Dr. Mo Geddawi,  A Bridge Between Cultures and Times

by Zarifa Sa’id


I first saw Dr. Mo Geddawi in a German documentary film on Egyptian dance. The documentary was shown by Bert Balladine at a workshop that I hosted in Gainesville, Florida. Bert provided the translation for the German sub titles (the film was in Arabic). Mo was teaching Egyptian dancers how to get the feeling in the movements similar to those done by Tahia Carioca or Samia Gamal.

I next met Mo Geddawi at a workshop sponsored by Habiba in Philadelphia in August 2000. The dances that he taught were the first to inspire me in quite a while. He speaks English fluently; teaches class in a manner similar to Western dance teachers, but the dances are evocative of the Egyptian music in a way that is difficult for Western choreographers to emulate.

Add in that he helps individuals with technique when they need it and that he is personally charming and you have a dance master extraordinaire. He not only loves the dance, but also communicates caring for the students and for their learning. I determined to bring Mo to Gainesville, so that people in the South East would have the benefit of his knowledge and skills. In August 2001, Mo taught a two-day workshop in Gainesville, Florida. I took the opportunity to interview him. The informal interview covers a number of topics and reveals the breadth of his experience which makes him a bridge between cultures and times.

 

Background

Dr. Mo is a master teacher, a well-known performer and is the founder of the Hathor Dance Troupe of Berlin (1985). He holds degrees in pharmacology and medicine and pursued a highly successful career in Tropical Medicine in addition to a very active dance career. He now splits his time between Cairo and Berlin where he continues to direct and perform with the Hathor Dance Troupe. He also maintains an international teaching schedule. Dr. Mo has been giving workshops, courses, seminars and lectures on Egyptian folklore and oriental dances in Europe, USA, Australia, Singapore and the Middle East for many years. For more information visit Dr. Mo’s website:  

Dr. Mo Geddawi grew up enamored with the classical dancing stars of Egypt`s Golden Age such as Tahia Carioca and Samia Gamal...becoming their personal friend. Mo studied ballet since the age of ten in various ballet schools in Cairo and abroad, including in Beirut and Paris. He attended courses in history of Egyptian and Arabian dances, oriental music and rhythms, ethnology, choreography, dramatic acting, mime, comedy, stage design, folklore and other related subjects.

Mo’s experience and studies were utilized when he co-founded the "Reda Dance Troupe" with Mahmoud Reda. As a solist and choreographer, Mo worked with Reda on new concepts and special style that raised the "Reda Troupe" to its present international standing. He performed and choreographed for Egyptian televison and theaters. His association with the "Reda Troupe" has continued until the present time. Mo’s considerable experience includes studying and performing with the dance company "Casino De Paris" in Paris and touring with them in several European countries. Mo choreographed and performed regularly in the weekly televison show "Beirut By Night" in Lebanon for four years. During that period he taught Egyptian folklore dances at the American University of Beirut and at Beirut Collage for Women. He choreographed and performed in the musical "The Boy Friend" for the American Repertory Theater, and in "FAUST" for the Lebanese Modern Theater. Mo taught Oriental Dance in Munich, Germany, where he choreographed for German TV. He also performed and acted in feature films and in theaters. As founder of the" Hathor Dance Troupe" in Berlin, Mo produced many Oriental and folklore dance shows in several theaters in Berlin and other European cities.

Mo has been giving workshops, courses, seminars and lectures on Egyptian folklore and oriental dances in Europe, the USA, Australia and the Middle East for many years. Mo has been a permanent member of the jury for Miss. and Mr. America of the Belly Dancing contest in San Francisco for the last 14 years. In this capacity he worked very closely with his long time close friends Ms. Magana Baptiste, director of the Royal Academy of Belly Dance and Mr. Bobby Farrah, owner of the dance magazine Arabesque. Mo received the recognition award of art in 1984 from the Egyptian ministry of culture for his contributions to development and improvement of the Egyptian dance, and the achievement award in 1986 from the Royal Academy of Belly Dance in San Francisco. He is also a Honoree of the Hall of Fame (AAMED).

The HATHOR DANCE TROUPE, named after the ancient Egyptian Goddess of fertility, love, dance and music, was founded by Dr. Mo Geddawi in 1985 in Berlin. The goals of the Hathor Dance Troupe are to internationalize Egyptian and oriental dances by teaching and training Germans and persons of other nationalities living in Germany to perform Egyptian and oriental dances. The Troupe desires to show Europeans the beauty of these colorful dances and to show Egyptians and Arabs living abroad a piece of their own culture. These goals have been successfully accomplished since 1986 through many successful performances during cultural events and festivals. The Hathor Dance Troupe has performed in famous Berlin theaters both alone and with the Reda Troupe. Presently, the members of the Hathor Dance Troupe are reckoned among the best dancers and dance teachers of Egyptian and oriental dances.
 

Interview

Q. I asked Mo about the origins of belly dance.

A. Mo noted that Professor Eckman, German ethnomusicologist, researched art work in the Temple at Dendara. There were images of women in dancer’s positions, including snapping fingers, hip movements and the posture with arms over the head. In this last posture, the arms are thought to represent the horns of Hathor’s headdress. The pictures also show the hip belt around musicians and dancers. Thus, it seems clear that belly dance has old roots in Egyptian culture. Furthermore, Egyptians call belly dance “baladi” which means “local”. In other parts of the Arab world, belly dance is referred to as “Egyptian dance”. In Egypt, everyone does this dance...every home, every kid, men and women...more than any other dance.

Q. Thinking about the tendency among some dancers to equate this dance with goddess ritual dance, I asked him about a connection with ancient religion.

A. Mo said that the whole of Egyptian culture developed from the religion or in connection with the religion. Dancers certainly danced in the temples, but the purpose of the performance would have been to entertain the goddess not to perform a ritual. He recommended a book by ballerina Irina Lexova, published by Dover. It is well researched and illustrated.

Q. I asked about what influence the gypsies or “Gawazee” had on belly dance in Egypt.

A. Mo stated that gypsies were not allowed to enter Egypt and hence could not have influenced the dance. The word “Ghaziya” simply means “dancer” and the word “Gawazee” is the plural of that word. The dancers in Upper Egypt, such as the Maazin family are Saiidi. The steps that they use in their dances are typical Saiidi steps, not gypsy. There may be some confusion about gypsies being in Egypt because the “Awalim” who were dancers in Cairo and Alexandra lived in performing families much like the flamenco dancers in Spain. They were not, however, gypsies.

Q. I asked about how belly dance developed in the 20th century.

A. Mo said that the first established theatrical/nightclub performer was Bedia Masabni who was Lebanese. She performed in the late 1920's in Cairo. She was the first to appreciate the commercial potential of performing in a theatrical setting. Formerly performers danced at events such as weddings or street fairs. Others saw the success she achieved and the business and art of belly dancing in theatrical and nightclub venues was born.

Q. I asked about the connection between dance and prostitution.

A. He said that for a long time dancers were required to sit with the customers and push drinks. This made it possible for some prostitutes to use belly dance as a cover for their operations. Or in some cases, good dancers were supported by a sponsor. Tahia Carioca was the first performer to refuse to sit with the customers.

Q. I asked about the conflict between religion and dancing in Egypt.

A. Mo said that there is a “love/hate” relationship between dancing and religion. This, however, is true of art and artists in general. Artists are thought to lead a more liberated life style than others, including sex, drinking, drugs, etc. Dancers are included in this image and consequently are also included in the censure. Furthermore, belly dancers expose themselves in their costume and there is an erotic element to belly dance. On the other hand, while it wasn’t wholly respectable, during the Golden Age of Belly Dance in Egypt, star performers were members of high society. So there is an ambivalence about the dance in Egypt.

Q. I asked about shoes and whether dancers wore them to perform.

A. He said the Awalim danced in shoes, but street dancers danced barefoot. He thought it had to do with relative affluence of the dancers, the Awalim being more successful. He believes, then, that the nightclub dancers always wore shoes in Egypt. He said that sometimes they may have been shown without them in movies, but that was to fulfill some vision on the part of the producer or director. It was not how they would normally perform.

Q. I asked how the term “Danse Orientale” came to be used.

A. Mo said that in the early days when belly dance was just beginning to be performed in night clubs, the dance was still referred to as “baladi”. The term “baladi” as two connotations, just as the them “country” has in the U. S. “Country” can mean “local” or it can mean “redneck” or lower class. Consequently, when Bedia Masabni was starting to build a career, she could not be introduced as “baladi”. A new term had to be devised and so the term “raqs sharqi” came into being. “Raqs sharqi” means “oriental (eastern) dance”. Tahia Carioca was the queen of raqs sharqi. The term “belly” dance came into being with the British. They called it that because part of the stomach was bared. The term “hanim” style simply means “like a lady”. The word “hanim” was a title for women much like “pasha” was a title for men.

Q. I asked about what relationship there was between belly dance and African dance.

A. Mo said that there was, of course, a lot of interchange between Egypt and the rest of Africa throughout history. The Pharaohs went to Africa to get slaves, gold, lions and also brought back dwarves who became clowns and entertainers in the courts. In time the dwarf became the god Bess of music. Mo believes that the Masai in Ethiopia have more remnants of ancient Egyptian culture in use today than does modern Egyptian culture. This is due to the relative isolation of the Masai culture.

Q. Lastly, I asked him about naming steps, since there is a movement here to do that.

A. He said that he has created names for steps, using classical and modern ballet terms in some cases. Others don’t use names. He said the reason for the lack of names is that there have never been schools for belly dance. The art form was kept within the families of the awalim and passed down in that family. He believes that each family had its own names for steps. These have been lost since the training was not open to others. In Egypt, this dance has not been taken seriously as an art form, so there has been no formal effort to collect the nomenclature or formalize it.

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