Traveling to Cairo Egypt. Advice for Belly Dancers
Last Updated on February 1, 2024
The Home of Belly Dance (Raqs Sharqi)
If you love Egyptian-style belly dance, Cairo is the place to visit, not only to receive training directly from great dancers and shop for lovely costumes and accessories but also to get a feel for the culture of the place where this dance genre originates from.
From my experience, once you have traveled to Egypt at least once, you will get a deeper understanding of the music and the concept of this dance that goes beyond pure physical training.
In Egypt, dancers can get training in different types of dance from Raqs sharqi (classical oriental), to Raqs baladi (traditional Egyptian improvised style), folkloric such as Saidi, and the modern social dance style called shaabi.
Accommodation in Cairo
If you are going to Cairo to get dance training, the best option, especially if you have not been before, is to go with tours organized by companies that specialize in dance trips.
One of such companies that I have traveled with is Farida Adventures, run by Kay Taylor and based in Newcastle upon Tyne, UK.
Kay has been leading trips to Egypt for dancers for many years and she has very good knowledge of the place and great contacts for dancers to receive training and to go shopping.
If you go to Cairo with Kay, she will arrange a hotel stay for her group so you will not need to worry about finding accommodation yourself.
Yasmina’s B&B
If you prefer to travel independently, a very good option is Yasmina’s Dancers’ B&B. Yasmina is a dancer originally from the UK, but who has lived in Cairo for a long time (I think about 20 years at the time of writing).
I have been there myself and I highly recommend it. The B&B is located in Giza, near the Pyramids (which are visible from the B&B’s terrace where guests can sit and have breakfast).
In addition to providing comfortable accommodation and lovely food (the cost includes breakfast and one cooked meal a day, which is delicious home-made Egyptian cuisine), Yasmina can arrange for you everything a dancer may wish, such as:
- Professional photography in belly dance gear – Yasmina was a professional fashion photographer in the UK, before moving to Cairo so she can take great-looking photographs and you can also ask for a make-up artist to do the makeup for you.
- Dance training – Yasmina has been performing and teaching professionally for years, so she can give private lessons in her mirrored dance studio in the B&B. In addition, she knows many famous dancers in Cairo and she can arrange a class for her guests with any of them.
- Excursions to tourist attractions and shopping trips – Yasmina can arrange this with one of the trustworthy Egyptian guides that she knows and she has been dealing with for years.
I spent 10 days in Yasmina’s B&B when I was in Cairo and I had a great time.
The prices are good value for money, the B&B is spacious and clean, the company great (I also had the chance to meet other dancers who traveled alone to Cairo and stayed at Yasmina’s, so it is good for socializing and networking).
I also really enjoyed the late evening chats, the food was lovely and it is great to know that there is someone who knows the place well who can give you so much information.
Yasmina had three cats when I was there, which was great for me as I love cats (they are very friendly as they are used to new people coming and going all the time) but it may be a concern if you are allergic maybe.
As for the location, the B&B is in a good area and, although it is far from the center, it is near to where many dancers live and very close to the Pyramids.
Also, being far from the center, it is also miles away from where the troubles and demonstrations have been happening occasionally since the 2011 revolution. For more information on prices, availability, services, and for contact details check Yasmina’s website.
Dance Training in Egypt
In Cairo, you can receive dance training from many reputable Egyptian dancers, as well as from non-Egyptian dancers who have, however, lived and performed there professionally for a while.
I would say that Cairo is the best place for this and other Egyptian destinations do not offer the same choice and level of teaching.
In Cairo, you can arrange training from teachers such as Randa Kamel, Dandesha, Hassaan (specialized in folklore), Mohamed Kazafy (great teacher, who started his dancing career in the Reda troupe) and many more.
In terms of non-Egyptian teachers who know the culture and the dance extremely well, two I recommend are Sara Farouk and Lorna Gow (pictured below).
Egyptian Food
What I like about Egyptian food is its simplicity and the fact that they use a lot of pulses and fresh vegetables, which are very tasty in Egypt.
If you go to any restaurant portions are quite big as Egyptians love eating nice portions and everywhere I ate the food was very tasty and good value for money.
One restaurant in particular I remember is Abu Basem, near Khan el-Khalili market. We went there before starting shopping and they serve lovely grilled chicken with many vegetable side dishes and Egyptian pita bread.
Very simple dishes but tasty and nice because of their simplicity, which lets the freshness of the ingredients come across at its best.
Another thing I recommend travelers to try are tamiya, Egyptian falafel, made with broad beans rather than chickpeas. They are a popular street foods, served in pita bread and they are very cheap but taste great and are quite filling.
Attractions off the Beaten Track
Citadel
In Cairo there are many famous tourist attractions, which I do not mention here as they are extremely popular; you can easily find information on the pyramids or on the Citadel.
However, if you are a dancer or are enthusiastic about Egyptian music, there are a couple of attractions off the beaten track that could interest you.
Museums and Opera House
One is the Um Kalthoum Museum. As many belly dancers know, Um Kalthoum was a legendary Egyptian singer still very loved in Egypt and to whom the government has dedicated a museum, visited by many school trips but not so well known by foreign tourists.
In the museum, you can see photographs, videos of Um Kalthoum and some of her personal possessions.
The second off-the-beaten-track attraction for Egyptian music lovers is the new Cairo Opera House. This was inaugurated in 1988, it has two opera halls and an open-air theatre and it is where ballet and opera are performed. It is possible to go on a guided tour of the premises.
If you go to Cairo for the first time and you are not familiar with the city an the culture, some of these attractions can be hard to find.
Hence, it would be better to go with a specialized group that can introduce you to some hidden jewels. This is what I did myself, as I went with Kay Taylor’s group.
Shopping
In terms of shopping for belly dance items, Cairo is a paradise and it has something for every taste and purse.
Khan el-Khalili
In Khan el-Khalili you can find many shops selling costumes in every price range, which go from the cheapest but lower quality to better quality mid-range (the equivalent of about an average of GBP 200 per costume).
One of such upper-mid range quality is Yasser, which has a big choice of costumes and designs.
Al Wikalah
Another shop famous amongst belly dancers is Al Wikalah, 3 floors of belly dance paraphernalia, where you can find anything you desire located at 73, Gawhar Al-Qayid St, Khan el-Khalili.
In Khan el-Khalili, a good place to buy CDs and DVDs is a small shop near the El Fishawy, the oldest café in Cairo.
I do not remember the name of the shop, but if you go near El Fishawy you should find it easily.
Markets
If you have money to spend, you can also buy designer costumes.
The price range for these is the equivalent, at the time of writing, of about GBP 300 to 500 and you need to go to the designers’ shops, which are not in the market but are located around the city (someone such as Yasmina or Kay Taylor know where they are and can advise).
Some of the most well-known costume designers in Cairo are Hanan, Raqia Hassan (who is also a famous choreographer), and Eman Zaki (as Eman used to be a professional dancer herself, her costumes are designed with the dancer’s body in mind, hence they are extremely comfortable to dance in.
They are also beautiful and of very good quality; worth paying for if you can afford them).
Seeing Live Dance Performances
The places which are most visited to see Raqs sharqi performances are boats along the river Nile.
On a boat cruise, you can have dinner while watching a dance performance to live music and singing.
The performance usually includes a solo dance performance and a tannoura number (a performance inspired by Sufi dancing, usually done by a man who spins around with a colourful skirt).
There are various classes of boats, from the cheapest to the deluxe ones, such as the Nile Maxim where Randa Kamel usually performs.
These performances are for tourists mainly, but if you go the first time with someone who knows where to take you, you can watch very good dancers, such as Luna of Cairo, Lorna Gow or Randa Kamel.
Another place I went to, which is mainly for locals, is the Felfela Village in Giza.
On Fridays, people go and eat there and there is a big stage in the middle where musicians play and customers can stand up and dance socially, in between performances.
Performances are usually grouped folkloric dances, rather than Raqs sharqi solos and the main attraction is Hassan (a multitalented singer, dancer, actor, and choreographer) with his troupe.
Travel Advice for Cairo
For the latest travel advice regards Egypt, you can use your local government travel advice such as:
- UK travelers advice.
- USA travellers
I have visited Egypt a few times and love the country, its people, the culture, foods, and the dance.
If you are considering going, you can talk to those who know the country well such as Yasmina or Kay Taylor, who goes to Cairo several times a year. Kay is happy for people to contact her directly on faridaadventures(AT)me.com
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Dr Valeria Lo Iacono is a belly dancer and a dance researcher with a PhD in dance and heritage. Valeria also teaches and performs as a belly dance but also enjoys learning ballet, jazz dance and other dance genres.
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Great comprehensive advice about travelling to Egypt and Cairo in particular. I would say check with the people who travel there regularly like Kay Taylor of Farida Dance and GO if you can, its a wonderful place and you will inform your dance hugely.