For many belly
dancers around the world, dancing in Cairo is the dream of a lifetime. Whether
it’s the opportunity to perform every night to a live orchestra or the chance
to earn recognition in the international belly dance community, belly dancing
in Cairo brings hundreds of foreign women to Egypt each year. Some sell their
homes, life possessions, and leave loved ones behind. Most go home disappointed
and disillusioned, while others remain in Cairo for years hoping their dream
will one day come true.

Though we all
fantasize about it, belly dancing in Cairo is not for everyone. It takes a
certain type of woman—physically, emotionally and intellectually—to succeed
here as a dancer. And it’s not always the woman who wants it. As one dancer put
it, Cairo picks you. You don’t pick Cairo. From what I’ve seen, this seems to
be true. With that in mind, I put together a realistic guide to finding work in
Cairo that examines the attributes of those dancers most likely to succeed.
Please keep in mind that the following comments are based on my personal observations
over the past two and a half years.

The “Right Look.” A dancer must have
the right look. In the west, there isn’t really a “right look” for a belly
dancer. Belly dance in the west is more about sisterhood, and we’re more accommodating
of beauty in different shapes, sizes, colors and ages. In Egypt, however, there
is generally a very limited notion of what constitutes ideal feminine beauty.
Usually, if one Egyptian finds a woman beautiful, 99 percent of Egyptians will
find her beautiful too. The reverse is also true. This is unfortunate because
it eliminates many talented dancers who fall short of Egyptian standards,
whatever those are. But belly dancing is, after all, show business, and in show
business, looks count as much as talent, if not more. So, providing that
there’s a lot of girls competing for the few dance jobs, having the desired
look is a determining factor in who will work as a dancer in Cairo.

Talent. To land a job in
Cairo, a dancer must be talented. She must have good technique, an authentic feeling
for the dance, and superior performance skills. Whatever you think of her
personal style of dancing, she must be a consummate entertainer. Why? Because
if venue owners are going to inconvenience themselves to hire foreign dancers
instead of Egyptians (the process is long and daunting and expensive), they are
going to want a return on their investment.

Patience. Finding a contract
to work as a belly dancer in Cairo requires patience. Though a couple of
dancers found contracts within their first month of coming to Cairo (on account
of (very) personal connections), most dancers take at least a year to find a
contract. This is because many venues are not licensed to hire foreigners in
the first place, and also because there isn’t a very high turnover in the Cairo
belly dance scene. Venues tend to renew their dancers’ contracts instead of
hiring new ones. Aspiring dancers must therefore be patient. They must be
prepared to sit home most days of the week knowing that the contracted dancers
are dancing every night. They must also not be discouraged by all the false,
empty promises people in the industry make. For example, a singer or talent
agent might become enamored of a young, aspiring dancer, and promise to find
her a contract at this or that hotel. In reality, he is in no position to do
so. He just wants an excuse to develop a connection with the dancer, so he
plays on her desire to dance in Egypt. When the dancer eventually discovers this
is all a game, she gets disappointed and most probably feels like giving up.
Especially after this happens time and again. This is why after my first year
in Cairo, I nicknamed Egypt the land of empty promises. The successful dancer
is the one who sees through these ploys, doesn’t get too frustrated, and
patiently waits for real opportunities to come her way.

Thick Skin. No matter how
beautiful and talented a dancer is, if she doesn’t have a thick skin, she will
never succeed in Cairo. Having a thick skin means not letting people’s
jealousy, criticisms, and insults drag you down. As in other entertainment
fields, competition is fierce and jealousy is a fact of life. There won’t be
too many other dancers or teachers happy for your success. On the contrary,
many will try to bring you down every step of the way. They will start horrible
rumors about you to ruin your reputation, and accuse you of things (and people)
you’ve never done. If you have any amount of talent, good looks, and a decent
chance at dancing here, it’s almost impossible not to encounter this type of
behavior. But if you are overly-concerned with what others say about you,
you’ll never survive in the Cairo belly dance world.  

Knowledge of Arabic. Yes, speaking the
local language and speaking it well is crucial to a foreign dancer’s success in
Cairo. The dancer needs to be able to communicate effectively and firmly with
musicians, talent agents, and venue managers, the majority of whom don’t speak
English, and who will try to take advantage of the seemingly clueless foreign
female. Speaking Arabic somewhat fluently (not just izayyak and mashy),
is necessary to being understood, and most importantly, respected. Egyptians in
the business need to know that the dancer is intelligent and can deal with them
on their own level.

Luck. Last but not least,
it comes down to luck. I previously stated Cairo picks you, you don’t pick
Cairo. Sometimes a woman has everything it takes to succeed as a belly dancer
in Cairo, but still cannot obtain a contract. Maybe she didn’t meet the right
people, or maybe she wasn’t around when an opportunity opened up. The reasons
could be many, and she’ll never really know why. Alternatively, a dancer who
has been having a difficult time finding a contract may unexpectedly find
herself in the right place at the right time.

Now that I’ve
explained what it takes to work as a belly dancer in Cairo, I will quickly go
over things that don’t help.

Connections. While it always
helps to know someone in the business who can hook you up, knowing the
president of Egypt won’t help you if venue managers don’t think you will elevate
their business. I’ve seen many cases of aspiring foreign dancers getting
friendly with the organizers of dance festivals, singers, and even some established
Egyptian dancers in the hopes that these people will find them contracts. This
has never happened. Even seemingly powerful festival organizers cannot convince
the owner of a Nile cruise to hire a dancer if he does not want to. Especially
if there isn’t a need for new dancers.

Years of Experience. When looking for a
contract to dance in Cairo, no prospective employer will ask a dancer what her
professional background is. He will not ask her if she is famous in her
country, how many years she has been dancing, or if she teaches dance. Nobody
cares about this in Cairo. Hotel and boat managers only want to know that the
dancer can put on a good show and looks pretty. Everything else is irrelevant.

Getting to know the
manager—a little too intimately. I think you know what I mean here.
We’ve all heard of dancers who come here and “befriend” venue owners and
managers. This may have been a shortcut to getting a contract, but it doesn’t
really work these days. There is so much competition these days that buddying
up with the manager doesn’t guarantee you a contract at his hotel or boat.
Especially if there are stronger candidates for the position. Typically what
happens is the venue owners take advantage of dancers’ desire to dance in
Cairo, promising (but never actually giving) them contracts while having their way
with them. In the end, the dancers lose. Their reputations are ruined, and
respectable people in the business avoid them. The best way to find a contract is
to keep your self-respect and not to fall prey to the vultures in the business.

I’ve written these
observations not to discourage, but to be realistic about what it takes to
dance in Cairo. Everyone deserves the chance to manifest their dreams. But I
think it’s important for dancers to know what they’re getting themselves into.
They should also know what their chances of success are, because a lot of them
make huge sacrifices in the pursuit of this dream. For many, it’s a pursuit
that can deplete vitality, happiness, love of the dance, and even enthusiasm
for life. Indeed, quite a few aspiring dancers in Cairo have admitted that if
someone had told them beforehand what it was all about, they would have thought
twice about giving up their lives to dance here. For others, it’s a journey
that builds character and fortitude. And for the fortunate few who make it,
well, their challenges are many, not least of which is staying true to
themselves.