Café Cairo Program
Thank you for attending Café Cairo! You support means so much to us!
A huge thank you to all dancers who have joined this show, worked so hard to bring their artistry to this stage and to the Cultch for providing such a beautiful space for us to take you on this journey!
We acknowledge that we live on unceded territories belonging to the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish), and səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) Nations.
Program for Café Cairo
Set 1
| 1) The Layali Dancers (Vancouver, BC) – Dancers Lisa, Leslie, Karima, Jana & Ashley Rhianne opening with a beautiful fan veil performance. |
| 2) Omega (Seattle, WA) – Omega is a Florida woman living in Seattle, performing at venues all around the area. She currently directs Raqs al Nujum, a raqs sharqi performance troupe, and is also a member of Bahia in Motion Afro-Brazilian dance troupe. Omega has performed multiple times with Bellydance Evolution as well. Her wish is to one day have unlimited time and money to do nothing but attend dance classes, but for now she is thankful for the learning opportunity this weekend with Shahrzad and Ashley Rhianne. |
| 3) Kevla (Winnipeg, MB) – Kevla fell in love with Egyptian music and dance many years ago, and now she teaches and performs full-time in Winnipeg. She’s performed across Canada and the US, and is known for her musicality, playfulness, and dedication to the art form. |
| 4) Bashirah MED (Victoria, BC) – Bobbie & Holly from Bashirah Middle Eastern Dance Company in Victoria, BC have enjoyed collaborating and creating several duets together over the years. They are excited to be included in tonight’s line up and to share a shortened version of their original choreography to the catchy, up-tempo, “Talisman” by Beata & Horacio Cifuentes. |
| 5) Michelle (Seattle, WA) – Michelle is from Seattle and loves to express herself in this dance by honoring her PNW dance roots while bringing her own flair and humor to the stage. Tonight she will perform one of her specialties – a modern AmCab with fingers cymbals! |
| 6) The Layali Dancers (Vancouver, BC) – Dancers Shirley, Jess, Carly, Nahla, & Lisa bring Egyptian street dance “mahraghan” to the stage! |
| 7) Ashley Rhianne (Vancouver, BC) – Ashley Rhianne is Vancouver's longest currently performing professional dancer and has over 23 years of teaching. She has performed all over the world from stages in Ecuador to Ukraine to Cairo and has happily settled here in Vancouver with her little family and amazing students. She can be found at www.ashleydance.com/classes for dance classes both in Vancouver & North Vancouver. |
| 8) Shahrzad (Cairo, EG) – Shahrzad is a professional dance instructor and performer specializing in Raqs Sharqi and traditional and social dance styles from around North Africa and the Middle East. To supplement her 20+ years of dance training Shahrzad also holds several fitness certifications including becoming a PMA certified Pilates instructor in 2013. She started her dance training at the age of 11 and began her professional dance career in her late teens working as a teacher and performer on the East Coast of the US. She began to get international recognition and bookings after several of her performance videos went viral online and she was hired to film a series of instructional DVDs by an international company. In 2015 Shahrzad moved to Egypt to live and work full time and has since enjoyed a successful career as a performer appearing in top performance venues as well as film and media. We are so excited to have her back here tonight – welcome Shahrzad! |
Intermission
Set 2
| 1) Shahrzad (Cairo, EG) – We bring Shahrzad back to open! During covid she started her business’ Shahrzad Studios’ which includes an online dance school, private dance and music programs in Cairo, and tours of Egypt. She currently splits her time between traveling to teaching dance workshops around the world, running her business from her home in Cairo, and performing and teaching at special events around Egypt. She is world renowned, loved by all and regarded as one of the top master teachers in the world. |
| 2) Leslie & Brendan (Vancouver, BC) – Leslie has been dancing her whole life. She is a choreographer and one half of Vancouver’s longest running professional bellydance duo Sahara Nights. She loves to continue to learn new things and dance styles, but always returns to the art of bellydance. Tonight she is joined by drummer & musician Brendan Lally |
| 3) Karima (Vancouver, BC) – Karima, a passionate dancer, has spent the past year dedicated to self-improvement and is honoured to perform at this event. Tonight, she dances for herself, celebrating her journey and growth. |
| 4) Fify (Vancouver, BC) – Fify is an Egyptian / Mexican performer relocated in the Vancouver area to continue her university studies at UBC In the fall! She is showcasing a cute and fun shaabi piece inspired by the Cairo nightlife she worked in and observed for the past 3 years. |
| 5) DancEgypt (Saskatoon, SK) – DancEgypt is a dance company based in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan that focuses on traditional Egyptian dance, including raqs sharqi and folkloric dances from around Egypt. DancEgypt hasbeen teaching and performing in Saskatoon since its founding in 1986. The company’s new owners and directors are Megan Kent and Sara Kreuger, who have been with the company since 2002. |
| 6) Chloe (Seattle, WA) – Dance is one of the biggest parts of Chloe’s life. When she’s not performing or teaching in Seattle, you’ll most likely find her studying bellydance and Arabic in Cairo. Getting to share her passion for performance arts is a gift and a pleasure. |
| 7) Delaine (Vancouver, BC) – Delaine is dancing a salsa belly dance fusion that she plans on competing with in Toronto in October. Delaine is an accomplished dancer both in oriental and salsa and holds many accolades! |
| 8) The Layali Dancers (Vancouver, BC) – Dancers Karima, Leslie, Nahla, Kimberly, Jana, Carly, Shirley, Jess, Hanne close the show with a bang in this lively & cheeky drum solo! |
The End
Thank you being here tonight! Please get home safely.
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