Thread: Samia Gamal Quiz - test your knowledge

Enjoy!


Samia Gamal Quiz

Select all answers that apply, you can choose more than one answer per question.

1. Samia Gamal was married to:

a) rich Texas rancher Shepherd King III

b) the famous Egyptian Actor Farid El Atrache

c) the famous Egyptian Actor Rushdi Abaza



2. Samia Gamal is rumored to be the first Oriental Dancer to:

a) dance with a veil

b) dance barefoot

c) dance in heels



3. Samia Gamal was born in:

a) Cairo, Egypt

b) Wana, Egypt

c) Bani Swaif, Egypt



4. Movies that Samia Gamal starred in included:

a) Afrita Hanem

b) Ali Baba et les quarante voleurs

c) Tamra Henna

d) Valley of the Kings



5. The name Samia Gamal:

a) was Samia's paternal grandmother's name, given to her by her doting father

b) was a stage name given to her by Badia Masabni when she worked at the Casino Opera, her real name was Zaynab

c) was a stage name given to her by her lover, the musician and singer Farid El Atrache



6. A few places Samia Gamal performed in outside of Egypt included:

a) European nightclubs

b) New York City's "Latin Quarter" nightclub

c) Dallas, Texas with Pat King

d) Washington, DC



7. King Farouk

a) proclaimed Samia Gamal "The National Dancer of Egypt" in 1949

b) was Samia Gamal's secret lover

c) was ousted from power during Samia Gamal's lifetime

d) forced Samia Gamal and Farid Al Attrach apart



8. Samia Gamal was considered an innovative dancer, what are some of her most famous contributions:

a) incorporating elements from ballet and latin dance in her Oriental dancing

b) adding a very theatrical dimension, full of emotion

c) using her arms to a greater extent than was traditional



9. Samia Gamal and Tahiya Carioca were

a) bitter rivals

b) not really working at the same time

c) both stars at Badia's nightclub

d) good friends



10. Name 4 or more attributes of Samia Gamal's dance style and whether you think they are positive or negative:



11. Name 3 songs that Samia Gamal danced to with at least one album you can find that song on:



Bonus Question 1. What was the name of the ballet instructor who reportedly encouraged Samia Gamal to use a veil in her entrance to improve her carraige?


Bonus Question 2. True or False: Public attendance at Samia Gamal's funeral was banned.



I made up this quiz for my advanced class. We just finished a section studying Samia Gamal. You can find the answer key in my class blog here:

Samia Gamal Quiz Answers « Shems’s Belly Dance Class Blog

Great quiz! I did pretty good on it but I have to admit I skipped the questions 10 & 11. I read the answers and your thoughts on Samia's style was really good. I especially liked how you described her style. Perfect!

Wonderful quiz! I did it good too!
Amani published Samia's life story on her website, in four parts. It's a quite useful resource:

AmaniOnline.com

AmaniOnline.com

AmaniOnline.com

AmaniOnline.com

the style review answer to question 10 was actually my students responses. I actually didn't put my own answer. I thought they did quite good.

And thanks for the Amani links. I'm glad to have the resource.

Oh, I love what your student said about the whole 'damsel in distress' wilting thing.

I love Samia's hipwork and costumes and some of her movements, but I've never been crazy about her arms and there's always been something else that bothered me, which I couldn't quite put my finger on, this may be it!!

Originally Posted by shems

4. Movies that Samia Gamal starred in included:

a) Afrita Hanem

b) Ali Baba et les quarante voleurs

c) Tamra Henna

d) Valley of the Kings

You said on your blog that the correct response was a, b, and d. I disagree with your including d in there. Although it's true that she appeared in Valley of the Kings, she didn't "star" in that movie, unless you call 1 minute or so on onscreen time a "starring" role. I don't. If you wanted to include d as a valid response, then instead wording the question as "starred in" you should have worded it as "appeared in".

At least, she was on the movie poster as a "star" in this german version:

I read the positive and negative style comments for question #10.
It's so funny how a specific thing can really bug one viewer, but for another viewer(myself) that's one of the specific things you find intriguing and lovely about Samia's style.

To me it's a vulnerability she shows in her expression. It is a glimpse of her personality, very sweet-seeming. She is one of my alltime favorites because of this distinction in her style.

Just curious, if she was the first dancer to dance barefoot AND to wear high heels, what did dancers wear before that?

Originally Posted by Zamira

Just curious, if she was the first dancer to dance barefoot AND to wear high heels, what did dancers wear before that?

Sleepers, maybe? ..l;,

Originally Posted by *Shira*

You said on your blog that the correct response was a, b, and d. I disagree with your including d in there. Although it's true that she appeared in Valley of the Kings, she didn't "star" in that movie, unless you call 1 minute or so on onscreen time a "starring" role. I don't. If you wanted to include d as a valid response, then instead wording the question as "starred in" you should have worded it as "appeared in".

okay, point taken, I can reword that.

Great thread!