Nisaa Talks Ghawazi

I am so excited to welcome Nisaa back as a guest teacher! She has literally written the book (two of them, second one is going to be released in August) on the (real) origins of belly dance. Her knowlegde and expertise includes extensive research on the Ghawazi dancers of Upper and Lower Egypt, some of which she will share with us at this lecture. 

Class description: The ghawazi are a class of female entertainers from Egypt’s rural towns and villages.  For generations, they have provided singing and dancing at important social occasions such as weddings and festivals, but in the last 30 years or so, their circumstances have changed dramatically.  In this lecture, Nisaa provides an overview of the present-day situation of Egypt's ghawazi based on her most recent research.  After a brief historical overview, Nisaa will discuss the different trajectories of ghawazi in Upper and Lower Egypt.  She will share anecdotes and observations from her firsthand research with ghawazi in both regions, including her momentous first encounter with the Delta ghawazi in Mansoura.