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.