Shafiqa al-Qibtiyya
Shafiqa al-Qibtiyya | |
|---|---|
 Shafiqa al-Qibtiyya | |
| Born | 1851 |
| Died | 1926 (aged 74–75) |
Shafiqa al-Qibtiyya or Shafiqa the Copt (1851–1926) was an Egyptian belly dancer (ghawazi). She is known as the first internationally famous belly dancer.[1]
Life
[edit]Shafiqa al-Qibtiyya was born in a Coptic family in Cairo in Egypt.[2] She was the student of the ghawazi dancer Shawq, despite her family's disapproval.[1] Shafiqa started taking lessons with Shawq on Sundays, telling her parents she was going to a local church.[3]: 39 When she decided she wanted to became a professional dancer, she fled to the Mediterranean Coast to perform at saint's festivals, also known as mawlids.[4] She then returned to Cairo to join Shawq's troupe performing at weddings and private parties.[3]: 39
Qibtiyya was the first female cabaret owner in Ezbekiyya, and she and other female caberet-owners, singers, and actresses dominated life in this area for decades. A talented performer with a devoted following, Egypt's elite were among her admirers and regular patrons.[5] She became the first belly dancer to become famous outside of Egypt. In 1869, she performed at the inauguration of the Suez Canal.[4] She also travelled abroad to perform in Paris, France.[4] She became a famous performer in the newly founded theatres and night clubs in Egypt, notably the El Dorado. She eventually founded her own club, Alf Leyla, and retired.
She created the “Dance of the Candlesticks,” where a belly dancer balances a candelabra (venyara or shamadan) on her head while performing. The routine also features champagne glasses rhythmically clinking on the dancer's stomach as it moves.[5] Many stories are told about her, such as an admirer buying champagne for her horses. She has erroneously been called the last awalim.[4]
Hassan el-Imam's 1963 film Shafiqa al-Qibtiyya (Shafiqa the Copt) transformed Shafiqa into a symbol of late 19th-century Cairo's glamorous nightlife, turning her into a mythical figure known for her immense talent and flamboyant persona, making it difficult to distinguish the fact and fiction of her life.[3]: 38
References
[edit]- ^ a b "شفيقة القبطية... أبرع راقصات عصرها" [Shafika the Copt...the most brilliant dancer of her time]. www.annahar.com (in Arabic). An-Nahar. 13 September 2022. Retrieved 16 July 2023.
- ^ Ibrahim, Mina (2022). Identity, Marginalisation, Activism, and Victimhood in Egypt. Cham, Switzerland: Springer Nature. pp. 171–173. ISBN 978-3-031-10179-3.
- ^ a b c Cormack, Raphael (2021). Midnight in Cairo: The Divas of Egypt's Roaring '20s. New York, NY: W. W. Norton & Company. ISBN 978-0-393-54114-4.
- ^ a b c d Zuhur, Sherifa (2021). Popular Dance and Music in Modern Egypt. USA: McFarland, Incorporated. pp. 29–31. ISBN 978-1476643113.
- ^ a b Spencer, Richard (May 1, 2021). "Midnight in Cairo by Raphael Cormack review — a bellyful of Cairo nightlife". The Times.