Suhair Zaki

An’ Authentic Love of Dance’ always shines through!

A truly great Dance Artist is so much more than moves, steps, a perfect sense of rhythm,  awesome costuming and delightful looks! As much as these attributes are  necessary they are only the external ‘container’ for the true element that comprises ‘star quality’! The magical element that creates greatness is ‘Love’…and a Dancer’s ‘True Love of the Music and Dance’…expressed authentically…is the elixir that keeps us coming back for more!

Egyptian Dance legend Suheir Zaki has been gracing the stage and capturing our hearts for many years. In the Middle East she is loved so dearly that many refer to her as the ‘Oum Koulthoum of Dance’ ( rumour has it that late President of Egypt, Anwar Sadat, gave her that title). That is quite a title considering that Oum Koulthoum is the ‘High Priestess’ of Arabic song! I don’t think you will find anyone in any Middle Eastern country that will deny the Great Talent of Oum Koulthoum…and, of course, you will find those that would take affront to giving even second billing to a ‘Dancer’..yet, for those who recognize Raqs Sharqi as Art…Suhair Zaki is a beloved Artist!  Suheir is also KNOWN to be the first dancer to perform on Oum Koulthoum’s music,( it is said … with her personal blessing).  Suheir Zaki has set the standard for the approach to Egyptian Dance on these classic treasures.  

Suheir Zaki’s sweet dance persona has remained with her throughout her career. Here is a clip from an Egyptian Movie when she was a VERY young teenager!
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First We Imitate Then We Create!

It is a natural progression of learning an art form, it seems, to imitate our teachers. In dance, through the process of imitating, we develop the movement skills, the rhythmic expression and nuance that we can internalize. By repetitively watching and following our teacher we gain the imprinted skills that allow us to experience our bodies in dance.

Once we develop a more extensive movement vocabulary we gain confidence in our abilities and we experience the desire to expand.

Hopefully, we have a teacher that points us to the resources, such as videos, DVD’s and YouTube, that will expose us to other dancers that will inspire and instruct us in our ‘learning journey’. The more we experience, through observation of the  ‘style’ of each dancer, the more inspired we become to express our own unique style.

I thought it might be interesting to watch a current ‘Star’ in Egypt, Randa Kamel. Although she has flavors of Egyptian Super Star Lucy..She is very innovative and definitely has her own unique style of Oriental Dance!
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