FOLK DANCE GROUP FROM KHARGA OASIS

I am going to take you on a dance journey into the desert. In February 2018, my dance friends and I headed towards the Kharga oasis. In other words, Kharga is the southernmost of Egypt‘s five western oases. Our main goal there was to make contact with local dancers and learn new moves. Therefore we found a group of dancers, whom you can see in the clip below. We spent five days together, learning from them. They are the Kharga Oasis official dance group.

In addition, I am adding this clip, where, as they said themselves, they portray the traditional dance from the Kharga oasis region. In seeing their steps and moves, as shown in this video, we can only assume that this choreography has been inspired by Egyptian stage folklore (Reda or El Kaomeyya).

Below I added two photographs showing female and male folklor garments of the Kharga Oasis.

There are various different folk dances in Kharga oasis. For instance, this one is danced only by men.  

In conclusion, I would like to add one more video. During our amazing trip, we were learning different dances, listening to local music, watching performances, and enjoying the desert. Above all, we enjoyed the company of the local dancers and their dance teacher. The oasis’s most talented choreographer is called Edi Mossalem and he is the heart and soul of Kharga dance troupe. One evening he gave us a special treat, a real male »belly« dance. Enjoy watching it.