing
that gut feeling, she happened to meet the most important Egytian folkloric
male dancer, Mahmoud Reda, when she was only a teenager, who rapidly raised her
to stardom, promoting her as a soloist artist in the worldewide famous Egyptian
Folkloric Dance Company that he managed, the
Reda Troupe of Cairo.
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| Raqia's collection of multi-volume Instructional DVDs |
She
remained over 15 years performing with the Troupe in countless stages both in
Egypt and abroad. Soon after, she took over as trainer of the new members
entering the Reda Troupe. Despite she
acknowledges her pride to having been a member of the successful folkloric
Reda's company, she even admitted that her real passion was not folklore but
Oriental itself.
During the
80's she started to teach and coach Oriental style as a result of a high demand
from Egyptian women, some of them would later become famous Sharqi dancers who
made their own careers. Raqia Hassan is thus responsible for many big-names in
Bellydance world.
She has always been in demand inside and outside Egypt and has been travelling to most
parts of the world spreading out her exclusive style over 30 years. She
produced a highly-demanded series of video-tutorials on Oriental technique as
well, and even embarked on Bellydance costume designing.
Raqia
Hassan has launched dozens of foreign dancers through the competition of her
festival, the Ahlan Wa Sahlan. The Ukrainian Dariya Mitshkevich is undoubtedly
the best example, as her place as a bellydancer took a decisive shift when she
won the AWS' contest back in 2010.
The Ahlan
Wa Sahlan is the first and most renowned Bellydance Festival on Earth. Held in
Cairo every July since 1999, the AWS has become the most significant and
biggest Bellydance event worldwide, gathering both amateurs, professionals and
Bellydance lovers from all over the world in 10 days of "all about
Bellydance".
Raqia Hassan
has reached the status of an icon in Oriental dance. She conceived a new
personal style that has influenced Oriental technique and, therefore, a large
amount of Sharqi dancers of these days as she will certainly keep doing in the
next decades.
- Question: Madame Raqia,
I am talking to one of the most renowned contemporary Raqs Sharqi artist and
master teacher. My first question is how do you feel about your career when you
look back and see how much you have achieved? Did you ever expect you will
reach that far?
Raqia: Thank you
for your beautiful words my dear Natalia and I feel great about everything I
have achieved so far there are a lot of experience and good memories in my
career, as I never thought I would ever be in such a position worldwide.
- Q: Still
regarding your early years, there's no data about the precise moment and reason
when you decided to take in Oriental dance can you tell us how and when that
moment was like?
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Raqia with
Mahmoud Reda, the folkloric dance megastar most
beloved in Egypt.
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R: I started
at Reda Troup as a folklore dancer, but to be honest I loved teaching more than
dancing, to design my own chorography and teach it to other was more inspiring
to me, as I taught many great dancers back then.
- Q: For
about 15 year’s time, you were in the most highly regarded Egyptian Dance
group, the 'Reda Troup' of Mahmoud Reda, turning out to be an essential part of
the artistic staff.
You shared stage with another golden era Egyptian belly
dancers and performed under the direction of the first one Raqs Sharqi name,
Mahmoud Reda. I guess that must bring back many good memories. How do you
remember that time?Any secret you could tell us from that period?
- Q: You're
the greatest example of Egyptian Raqs Sharqi from the last decades. It was when
Belly dancing still was an elitist art, rather unknown in western countries and
hadn't reached yet the worldwide scoop that it would do later on. Since the
explosion of Belly dance at a global scale starting in the 90's, the Egyptian
dance rapidly widespread all over, creating an increasingly wave of interest,
that keeps on rising to this day. How do you watch such a big movement?
R: It was at first when I went to teach dancing
in America in 1995 and it was totally a new style in dancing, and at the same
time there was oriental dance at America and it was widely spread around the
globe while the Egyptian style were only taught and known among Egyptians only,
they even had a festival at San Francesco since 1976 and there were a lot of
dancers. From there I got the idea of making a Raqs Sharqi Festival in Egypt
because it’s considered to be Egyptian dancing, as Oriental dance started to
spread more widely after Ahlan WA Sahlan and many festivals started to appear
which made me happy because dancing is healthy for us.
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Some of
Raqia's latest participations (Us, China and Canada). Next January,
she'll be in Spain at Ayni Ya Ayni Festival, hosted by Rosadela in Valencia.
|
- Q: According to several sources, you received many offers to teach Egyptian
technique overseas during the 80's, which you would have presumably been
turning down until long after. Why did you take that decision and when you
settle on to travel abroad to the international Festivals providing belly dance community with your knowledge?
R: On the
contrary, I never refused travelling abroad to teach dancing, it’s a pure
Egyptian dancing technique that is supposed to be taught everywhere. And my
first time to travel abroad was at 1995 to America and Germany; I really never
had the opportunity to travel at the 80’s.
- Q: You
haven't been on stage since long time ago, and have devoted much of your life
to tutoring and coaching. May I ask you why you took this choice at that time?
R: Being on stage was with Mahmoud Reda and I was the Master of many great dancers
back then but I left Reda Troup at the age of 27 and started teaching and
giving private lessons because I was passionate about being a Master more than
performing on stage.
- Q: You
organize the first international Belly dance Festival since 1999, the one and
genuine Ahlan WA Sahlan. Since then, many other similar festivals have arisen
in both Egypt and almost every single coin in the world. Apart from being the
oldest and most prestigious Belly dance event, what do you think the Ahlan WA
Sahlan makes the difference from the other ones?
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| Some moments at Ahlan Wa Sahlan Festival from last years. |
R: Yes, Ahlan WA Sahlan festival
was at 1999and it was special because all the Participants were Egyptian
Professional dancers and that was a leap at oriental dance field, since then
Oriental dance festivals started to spread everywhere which brought joy to me
knowing that such art started to be well known everywhere. But what annoyed me
is that most of the festivals are being held at the same week which doesn’t
leave a chance to other festivals to be successful enough.
- Q: You
gather many famous belly dancers in AWS Festival both to perform in AWS' Galas
and to teach in the workshops, some of them seem to be a must, as they return
every year. Which criteria do you follow to choose the AWS performing and
teaching staff?
R: Indeed, I bring Celebrities like Dina and Lucy to share their
experience with students from all over the world; they are with me every year.
Even we have foreign teachers that have new techniques to teach for their
students.
- Q: Egypt is
the cradle of Belly dance and Egyptian technique is, indeed, the most acclaimed
and replicated style by foreign belly dancers. Egyptian is the first but not
the only one, though. Since the outbreak of Belly dance being exported from
Egypt and other Arab countries, European and American dancers made their own
input in the original dance, creating new waves that would finally give birth
to new Belly dance styles, some of them are quite far from original Egyptian.
Nevertheless, many of those dancers have been valued and even awarded in Ahlan
WA Sahlan competitions, what denotes that you approve and esteem them. Do you
regard any king of evolutionary Bellydance?
R: It’s true that Egypt is the cradle
of Oriental dancing and it’s supposed to be named Egyptian dancing instead of
Oriental, and on the contrary American belly dancers are quiet talented and
smart as they follow the Egyptian style the whole time. The only country that
say they have their own style is Argentina and I don’t believe in that style as
they turned belly dancing into something else that is far away from Oriental dancing,
it’s like destroying Tango Dance in the name of Evolution.
- Q: Your
name is behind every successful Egyptian style belly dancer. That means you are
responsible for many famous Egyptian bellydancers' training, such as Dina Talaat, Randa Kamel,
Mona El Said, Soraya Zaied, etc. As students, did they work like the other
countless students you have been meeting? Or maybe you perceived in them a
special talent at the first sight?
R: I taught many celebrities and what I gave
them is the same for all dancers I treated them all equally, I was never stingy
with any one and I invest a lot of power and time with everyone to teach at the
highest standards in Egypt and Abroad.
- Q: Still
on this subject, almost every belly dancer mentions you as a part of their
training record, with the aim of adding value on their names. How do you feel
about being alluded to thousands of times?
R: Indeed, it brings joy and it honuors
me.
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| Raqia poses with her discipule, the Egyptian dancer Mona El Said. |
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| Dina, who's become a celebrity in Egypt, was trained by Raqia. |
- Q: Your choreographies are a trade brand and could be recognized straight away if they were danced by somebody else. We would like to know something about the creation process of your famous choreographies.
R: When I start to create a choreography I
start with music that I love, I have to feel the music though my soul because
dancing is all about feelings that stems from heart, and not all music are
valid for dancing as I mentioned earlier you have to love the music to never
lose your imagination and inspiration.
- Q: Back on
your early days, how was that time when you made your first own choreos?
R: It all
started with the great Azaa Shieref, she asked me to teach her and I told her
that I’m no trainer but she insisted on me to train and teach her how to dance.
She told me back then that I’m going to be the greatest oriental dance master
in the whole world, my first choreography with her is the one that made the
name of Raqia Hassan.
- Q: Your
main advice to anybody facing the very first moment of creating choreography?
R: My advice for beginners is to take care of the technique they are going to use,
then start with the music and feel it because music is different and has
different emotions.
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| Printed photo from a Raqia workshop in Germany back in 1995. |
- Q: This
interview comes from Spain, where exists rather a new fondness of Bellydance,
although it's becoming stronger these last years. Do you closely follow the evolution of Belly dance in Spain? Is there any Spanish belly dancer do you
particularly like?
R: Spain has advanced dance techniques like us, as they have
high emotions and feelings while dancing. And there is a great dancer in Madrid
Called Gloria Alba she is excellent in her training and she has a beautiful
background about Folklore and oriental dance and I consider her to be the best
Trainer in Spain.
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| Fans capturing in a picture their moments shared with Raqia. |
- Q: Arab
countries are going through though political problems. In certain circles of
'belly dance lovers', there's a double standard about this issue, which
probably does Arab community a disservice. Don't you think belly dance
community should stand united against those trying to damage Arab world by
means of politics? Should belly dance community speak out and stand up for Arab
cause?
R: Let us keep talking about dancing and how to protect and save it from those who want to distort it and have no idea about dance. As for politics it has no relation with us.
R: Let us keep talking about dancing and how to protect and save it from those who want to distort it and have no idea about dance. As for politics it has no relation with us.
- Q: You are already in the Oriental Dance history records for your major
contribution on the Belly dance course. But, how would you most like to be
remembered as, in many years' time? As the best Egyptian dancer, as the most
sought-after mentor of Oriental dancers, as the architect of a belly dance
style on its own, or perhaps as something else?
R: At first I would like to
declare that I’m not a dancer but a master, actually the best master in the
world. And I would like to publish a book one day about oriental dance but only
when I feel that I know everything about dancing in details, as human live in a
continuous learning process.
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Raqia Hassan kindly responded to all questions and showed willingness to collaborate. Now, she must be preparing last-minute details of the Ahlan Wa Sahlan Winter
Course, which is coming up next December and getting everything ready in the
run-up to the AWS Festival in July. Meanwhile, someone from a remote part from
who knows where, will be booking a flight to Cairo pursuing her dream to join
Ahlan Wa Sahlan, or just setting schedules to be able to set off to Cairo those
days.
From Cairo, where these Raqia's words were written from. Cairo, the most
vigorous city in the Middle East, the never-end city, that never sleeps at
nights. In Cairo where there will surely be bellydancer performing at this very
moment, in a hotel, restaurant, fagela, it doesn't really matter, as Cairo
never sleeps.
She sent her words from
Cairo to Spain, at any of those lost hours in the capital of Egypt, at any of
those passionate and rowdy hours in Cairo. And with love, with love and much
more care. Another reason that comes to explain why, although she was called
Raqia Hassan as she was born in Cairo, she is known as Madame Raqia everywhere.
" My hope is bigger than my effort...
My effort is bigger than my talent...
My talent is prisoner of my nature...
Despite, I will remain".
Tawfiq Al-Hakim (1898-1987).
Egyptian writer died in Cairo.
Despite, I will remain".
Tawfiq Al-Hakim (1898-1987).
Egyptian writer died in Cairo.
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Writing: Natalia Khouly
Official sources: Raqia Hassan
