Good, Better, Best: A Review of Three
5-Star Dance Venues in Egypt
by
Cheri Berens
|
COPYRIGHT 2003
People are always asking me where I go to see good dancing when I’m in Cairo. First, although I enjoy a good dancer no matter
what her nationality, if you are in Egypt, see an Egyptian dancer. This may sound like an odd statement, but you’d be surprised at
how many foreigners are dancing in Cairo, so always ask. Second, always chose a 5-star venue. Quality can drop drastically with
the loss of just one star. You really do get what you pay for. With dancing, the difference between 4-star and 5-star usually means
sleaze.
Most first time tourists end up on an evening Nile cruise with a dinner show. The 5-star cruise experience is quite pleasant—
dinner and entertainment while cruising the Nile. But, if you are hoping to see good dancing, you will be disappointed. Recently I
reviewed a new boat that supposedly had a great show and dancer. The first act was a three member band with synthesizers.
They played elevator music and did not stimulate any emotion. Two tabla players were added for the dancer, which sparked a bit
of excitement, but the dancer was lackluster and did not have much movement variation, so this performance was also rather dull.
The band played a medley of songs and when they included a kaleegi, the dancer did not seem to know how to dance to it. She
didn’t alter her movements at all. She only had one costume change and both costumes were bland two-piece costumes with little
personality or flare. As always, I was disappointed with the dancing on a Nile cruise dinner boat and I encourage anyone visiting
Egypt that wants to see good dancing, to venture beyond it.
A better choice would be a show at a 5-star hotel. Most are geared for tourists, so make sure to go to the late show. Recently I
heard there was a new dancer at the Semiramis Hotel, so I went to check her out. Again, the first act was a boring synthesized
band with two mediocre singers. The real show started at 1:45 a.m. when an orchestra and a talented pop singer came out. The
dancer came out several songs later to one of his hot pop songs. She wore a glamorous, sophisticated 2-piece costume and her
dance was powerful. At first I thought she used too may fast movements, but I came to appreciate her dancing style because of
her skill at hitting the musical highlights. Her dance was polished and well rehearsed and she connected well with the audience
without actually getting involved with them. She did not use any western movements. Her dance was centralized in the hips and
she used a diverse group of accents and steps. She did three costume and musical changes, and although most of the music and
her dancing was modern oriental, she did a brief kaleegi as part of one dance. She also danced a nice cane dance, complete with
appropriate costuming.
Although you can consider hotels a safe bet, you will have a better opportunity to see real Egyptian entertainment at a 5-star
nightclub. One of my favorite nightclubs is The Parisianna. It is owned by the famous entertainer, Lucie. The first act included a
full orchestra with what I call “Ladies of the Evening” dancers. In the three and four star nightclubs, these dancers are quite
sleazy and are sometimes prostitutes, but Lucie’s “Ladies” were tasteful and they could actually dance (very rare). They included
a very entertaining kaleegi. (The “Ladies” are there to encourage the men to dance, drink, spend money, and stay for the late
show--Lucie).
The second act was one of the best nightclub singers I’ve ever heard. The audience was mostly Egyptian, but included many
people from other middle eastern countries. The singer went around and found out the different nationalities of the audience
members and then sang popular songs from each country. This really got the audience going and prepped to have a great time
with Lucie, who came out at 3:00 a.m.
Lucie includes singing and joking between dance performances and totally involves herself with her audience, but never in a
sleazy way. Every time I’ve been to her nightclub there is always at least one famous entertainer in the audience. She always
invites the person up to sing, play an instrument, or dance. One time it was Hossam Ramzy who got up and played an incredible
drum solo.
This particular night Lucie opened her act wearing a costume that looked like it came out of the old “I Dream of Jeannie” sitcom
series. Although her opening number was slightly westernized, both in costuming and movements, by daybreak, her
performances proved to be totally Egyptian. She did three costume changes that included a classic one-piece and a beledi dress.
She danced saiidi and beledi and climaxed the show by adding a performance by an upper Egyptian man playing a regional drum.
He then danced a saiidi stick dance with Lucie. The audience was extremely moved and emotions were high. Lucie’s dancing
may not always be the best compared to some of the hot, new dancers, but as far as the 5-star venue goes, Lucie’s nightclub is
totally professional and one of the best.