Leila was one of the most popular working dancers in Cairo for 13 years. While in Egypt she performed for parties, dignitaries, and weddings in Egypt and throughout Europe and the Arabian Gulf. She also danced continuously for Nile cruises, in the best hotels and concerts on television. Leila is also a well-known actress and model and is a recognizable personality throughout the Middle East being involved in hundreds of TV show, music videos, commercials and films.
Leila teaches her exquisite dance style in workshops around the world. She draws on years of knowledge of the culture behind the dance as well as thousands of hours on stage in Egypt. Leila has produced some of the best-loved dance CDs today (the only dancer to utilize a "live sound" in her productions). Her DVDs are the top selling belly dance DVDs on Amazon, as well as being thoughtful and sound Egyptian dance instruction. Leila was the founder of Camp Negum, a yearly live music dance festival in Egypt that focused on exposing dancers to the culture behind the dance. Her writings about dance and culture are utilized by scholars and dancers around the world.
Leila teaches her exquisite dance style in workshops around the world. She draws on years of knowledge of the culture behind the dance as well as thousands of hours on stage in Egypt. Leila has produced some of the best-loved dance CDs today (the only dancer to utilize a "live sound" in her productions). Her DVDs are the top selling belly dance DVDs on Amazon, as well as being thoughtful and sound Egyptian dance instruction. Leila was the founder of Camp Negum, a yearly live music dance festival in Egypt that focused on exposing dancers to the culture behind the dance. Her writings about dance and culture are utilized by scholars and dancers around the world.
Performance History in Cairo:
Shereton Cairo: late 2002-2004
Nile Pharon: 2003-2009
2004 Ban on Foreign Dancers
Merryland: 2005-2007
Semeramese: 2005-2007
Pyramisa: 2006-2008
Nile Maxim: 2006-2014
Shaoon Adaweya (Military Clubs): 2005-2011
Fairmont il Nil: 2014-2015
Qwat Ii Gaweya (Air Force House): 2007-2015
As well as contacts with the above hotels, Leila performed for thousands of weddings all over Egypt. She was one of the best known and most requested wedding dancers during her years in the Middle East.
Shereton Cairo: late 2002-2004
Nile Pharon: 2003-2009
2004 Ban on Foreign Dancers
Merryland: 2005-2007
Semeramese: 2005-2007
Pyramisa: 2006-2008
Nile Maxim: 2006-2014
Shaoon Adaweya (Military Clubs): 2005-2011
Fairmont il Nil: 2014-2015
Qwat Ii Gaweya (Air Force House): 2007-2015
As well as contacts with the above hotels, Leila performed for thousands of weddings all over Egypt. She was one of the best known and most requested wedding dancers during her years in the Middle East.
"Egypt: A Tale of Two Weddings" by Leila Farid
Egypt is full of contrast: from the peaceful, glide of a sunset falucca ride to the swerving, honking Cairo taxi or the majesty and permanence of the pyramids to the new concrete neighborhoods surrounding them that feel as if they won’t last a generation, let alone thousands. Weddings in Egypt are no exception and occasionally as a dancer you have a night that the contrast between weddings is so extreme you have to reflect. I recently had just such a night with two opposite wedding extremes.
My evening began in Cairo at the latest hot-spot for weddings, the Fairmont Hotel in Heliopolis. From the Hummers and Mercedes lined up outside to the lush indoor garden in the lobby, the hotel is posh. It has become the “in” place for weddings the last few seasons and tonight’s was one of the top weddings of the year. The groom is a “rave style” party planner and the wedding was one, giant party. The 800 invited guests had swelled to around 1,000. The DJ, Yasser, is considered one of the best in the Middle East and was mixing an amazing set of foreign and Arabic tunes. The garden around the pool had been set with cocktail tables and groupings of low sofas. The entrance was a red carpet type feel with elegant flower arrangements and crystal chains creating the effect of stars leading to a stage of plexiglass that spanned the pool giving the illusion of dancing on water. Little tables filled with chocolates and petifore were artfully arranged. It had been a sit-down meal instead of a buffet. The bride and groom sat on an understated couch with a casual feel and an open bar had been serving guests since 5pm. The gowns worn by the guests were mostly imported from France, most of the girls wore mini skirt and spikey heels with very little makeup and styled hair. The men were just as stylish.
I changed in the executive suite, which looks onto the garden and started my show. The groom came up, cocktail in hand, about halfway through my opening music and led me into the crowd. I abandoned the stage and spent the rest of the wedding dancing in and among the guests who danced together in small groups of friends. I recognized a few friends and many people from other weddings. No less than 8 photographers documented everything for the society magazines as well as the video crew unobtrusively filming from cameras on booms. I had danced a lot although little of it was a typical performance. By 11 pm I was on the road to my next wedding in a villa outside of Alexandria.
We knew the wedding was in a village so I had changed from my mini skirt to a pair of jeans. The band was snuggly in their bus and we followed in the car. The villa was located on the farming road a little over half way to Alex from Cairo. As we neared the town the bus slowed down to look for the place. We passed a large hanger (the type where cars are cut up for parts) and judging from the lights, and motorcycles and took-tooks that were parked outside, a wedding was going on. The main doors were open a bit and I could see a sea of people inside. My manager said pensively, “I think this is our wedding.” Saad il Soyier was scheduled before me in the program and here he was onstage inside the hanger. The empressario jumped out of the bus and came over to the car, “Where is the villa?” we asked him. He looked pale and said he had no idea the wedding was so Beledi. Just then the 20 something boys that were milling around in front of the venue noticed our car and started surrounding it. The man who was in charge of the wedding had come out and a big garage door was opened and our car was quickly driven inside. I we got out and went upstairs to a room that overlooked the warehouse, which had been converted into a gigantic tent with strings of lights draped from the rafters and rows of approximately 2,500 chairs. A wooden stage, about 7 feet high, spanned the width of the building and Saads ‘whole orchestra (about 150 musicians and dancers) fit comfortably on it. We stood in the room looking at each other and wondering what to do. The empressario handed us the rest of the money, we had taken a deposit 2 months before, and said “It’s your choice to dance or not.” I had danced at Beledi weddings before with terrible results. One in Nadi Ramaya in Cairo had gotten out of control in the first 5 minutes of the show as people rushed the stage. Another was is Nadi Asment in Assuit where a fight broke out just before I went on stage and our wireless microphones were stolen in the chaos. This wedding was MUCH more Beledi than either of those. Saad had finished and we heard an announcer, who at Beledi weddings is paid to talk up the bride and groom and keep the energy up between acts, announcing me. From the way he was building me up, I must be the best dancer in the world. My heart thumped. Ok, I was going to dance. The room I was to change in was filthy and had a bare bulb hanging from a wire. Three of my duff players were recruited as bodyguards next to my 2 assistants. As the stage was about 100 meters from the dressing room the car was waiting to drive me there, surrounded by the “body guards.” While upstairs I also learned that when Saad al Soyier was leaving, some of the guests had surrounded him to take photos and he ran for his car but tripped and skinned his hands quite badly. I was now a bit afraid but if I tried to leave the results might be worse than performing. In a typical Beledi wedding the dancer does not do a mergence’, she just goes straight into songs. The crowd sat stone faced as I danced the mergence’, albeit with a slightly terrified look on my face. My costumes were also very covered compared to the typical Beldi wedding dancer who sometimes wears an unadorned bra and tiny mini skirt. After the mergence’ we launched straight into Shabby songs and the crowd started to loosen up. The bride and groom sat at one end of the stage surrounded by white satin. I went over to take photos with them and realized there was no photographer just the videographers who were within 3 feet of me for the entire show. The bride and groom sat stiffly on their elaborate sofa, barely smiling and with no intention of dancing with me. I descended from the stage onto a dance floor in the middle of the chairs and the security, normal guys that were hired by the father of the bride to keep the peace, held hands and surrounded me. This was a bit too much for the guests and they began to push closer to take pictures with their phones. Smoke hung over the entire room and the smell of “Bango” or marijuana was intense. I was quickly ushered over to the women’s section (about 10% of all the guests) and danced with the mother and grandmother of the bride. All the women were dressed in black abeyas with their hair covered and quite heavy makeup, gold bracelets covered each arm from wrist to elbow. They were lovely and happy to be up dancing. After the set I was driven back to the dressing room. I asked about the buffet and learned that the guests typically given paper boxes filled with rice or macaroni, chicken and a little piece of cake. From what I could see, this wedding was much more controlled that any other I’d been to. The guests (and I) had warmed up as the show progressed and many were up and dancing in front of their seats by the end of the show. After the show, I was quickly shuffled out of the dressing room and into the car. “Please come back again. You have brought us light,” yelled the ancient doorman that had been sitting outside the door of the dressing room watching the show. I was glad to have danced.
My dresser, when she saw the second wedding, joked, “we have come from the sky and been thrown to the ground.” Although an overstatement, the contrast between the weddings was telling. It reflects the glaring economic disparity that exists in Egypt: a disappearing middle class, leaving masses of the very poor and a handful of the very rich. Even with such extreme social and economic contrast between the classes, there are common threads that bind all people. Weddings are a reason to celebrate, whatever your economic status. They are a reason to cut loose, socialize and watch a live show (which with the exceptions of weddings, most people rarely see). Weddings are a reason to have fun, sometimes with a few thousand friends and neighbors. What could be more fun than a belly dancer? I can’t think of anything.
Egypt is full of contrast: from the peaceful, glide of a sunset falucca ride to the swerving, honking Cairo taxi or the majesty and permanence of the pyramids to the new concrete neighborhoods surrounding them that feel as if they won’t last a generation, let alone thousands. Weddings in Egypt are no exception and occasionally as a dancer you have a night that the contrast between weddings is so extreme you have to reflect. I recently had just such a night with two opposite wedding extremes.
My evening began in Cairo at the latest hot-spot for weddings, the Fairmont Hotel in Heliopolis. From the Hummers and Mercedes lined up outside to the lush indoor garden in the lobby, the hotel is posh. It has become the “in” place for weddings the last few seasons and tonight’s was one of the top weddings of the year. The groom is a “rave style” party planner and the wedding was one, giant party. The 800 invited guests had swelled to around 1,000. The DJ, Yasser, is considered one of the best in the Middle East and was mixing an amazing set of foreign and Arabic tunes. The garden around the pool had been set with cocktail tables and groupings of low sofas. The entrance was a red carpet type feel with elegant flower arrangements and crystal chains creating the effect of stars leading to a stage of plexiglass that spanned the pool giving the illusion of dancing on water. Little tables filled with chocolates and petifore were artfully arranged. It had been a sit-down meal instead of a buffet. The bride and groom sat on an understated couch with a casual feel and an open bar had been serving guests since 5pm. The gowns worn by the guests were mostly imported from France, most of the girls wore mini skirt and spikey heels with very little makeup and styled hair. The men were just as stylish.
I changed in the executive suite, which looks onto the garden and started my show. The groom came up, cocktail in hand, about halfway through my opening music and led me into the crowd. I abandoned the stage and spent the rest of the wedding dancing in and among the guests who danced together in small groups of friends. I recognized a few friends and many people from other weddings. No less than 8 photographers documented everything for the society magazines as well as the video crew unobtrusively filming from cameras on booms. I had danced a lot although little of it was a typical performance. By 11 pm I was on the road to my next wedding in a villa outside of Alexandria.
We knew the wedding was in a village so I had changed from my mini skirt to a pair of jeans. The band was snuggly in their bus and we followed in the car. The villa was located on the farming road a little over half way to Alex from Cairo. As we neared the town the bus slowed down to look for the place. We passed a large hanger (the type where cars are cut up for parts) and judging from the lights, and motorcycles and took-tooks that were parked outside, a wedding was going on. The main doors were open a bit and I could see a sea of people inside. My manager said pensively, “I think this is our wedding.” Saad il Soyier was scheduled before me in the program and here he was onstage inside the hanger. The empressario jumped out of the bus and came over to the car, “Where is the villa?” we asked him. He looked pale and said he had no idea the wedding was so Beledi. Just then the 20 something boys that were milling around in front of the venue noticed our car and started surrounding it. The man who was in charge of the wedding had come out and a big garage door was opened and our car was quickly driven inside. I we got out and went upstairs to a room that overlooked the warehouse, which had been converted into a gigantic tent with strings of lights draped from the rafters and rows of approximately 2,500 chairs. A wooden stage, about 7 feet high, spanned the width of the building and Saads ‘whole orchestra (about 150 musicians and dancers) fit comfortably on it. We stood in the room looking at each other and wondering what to do. The empressario handed us the rest of the money, we had taken a deposit 2 months before, and said “It’s your choice to dance or not.” I had danced at Beledi weddings before with terrible results. One in Nadi Ramaya in Cairo had gotten out of control in the first 5 minutes of the show as people rushed the stage. Another was is Nadi Asment in Assuit where a fight broke out just before I went on stage and our wireless microphones were stolen in the chaos. This wedding was MUCH more Beledi than either of those. Saad had finished and we heard an announcer, who at Beledi weddings is paid to talk up the bride and groom and keep the energy up between acts, announcing me. From the way he was building me up, I must be the best dancer in the world. My heart thumped. Ok, I was going to dance. The room I was to change in was filthy and had a bare bulb hanging from a wire. Three of my duff players were recruited as bodyguards next to my 2 assistants. As the stage was about 100 meters from the dressing room the car was waiting to drive me there, surrounded by the “body guards.” While upstairs I also learned that when Saad al Soyier was leaving, some of the guests had surrounded him to take photos and he ran for his car but tripped and skinned his hands quite badly. I was now a bit afraid but if I tried to leave the results might be worse than performing. In a typical Beledi wedding the dancer does not do a mergence’, she just goes straight into songs. The crowd sat stone faced as I danced the mergence’, albeit with a slightly terrified look on my face. My costumes were also very covered compared to the typical Beldi wedding dancer who sometimes wears an unadorned bra and tiny mini skirt. After the mergence’ we launched straight into Shabby songs and the crowd started to loosen up. The bride and groom sat at one end of the stage surrounded by white satin. I went over to take photos with them and realized there was no photographer just the videographers who were within 3 feet of me for the entire show. The bride and groom sat stiffly on their elaborate sofa, barely smiling and with no intention of dancing with me. I descended from the stage onto a dance floor in the middle of the chairs and the security, normal guys that were hired by the father of the bride to keep the peace, held hands and surrounded me. This was a bit too much for the guests and they began to push closer to take pictures with their phones. Smoke hung over the entire room and the smell of “Bango” or marijuana was intense. I was quickly ushered over to the women’s section (about 10% of all the guests) and danced with the mother and grandmother of the bride. All the women were dressed in black abeyas with their hair covered and quite heavy makeup, gold bracelets covered each arm from wrist to elbow. They were lovely and happy to be up dancing. After the set I was driven back to the dressing room. I asked about the buffet and learned that the guests typically given paper boxes filled with rice or macaroni, chicken and a little piece of cake. From what I could see, this wedding was much more controlled that any other I’d been to. The guests (and I) had warmed up as the show progressed and many were up and dancing in front of their seats by the end of the show. After the show, I was quickly shuffled out of the dressing room and into the car. “Please come back again. You have brought us light,” yelled the ancient doorman that had been sitting outside the door of the dressing room watching the show. I was glad to have danced.
My dresser, when she saw the second wedding, joked, “we have come from the sky and been thrown to the ground.” Although an overstatement, the contrast between the weddings was telling. It reflects the glaring economic disparity that exists in Egypt: a disappearing middle class, leaving masses of the very poor and a handful of the very rich. Even with such extreme social and economic contrast between the classes, there are common threads that bind all people. Weddings are a reason to celebrate, whatever your economic status. They are a reason to cut loose, socialize and watch a live show (which with the exceptions of weddings, most people rarely see). Weddings are a reason to have fun, sometimes with a few thousand friends and neighbors. What could be more fun than a belly dancer? I can’t think of anything.