Worn out (but still dancing) (10.28.07)

Shar Hashamaim Synagogue next door to hostel Saying goodbye to all Zizo's merchandise
Soraya
Sylvana & Moustapha at Soraya show
Soraya in action

I guess I am getting the hang of this Cairo time thing, since I didn't get up until 11 am for my free breakfast at the hostel. I had class with Mohamed in the afternoon, and after my poor showing in the studio on Friday night I knew I had better get some practice in. I floated from room to hall to room in the hostel, trying to find a good place to practice this rather large-floor-space dance, and ended up sharing a large foyer space with Zizo as he was packing up the merchandise to send to his wholesalers. I have to admit that at first I was nervouse about anyone being around who might be able to watch me, especially an Egyptian. Things go better when I realized that he had better things to do than to watch me stumble around pretending to be a dancer. Things got even more relaxed when I started digging through his box of goodies as it was being packed for shipmnet. I would use a chiffon skirt for one song, a velvet skirt for the next one, and back to a double layer chiffon & sequin skirt for the next one. I was at it for an hour and a half (for only 2 minutes of choreography), and managed to work myself into a lather despit all of my costume changes and a break to chat with a Canadian dancer that came through the hostel.

*

I finished my "rehearsal" at 2:45 but then was picked up at 3:30 by Mohamed for our two hour session in the afternoon. We managed to finish the choreography to his edited version of "Raks Bedeya" and I am very excited about it. There are a few dubious transitions for me, but the finale is awesome and I now need a place to perform it! We are going to start on Tuesday with Saidi / cane dancing and I am going to start hunting for a good costume at the end of the week.

*

By the time I got back to the hostel at 5:45, I was completely spent. That finale was very energetic and I felt like I was back in one of Yousry Sharif's NYC workshops with the spinning and arabesques and sweat. Knowing I had yet another show to go see in the evening, I tried to nap before dinner with no luck. The staff at Let Me Inn made dinner for everyone in the hostel (this place is so nice to us! The floors are a little disgusting, prompting me to tell them that I would buy them a vacuum cleaner, but it has been a great decision to stay here.)

*

After dinner I tried again (unsuccessfully) to nap, and ended up getting ready and heading out to the Cairo Sheraton around midnight for the show with Soraya. I met Moustapha, the Abu Dhabi based banker that I had crossed paths with the day before while trying to purchase the tickets in the Sheraton. I don't know what it is about "I am going to a show, you are going to show...why not go to the show and sit together," that gets translated as, "I am now signing up to be your young American girlfriend," but there were a few awkward moments in an otherwise pleasant evening. The opening band was less than inspirational, but not bad. Soraya came on stage with her 20-piece band at around 2 and she was indeed TINY! I had seen her costumes as works-in-progress at Raqia Hassan's atalier on Thursday, and it was very interesting to see them on her. According to Raqia, "Soraya only likes glue...no sewing like the Americans."

I was completely shocked when Soraya came out in 3-inch silver heels to dance, and danced in them the whole time. Her style (in my eyes) is a lot more active than Randa's. She acts out many of the lyrics in the music and seemed to shimmy or somehow wiggle almost the entire time. Of course the music was amazing, and we closed out the show at 4:00 am.

*

I had cup of tea and some chocolates with Moustapha afterwards and then headed home in a taxi against Moustapha's protests that it was too late and I should wait until first light. No way. I was again shocked when I arrived back at the hostel that there were four people hanging out in the common room, so I was up until 5:00 am chit-chatting and rehashing my evening with the Canadians and Americans staying up all night until their early flight the next morning.