From Cairo with love

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.

 

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?

Raqia with Mahmoud Reda, the folkloric dance megastar most 

beloved in Egypt.

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? 

R: First of all Mahmoud Reda was a folklore teacher the greatest of all time, and I have benefited a lot from Mahmoud Reda Chorography, and I took every great thing I could take from him that helped me in my career. 

- 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.

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? 

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.

Raqia poses with her discipule, the Egyptian dancer Mona El Said.

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.

  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.

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.

- 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.  

                ---------------------------------------------------------

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.                                                    

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Writing: Natalia Khouly

Official sources: Raqia Hassan