Sophie Mei

#5: Nile festival day 2

We began the day with a bizarre breakfast of mashed carrot, salad and melon. This did fill us up however for an amazing workshop with Mona Mustafa and her shimmy queens (2 gorgeous girls who demonstrated her choreography. We did ‘Shaabi’ style (Egyptian street) dance. It was a fun-filled two hours of cheerful movements and lots of performing for each other.

We then did a quick Supermarket sweep as we were in desperate need of water and dates, for energy.

I then persuaded myself in the humidity to get to training in the Gym… what an experience.

The gym place was the only room without air-con in the hotel, it was empty besides a few men who decided to ogle whilst I attempted a workout overlooking downtown Cairo. It didn’t come to much as they pestered me until it was their prayer time but in exchange a sour-faced woman sat and watched  me.

Time for a quick change as we returned to Eman’s for a costume fitting. A lot of Lycra was stretched, some bellydancer bitching took place and finally, a large sum of money was spent for the most beautiful costume…

Watch this blog…

# 4: Nile Festival: day 1

To the festival we went and more shimmy belts to be bought… We registered onto our favourite Egyptin dancer workshops and made our way into a large royal hall to be taught Oum Khaltoum a song about how ‘true love is a winner’ taught by Mayodi (a male oriental dancer) who said:

“Egyptian people have to make the most of what they have got as we don’t have a lot. It’s same for women if they have a bottom – they make the most of it. Here’s how to be sexy…”

After 3 hours of various Egyptian rhythms from Taqsoums to Saiidi, we had completed our first masterclass in the art of dance, beauty and passion.

Opening party – wow what an incredible first night – the event kicked off with a live Arabic band along with a lovely Russian dancer called Noor. We were then treated to a large Arabic buffet as we took our ‘ringside’ seats.

There we witnessed th ebllydancing diva that is, Asmahan along with her tropue of good looking male dancers in Tarzan-esque outfits. She gave us a hip swirling array of scenes from the forest to a folkoric routine and finished off by a provocative number (in a revealing pink cabaret outfit). After, I discovered that his diva was in her 50s! She looked sensational – very over the top but immaculately dressed up (apparently she has come from Argentinia where she moved back, after her career in Cairo plummeted. She has now made a return onto the Egptian ‘scene.’)

We were then treated to an exotic extravagance – the young and beautiful Camillia. She is hot stuff in the bellydance world at the moment and you can see why. A natural Egyptian dancer with an obvious love of the artform and she blends this with an open mind to western-style cabaret costumes along with adding touches of diversity by her choice of prope from candles to sticks to veils and balloons.

Sara Farouk said on Camilla: “All you just do is sit, watch and smile.”.

# 3: Cairo time

First day in Cairo was a humid experience but fabulous as we realized we were a 2 minute stroll from Sara Farouk (a teacher/bellydancer who taught me in Cairo the last time I was here) who, now works for Eman Zaki (a legendary etailler of bellydance costumes.)

After getting lost on the dusty (and strangely quiet) Cairo roads we booked in for an appointment with Sara at Eman’s to ‘look’ at some new costumes.

Little did I know that it would cause such a drama…

We waltzed into the derelict-looking building to find a sheep being chopped up on the floor. At this point, I froze, petrified, as there was no way to get past the blood drippings. My mind was in turmoil –

A palace of perfect costumes Vs my vegan conscience/phobia.

I did it. Along with a few shrieks and heaving I stepped into the blood and past the sheep.

By the time I’d travelled a metre to Eman’s door I was ready to sit down… or shop.

Sara gave us a warm welcome as she saw the look of terror on my face:

“ah you crossed the sheep. It’s the first day of Eid. Only normal… roads are quiet too,” she calmly explained.

Blood on my feet it was time for me savour a costume…

# 2: Cairo Travels

Monday morning and as ever running late – had not even packed yet for my flight that afternoon. After a mad screwing up of my clothes and shoving in some shimmy belts I was good to begin my trip to Cairo… well asides from needing currency, buying train tickets and meeting my good friend Jen.

Needless to say, at midday Jen and I united at Sheffield Station to embark upon our first trip to the Nile Festival, Cairo.

We had a fun and frivolous journey as we changed planes in Amsterdam along with another security ‘strip’ check and throwing more bottles of water away. We finally found ourselves at 3am Tuesday morning in a relatively humid Cairo airport. As per, I was stopped at passport control due to the dodgy nature of my passport photo…

Whilst waiting for our bags a simple task of buying bottled water turned into a mass ogle in the duty free shop with the assistant pushing gin and ‘Nile water’ into my basket.

We were saved by our taxi driver, from Beach Tours, who sampled the dirty looking bottle. And off we went to Pyramisa hotel for a week – long festival of everything bellydance!

Substance with style

Gorgeous people pile on the pounds at Uni (yay) whilst most geeks turn chic (I like to think).

SO whilst our bodies are in physical turmoil, how do we reduce the stress of University life?

“Don’t take it too seriously, the only certificate I ever got was a marriage one. And I can still afford to have my nails done.” Love G

“All you need is to build a solid foundation which, requires good shoes, so little one, please no Ugg boots of any type under any disguise. Fluffy boots are just wrong, they make you slouch, they give you flat feet and they’ll get soggy in Manchester.” x

“We don’t care how well you do at university just please promise to never go near nasty men. All boys can be bad. Remember that.” Your dearest xx

I didn’t listen. I ended up with chipped nail polish, a few distracting boyfriends along the way and my first wrinkles thanks to exams.

No matter what the situation, however, I have never succumbed to bad shoes (Uggs).

I dress like the person I hope to become.