Perception of Randa

[natyempress]

Hello everyone,

Randa is one of my favorite dancers. So im always interested in finding out new facts about her, one thing i've noticed is that there has always been a lot of press (negative and positive) about Dina, but im interested in finding out about, how the Egyptian people view of Randa as a dancer. Or i guess any or dancers who have been over there ;)

thnx

[leylalanty]

Ahmed, my friend, personal shopper, helper, and guide to several Bhuzzers in Cairo, says about Randa "She REALLY knows how to dance!" She's his favorite dancer. He says a lot of Egyptians he knows feel the same way about her.

[Sashy]

Well,all Egyptians i´ve met,but one,think all bellydancers are we-know-what...sorry

[nikkiraqs]

I've heard from a friend that visits Cairo a lot that Randa isn't one of Egypt's favourites...she's more of a "dancers dancer" and Egyptians prefer more light hearted entertainment style dancing.

Not saying whether that's true or not, it's just what I was told about a month or so ago. Personally I love Randa, but then again there are not many *Egyptian* dancers that I don't like!

Nikki

[kamilia]

The impression I got from Egyptians I've talked to is that they've never heard of her. I've only talked to a sample of the population, of course, but it is a group of cabaret/club rats and pop culture whores. As far as I know, she hasn't made it to film, television, theater, music videos, weddings of the rich and famous, or any other arena that makes a dancer a household name in Egypt.

I agree with Nikki: any Egyptian I've talked to about her dancing, after being forced to watch it on youtube much prefers other dancers and has more faith in others' success in the business. Although it is a question of personal preferences, and maybe it is just that few who don't like her dancing. That's all I've been able to gather.

Sashy, you are being too kind. It's not just dancers that are considered whores in Egypt (or anywhere else for that matter.....cr.: )

[Dheisha]

The impression I got from Egyptians I've talked to is that they've never heard of her. I've only talked to a sample of the population, of course, but it is a group of cabaret/club rats and pop culture whores. As far as I know, she hasn't made it to film, television, theater, music videos, weddings of the rich and famous, or any other arena that makes a dancer a household name in Egypt.

*Waves to Kamilia, my fellow language geek* ..g.: I LOVE the khaliji pics on your tribe profile btw!

Kamilia is spot on as usual. Most Egyptians can`t afford to eat out in restaurants and night clubs, and therefore the dancers in Cairo today aren`t famous among the GP. In order to become famous you need to be in a movie or at the very least appear on TV (or be in some sort of scandal ). The "old dancers" , such as Fifi, Nagwa, Samia etc, became household names because of the movies they acted in.

For some reason the Egyptians I spoke to didn`t like Randa either (they had to watch her on YouTube of course since they`d never heard of her). I brought a Norwegian friend (not a dancer) to see both Randa and Soraya live, and he definitely preferred Soraya, but couldn`t really explain why.
Personally I love her dancing.

[Sashy]

Egyptians know who Dina is because she's on tv and videos,but besides the classics as Fifi...etc,they don't have a clue about the rest.

[kamilia]

Oh, Dheisha! What a lovely surprise. How have you been? ..g.:

I never thought about the economic reasons, so thanks for cluing me in. Even at the cheapest clubs in Cairo, you had to have some money to have an enjoyable experience...even if you're a deadbeat dad blowing off your family's money for the month...

There are other dancers that are popular in Egypt that most of us would never hear of under normal circumstances. Some dancers got famous in smaller productions, like theater, sitcoms, what have you, which a lot of us don't have access to (through no fault of our own).

The big names like Dina, Fifi, Nagwa, Soheir, etc. are well-known through big productions, but there are other names who became almost as famous through other outlets. I think the difference is that the previous dancers have a greater reach throughout the Arab world (and the rest of the world) through movies, while the latter are home-grown Egyptian favorites.

[Monica]

Chiming in with agreement! None of my (non-dance associated) Egyptian friends still living in Egypt have heard of her at all. My conclusion was similar to those above, and in particular I figured that meant she had not made it onto local television.

[jessedan]

There 'ya go. Took the words right out of my mouth. All the Egyptians that I've asked (if they like Randa) have answered..."Who??"

BTW, I know several Egyptians who CAN afford to eat out at nice restaurants and go to expensive night clubs, and they still have never heard of her.

Regards
Priscilla

The impression I got from Egyptians I've talked to is that they've never heard of her.

[kamilia]

BTW, I know several Egyptians who CAN afford to eat out at nice restaurants and go to expensive night clubs, and they still have never heard of her.

Oooh, good point.

[CFerhat]

I think this is so interesting - at what point does an Egyptian dancer realize that Westerners are a major target audience for her? Is Randa managed or sponsored by a Raqia-type person?

[kamilia]

Interesting question. Maybe when she sees all us belly dance tourists going crazy on the dinner boat?

[Dheisha]

Oh, Dheisha! What a lovely surprise. How have you been? ..g.:

A7lan ya bint el 7aram (a reflection on our last conversation, NOT on your personality!) Ana bikhayr, el 7amdu lilah, wa enti?

Sorry for the hijack, now:
Jessedan, very good point! You have to have money AND frequent the Marriot or Nile Maxim AND be bothered to listen to the dancer`s introduction to know who Randa is ,r:;
Hard as it is for us dancers to believe, most Egyptians I`ve met don`t really care who the dancer is...

[Sashy]

<Hard as it is for us dancers to believe, most Egyptians I`ve met don`t really care who the dancer is...>

This is not hard to believe hence their perception on all bellydancers.,r:; They would not care less,really.Besides the status it gives them to have a prestigious bellydancer performing in a wedding,past that most Egyptians don`t give a **** about bellydancers.Period.

I`m not sure if any of you know of a notorious Egy insult that goes like this:
"blah,blah,blah......you son of a dancer!!!!!!"

[Dheisha]

<
This is not hard to believe hence their perception on all bellydancers.,r:; They would not care less,really.Besides the status it gives them to have a prestigious bellydancer performing in a wedding,past that most Egyptians don`t give a **** about bellydancers.Period.

Oh, of course, we`re all sluts obviously
I meant that tongue-in-cheek. I know they don`t care, but part of me still wants to yell "Hello fellow diners, how can you NOT marvel at these arabesques we`re seeing here?" ..l;,

[Azhia]

From what I'm gathering here, I'm glad that at least we can be proud of and support Randa, even if many of her fellow country people are not aware of their "national treasure."

[aamel_MirahAmmal]

I've gotten the same impression from Egyptians as what many have said here: 1.) don't really know who she is 2.) when we do see her, she's not really the kind of dancing we like most. As others said, she's not doing TV and movies, and as I understand, she's not touring/doing as many big shows abroad in the region as some of the biggest names did (Saudi etc. ... these may be partially to do with choices re: who/how her career is managed.) So...barring a big change, she's not likely to ever get the kind of fame at home that Fifi, Nagua, Dina, even Lucy have. On the dance front...she's a beautiful dancer, but a couple of the Egyptians I've spoken to think she "flaps around too much"--too much ballet influence, too much of some other techniques they found extraneous, I guess. They tended to prefer Fifi's more "relaxed" looking style or maybe go for Dina's musical interpretation. They thought she was a good dancer, but they thought she was better for the foreigners than for the Egyptians. (So...maybe that's the "dancer's dancer" thing?)

[Sashy]

: <even if many of her fellow country people are not aware of their "national treasure.">


Again,remember that Egyptians don`t consider bellydancers exactly a "treasure" but a trade to be ashamed of...c::

[jody]

Then lte us foreigners have her. Their loss is our gain.

[Azhia]

:Again,remember that Egyptians don`t consider bellydancers exactly a "treasure" but a trade to be ashamed of...c::

Riiight. It's like U.S./Germany/David Hasselhoff (need I say more??).

Egyptians ought to realize that it's one of their greatest export commodities! Can you imagine, in Cairo:

"The DOW has just gone up 2 points and Oriental Dance is at its highest at $37 [rate of currency in Egypt??] a dancer."

[Sashy]

Riiight. It's like U.S./Germany/David Hasselhoff (need I say more??).

Egyptians ought to realize that it's one of their greatest export commodities! Can you imagine, in Cairo:

"The DOW has just gone up 2 points and Oriental Dance is at its highest at $37 [rate of currency in Egypt??] a dancer."

Yeahh,they should,but the same as they should a long list of other things too controversial to mention.

[emma-bessa]

Is Randa managed or sponsored by a Raqia-type person?

;) You could say that,Raqia Hassan is convinced that Randa is a great teacher and a great dancer who will continue to develop,and supports her.
(I just luuurve Randa myself...)

Emma

[kamilia]

A7lan ya bint el 7aram (a reflection on our last conversation, NOT on your personality!) Ana bikhayr, el 7amdu lilah, wa enti?

Sorry for the hijack, now:
Jessedan, very good point! You have to have money AND frequent the Marriot or Nile Maxim AND be bothered to listen to the dancer`s introduction to know who Randa is ,r:;
Hard as it is for us dancers to believe, most Egyptians I`ve met don`t really care who the dancer is...

Sorry I didn't get back to you sooner! Bnt el wis5a here had a 5atouba and got sick simultaneously! Ahh, what a week...

I do think Egyptians care more about dance than other Arabs, but yes, some of them just want to see some la7me shaking. However, I think most Egyptians do care about seeing a famous dancer.

It's just weird because even in top nightclubs, you get these dancers that just wear a miniskirt and barely even try (not like Dina). The scene has really changed since Egypt has gone conservative. I'm glad there are still dancers that the general public does enjoy seeing, but otherwise, it has just gone so downhill.

I mean, at least before, good dancers could be considered classy courtesans ..g.: I'd take that title over "whore" any day!

[kamilia]

Riiight. It's like U.S./Germany/David Hasselhoff (need I say more??).

Egyptians ought to realize that it's one of their greatest export commodities! Can you imagine, in Cairo:

"The DOW has just gone up 2 points and Oriental Dance is at its highest at $37 [rate of currency in Egypt??] a dancer."

Someone posted an interview with Fifi somewhere in bhuz where she said: People come to Egypt for the pyramids, the Sphinx and Fifi. Maybe your prediction isn't so far off, but that's assuming that tourism circles around Fifi...gotta love her!

(Egyptians use pounds, btw.)

[kamilia]

Yeahh,they should,but the same as they should a long list of other things too controversial to mention.

Watch it, Sashy, lest your post get censored by the Egyptian morality police. Even mentioning the possible mention of things too sexy for Egypt represents an infraction. Don't make me tell you again!

[RaqOn]

I saw her on the Nile Maxim a few weeks ago...love her!

[raqsana]

I've only seen her once on a dvd, and I hate to say it but I was not too impressed. It may just be the dvd. At the beginning she does a high kick and the camera is kinda low, so you can see clearly right up to her underwear. Also, she kept pulling at her skirt and bra. Just drove me crazy, cause if someone is going to be filmed they should know better! She came across a kind of "sporty" or something. But then agian, it may have just been this one performance dvd.

[norma]

Interesting thread. I'm not to impressed with Randa either. She's nice to watch but I can see why the Egyptians wouldn't like. I think her style of dancing is very westernized with all the spins and traveling steps and arabesques. I used to work in the Arabic clubs in Detroit which has the highest ME population in the US. Everyone once in a while, we would get a big name American dancer come to town and perform in one of the clubs. Of course all the students and Americans would think the dancer fabulous. All the musicians, ME patrons would say, she's not a dancer or all she does is spin, or she's not listening to the music. They really don't like dancers that spin a lot and do a lot of traveling steps. They want someone who dances to the music with feeling and forget the theatrics.

That's changing a bit as the patrons are now 2nd -3rd generation and they are being exposed to different styles.

[amiraates]

Interesting thread. I'm not to impressed with Randa either. She's nice to watch but I can see why the Egyptians wouldn't like. I think her style of dancing is very westernized with all the spins and traveling steps and arabesques. I used to work in the Arabic clubs in Detroit which has the highest ME population in the US. Everyone once in a while, we would get a big name American dancer come to town and perform in one of the clubs. Of course all the students and Americans would think the dancer fabulous. All the musicians, ME patrons would say, she's not a dancer or all she does is spin, or she's not listening to the music. They really don't like dancers that spin a lot and do a lot of traveling steps. They want someone who dances to the music with feeling and forget the theatrics.

That's changing a bit as the patrons are now 2nd -3rd generation and they are being exposed to different styles.

Most Egyptian or Turkish club owners (thank god not all of them) want dancers who entertain, shimmy shimmy, wiggle wiggle, drop kick, wink wink and done. Also these same owners always gossip about every dancer working for them anyway.

I think what Randa does is actually beyond clublevel. What she does is very artistic and creative. She is extremely well trained in folklore and oriental dance. She is just the very welcome and right answer to all the fffffffing clubowners and "Egyptian morality police" as she is a very strong dancer who knows how to dance. She can speak, read and write her dance. That is probably what a lot of ME men absolutely don't like about her, (she is too knowledgeable). They rather see a hot sexy or less complex thing than her. Most Egyptian men I know don't like Dina either, (they do remember her sex tape very well though!) eeh so there you know where their brain is.

Hope Randa's star will rise