A Journey Along the Nile

by Funmi Adewole

El Bahr-‘The River’ took place on the 8th November 2003 at the Steiner House Theatre in London. The show featured Raqs Sharqi Society students, graduates and associates. One would expect of a showcase an evening of variable quality geared to students’ friends and family. However, the focus and enjoyment of the dancers and their sensitivity to the music belied the nature of the event and made for an enjoyable and satisfying experience for the general dance enthusiast.

Elements of dance theatre such as dusky lighting and simple set pieces such as cushions and screens effectively brought to life the theme of ‘The River’. These were enough to transport us to dwellings and locales along the Nile, to clearings in the village, to the market place, to the modern apartment in Cairo. Through solos, duets, trios and some larger group dances we were presented with glimpses of rural and urban life and the connections and influences flowing between them - from the Nubian Desert to Upper Egypt and on to the cities of the delta. Men, possibly herdsmen, danced with sticks, then watched the women from a distance. Women entertained each other as they went about their chores or relaxed with tea in their apartments. Occasionally the full cast would walk across the stage, unaware of spectators as if returning from prayers.

The two-part programme focused on the rural, urban and classical forms of Egyptian dance. True to the Society’s aims to promote legitimate interpretations and authentic practice of the Raqs Sharqi forms, the glitzy, cabaret style with its busy, undulating arms and emphatic pelvis was nowhere to be seen.  As ballet captivates us through its virtuosity, leaps and extensions, one could say that the power of Raqs Sharqi lies in its nuances, its numerous and sometimes slight variations of fundamental gestures and combinations of movements. The more experienced performers had absorbed the technique and attitude of the dance into their own physicality and were able to perform the Raqs Sharqi forms comfortably and be themselves within the dance.  Finding and expressing one’s own emotional connection and relationship to the cultural specifics of a dance plays an important part in performing it comfortably if one is from outside the originating culture. Some of the less experienced performers were yet to attain this and seemed to be ‘acting’ Egyptian and exotic. Such moments, however, were brief, and the overall atmosphere of serenity drew the spectator in and proved that subtlety can be a powerful mode of expression.

The opening solo evoked the breathy, turning winds and colours of the Nubian desert. Sometimes in silhouette, sometimes in half-light, this dance was replete with small shifts of weight, producing waves of both fluid and staccato energy, while use of the floor added a contemporary quality. In many of the pieces the dancers traversed the stage in simple trajectories sustaining a repetitive flow that bordered on the hypnotic.  At moments like this it was easy to appreciate the holistic nature of the technique as echoes of movements seemed to emanate out from the core of the body right to the fingertips, unaided by extraneous force.

The footwork of the folk form showed a similarity between Raqs Sharqi and West African forms of dance, for instance the movement combination in which pressure and release of the foot produces a swaying hip motion is similar to some Nigerian dances. In West Africa, though, the knees are often more bent and the body inclined forward – a difference that automatically changes the direction in which the hips sway.  However, as in Raqs Sharqi this movement is also performed to visualise the percussion in traditional music. Possibly, through trading and migration along the Nile, movements were exchanged and shared by different peoples across tropical Africa.

The choreographies on the whole allowed space for individual interpretation. The Baladi duets included a delightful balance between individual interpretation and synchronization. This relationship between individuality and community enabled us to experience the many faces of this womanly dance: at once stately, delicate, robust, regal, whimsical, earthy, aloof and accessible. The calls and clapping from the audience during some of the pieces, especially the solos, also brought a sense of play, participation and community to the evening.  The closing modern classical solo celebrated the expressiveness of Raqs Sharqi as an art form. The co-ordination of eye and hand movements was exquisite and the level of connectivity in the dancer’s torso enabled her to interpret the music in precise and unexpected ways.

As a newcomer to the Raqs Sharqi Society I was impressed by the dedication of the organisers and the participants. The Showcase was created as an opportunity for dancers to extend their performance experience and have a record of their work for future development. However, it also succeeded as a show in its own right. Having seen Raqs Sharqi and the show for the first time I feel that the Society has indeed created a viable dance community far away from Egypt where one can enjoy this beautiful dance form.
This review first appeared in the January-April 2004 issue of ‘Events’, the Society’s former newsletter.

‘Funmi Adewole is a theatre performer and researches and writes on the performance of African dance within a theatrical context. At the time of writing she also worked part-time at Dance UK as development manager for ADAD (Association of Dance of the African Diaspora).

This review first appeared in the January-April 2004 issue of ‘Events’, the Society’s former newsletter.