The stars of Egypt: Naima Akef by Hossam Ramzy

(click on the image to see a larger view) Born on the 7th of October 1932 in Tanta on the Nile Delta to the Akef family. A famous circus where the whole family participated whether in performance or preparation, young and old alike. The Akef Circus was famous with it's animal training and taming of the wild ones and cunning tricks with the not so tame, as well as amazing dance performances and acrobatic extravaganza shows. This is the family atmosphere in which Naima Akef was born and raised, indicating a unique star being developed in this appropriate and ideal surroundings to be brought up in.

(click on the image to see a larger view) The Akef family were based in Cairo in the Bab El Khalq district however they travelled across the whole country as well as most of the world on their tours especially Russia in 1957 where Naima presented her dancing in a and international youth festival there and won the first prize for best dancer in the whole festival in which dancers from over 50 countries performed. A photo commemorating that prise winning exists on the walls of the Bolshoi Theatre's Hall Of Fame.

(click on the image to see a larger view) Naima's grandfather, Ismail Akef who was the gymnasium teacher and trainer in the Egyptian Police Academy created the Akef circus after his retirement. Ismail took Naima under his wings, having recognized her talent as a dancer and performer since a very young age and helped her shape her uniqueness into a historic artist who rose the heights of stardom within the Egyptian cinema. Naima was first discovered for the cinema by the director Abbas Fawzy who presented her to his brother the also director Hessein Fawzy who realised Naima's natural talent for the screen and gave her a leading role the first time she ever appeared on the screen in the film "El Eish Wel Malh" (The Bread and Salt {{ in Egypt once people have broken bread together, i.e. eaten together it is considered sacrilege to digress against the unspoken oath of loyalty, El Eish Wel Malh, the bread and salt}} ). Naima starred in that film with the singer Saad Abdel Wahab, the cousin of the legendary singer and composer Mohammed Abdel Wahab. the film was a great hit and it was also a big success for Nahhas Film Studios where it was filmed as the very first production there. This was a brilliant start for the young Naima who had various dance routines in the film which she was very careful to present in all her future films side by side to her leading acting and singing role.

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(click on the image to see a larger view) After her first film, Naima's success in her films came one after the other like "Lahalibo" [how does one translate that] (The one who is so hot that he is the fiery equivalent of Speedy Gonzales), "Baladi We Kheffa" (Baladi and light hearted), "Baba Aaris" (My dad is the Bride's Groom), "Noor Oyouni" (The Light Of My Eyes). This one came after Naima presented a dance sketch with legendary Dr. Mahmoud Reda, creator and dancer of the Reda Troupe. The sketch was called "Leil We Ein" (Instead of saying Leil Ya Ein as they sing in the Egyptian Mawwals [Laments]. Leil, being the night, and Ein being the eyes that are spending the night without a wink, thinking of the beloved. The sketch was done or the Egyptian Arts Council.

(click on the image to see a larger view) Naima's film credits extended further than that to appear in the following films "Forigat" (At last it eased off), "Fataah Wel Sirk" (A Girl and the Circus), "El Nemr" (The Tiger), "Halawet El Hob" (The sweetness of love), "Gannah We Nar" (A heaven and a hell), "Melyon Geneih" (A million pounds), "Arbaa Banat We Zabet" (4 girls and an officer), "Madraset El Banat" (The Girl's School), "Tamr Henna" this is the name of an Egyptian flower, which was Naima's name in the film, "Aziza" and "Ahebbak Ya Hassan" (I love you Hassan).

Egyptian dancing ran wild in the blood veins of Naima. It was her first love and best way of self expression and she used her circus life and performance as a launching platform for her dancing as well as trying and presenting new ideas, choreographies and music. She never cut short any corners as far as expenses, training or costuming for herself or for her chorus dancers or singers and performers who accompanied her in her shows. She was very conscious about her weight and kept under strict control so that she maintained her young and supple figure and looks. Naima even sacrificed the motherly pleasures of having her own children until she gave birth just before her departure from our world. The experts of Egyptian dance are certain that Naima was not affected by the styles of other dancers, but created her own unique style and had her personal feel of dance interpretation to Egyptian music to the point of creating THE NEW on stage and in rehearsals. Very often, Naima choreographed her own routines, but was very famous for being a very obedient to her trainers and technical advisers and choreographers.

(click on the image to see a larger view) In the world of art, of that era in Egypt, Naima was very famous for her friendliness, kindness and helpfulness to all her close friends and associates as well as her film crew and members of the same film set. Never selfish, and would always put others before herself. There is a famous story of one day on a film set, after a very exhausting morning of filming on a lunch and rest break, Naima noticed that a fellow dancer in the film was struggling with an acrobatic move that she had to make and was clearly having difficulty executing that move, which had to be filmed straight after the break. Instead of taking her lunch an her very needed rest, Naima went to the girl, showed her how the step should be really done with ease, and did it for her many times and trained and coached her until she did it successfully to the delight of the girl and the massive almost none stop applause of all the film crew, actors and director alike.

(click on each image to see a larger view) Naima rarely ever danced in nightclubs but more through her films and theatre dance tableaux's which she regularly organised in Egypt as well as abroad. Those were not purely Egyptian dance performances, but more of a free expression and more of a music and dance extravaganza. She used movement to express emotion and feelings, gestures, direct or indirect, with bodily expression which was a witness of Naima's wide range of artistic talent and body suppleness agility and physique. Naima was very proud of her success which she achieved on her own merit and without having to slug it in the night clubs for a long time. She recalls how when her mother and father split up, she formed an acrobatic and clown act that performed in many clubs until she got the chance to work in Badeia Masabny's famous nightclub, in which, the young Naima shined like a star and was one of the very few who danced and sang.

(click on each image to see a larger view) Naima also recalls how being favoured by Badeia caused major jealousy in the hearts of other chorus dancers in the club until one day they ganged up on her and beat her up but because of her strength and agility she managed to defend herself and beat them up instead. But as those dancers were the source of good income for Badeia, Naima was fired from the club and went to work in the other famous night spot, The KIT KAT Club, where she met the film director Abbas Kamel, who introduced her to his brother, who was also a film director, Hessein Fawzy, famous for his musicals show films. This partnership was a big success for them both and hey got married for nine years, but without any children. A few years after that divorce, Naima married her accountant to whom she gave a son who worked in the field of music. As Naima entered the history books of Egyptian dance as one of it's innovative, creative and renewing dancers, she also entered the history book of Egyptian cinema as the first woman to star in the very first full colour film in Egypt "Baba Aaris" (My father is the bride's groom) directed by her first husband Hessein Fawzy in 1951.

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Tahteeb

Tahteeb is an ancient Egyptian martial art with sticks, which is also
known as the Egyptian folkloric dance. It is considered to be the
oldest and probably the only existing  martial art of ancient Egypt
practiced today. The ancient Egyptians performed Tahteeb in honor
of Pharaohs, which had its own methods and rules. Fighting with
sticks is not used on the battlefield,  it is more used as a training
or sport. Like the other martial arts that are related to the culture
of one nation (refering to mucis and dance), like Brazilian Kapoeira,
Tahteeb is a specific form of  art that combines elements of combat
and the aesthetics of dance.Modern style choreography is performed
on stage performances and festivals in the Middle East.

Ancient Egyptian
hieroglyphs indicate
that Tahtib was
practiced as a
primary style of
fencing in Egyptian
Army. The ruling
families were trained
in advanced style of
Art in the very early
ages. There is no
evidence how
Tahteeb emerged,
but there is evidence of the Pharaoh Menes (3050-2850BC), who united
Egypt in his desire to have the largest army in the world. Apparently, he
called the best warriors from all over Africa, India and several other locations
from the Middle East to train his army. Tahteeb elements can be seen in
several martial arts such as Eskrima (Filipino fighting sticks), Krav Maga,
Muay Thai, Hwa Rang Do, Ninjitsu, etc.

Some assumptions had to be
made to understand Tahteeb.
Rules were probably scarce
and the main learning entailed
endurance and technique, the
main objective was to strike the
head. Several styles were
performed during religious
ceremonies, sports and battle
in ancient Egypt. In present
time Tahteeb is still performed
especially during the month of
Ramadan, the dancers use a
long cane dancing solo or
perform a parody of fighting.
The basics are very similar to
those demonstrated in the African martial arts, the term Naboot refers to the
assistants in both. This style contains a lot of stylistic elements that
express the flow of energy and weight transfer. It can be performed
in several ways:
-like a real martial arts on horseback
-like martial arts on the floor
-a combined dance between men
-as a solo section between men
-as a mimic and seductive version of the real dance, danced by women.

The stick used in Tahtib, called Asa or Asaya, is about 1 m long but when
performed as a martial arts on horseback is about 3 m long.The importance
of horses and elements of combat are shown while performing on dance
floor. Men challenge each other, moving circuit, exchanging strokes as well
as fighting on horseback.One figure in Tahtib is called 'horse ride'. The stick
was introduced as a symbol of masculinity. Although it was initially
danced by men only, sometimes
women danced as well, dressed as
men. Another female version of
dance with a stick was developed
with less aggressive style
incorporated into cabaret or
oriental dance named Raqs
al Assaya. They used thinner,
lighter cane, curved on one side
and decorated with metallic shine
ribbons. Women used simple
Baladi dresses while dancing. Styles  and dance pieces include
balancing a stick on the head, shoulder or hip.

History of Orient Dance

Orient dance, as we know it today,
has its origins in the dance that was part
of fertility celebration and religious rituals.
Historians and archaeologists have found
evidence of this dance  going back to
4000 years BC. Music and dance were
an integral part of every ritual. The belief
in the divinity of the female is probably
originated from the obvious fact that the
woman brings new life. Oriental
dance is used as a form of exercise
that was transmitted from mother to
daughter, and served the purpose
strengthening the uterus for fertility by
affecting the creation of new life.


On Cyprus were found scoulptures showing women perform an erotic dance with the sound of drums and chanting in ritual for Aphrodite, Greece
goddess of love and fertility. In Egypt, a large number of women gathered in
the ritual of fertility for goddess Bastet, in Lebanon similar customs are
observed in Baalbek in the service of the goddess Attar.Skulptures of these
dancers in the temple are usually placed in the outer part. The main purpose
of these rituals is to win favor of the goddess, and their impact in people's lives.

As civilization evolved old beliefs and 

customs were fading away. One theory 

is that men were becoming awareof the 

role ofcreation of life, but mistakenly

 thinking they arethemselves responsible, 

women represented onlymeans for its 

creation.  Rituals for goddesses and 

fertility dances were slowly vanishingand 

lost their religious significance, 

and eventually becameArts.

The area along the northern coast of Africa, Eastern
Mediterranean coast and in the deserts of the Middle and
Middle East, dance has experienced a fascinating evolution. There, where has emerged the Islamic world, women have created a dance full of skills and diversity. Although this dance does not have direct contact with fertility dance they have some resemblance.

Arabic term for 'belly
dance 'is the' Raqs al
Sharky ' which means
Eastern dance. Oriental
dance is propper name
and meansusing
different parts of body
and not just the belly.
Beyond the Middle East,
Raqs Sharky is
becoming more popular
during the 18th and19th century. Midst of increasing Tourism in the
Ottoman Empire numerous tourists had the opportunity to see and
feel the magic of this dance and the dance groups were hired and
brought to London, Paris or Chicago.

 In the link below you can see the evolution of bellydance last hundred years.