‘The Mistake’ Competition at Nile Group Festival

Competition day at Nile Group Festival is always interesting for me.  Usually I get assorted people who know me, asking if I’ll enter the competition especially if they have seen me dance in the first dance party.  Usually I dance with the band and improv, because its hard to choreograph to the band as you never know what version of the song they will play.

This year I decided that I just didn’t want to bop around on stage so at the first dance party I danced to CD to Alf Leyla wa Leyla.  I had just taught a few workshops in California and the choreography was fresh in my mind, I also really like the choreography.  I wore one of my new favorite costumes, a hot pink number from Mamdouh Salama that I think is stunning.  I thought the performance was really good and I was hoping the organizers were watching, as of course being a teacher, I would love to teach at the festival.  I have not had the opportunity although I have attended every festival for the last two and a half years.

To make a long story short, I decided just a few hours before the competition to enter.  I have done many competitions before and have won awards and I have said I was done with competition, but as I would like to teach I thought I should join since my style is very Egyptian and I could possibly get the attention of the festival to teach.  I have also been told by some very high profile stars of Cairo that I am a great dancer and they love my Egyptian style more than so and so dancer who won the competition before.  As we all know, sometimes competitions are political and I figured if I at least place it would be good.

I have been dancing a long time.  I have taken class with every teacher imaginable.  I can’t say my style is very distinct like Randa Kamel or Dina for example, but I know I’m a good dancer and I’m also a very good teacher.

I asked a few people I know whose opinion I value,  what they thought and they all said yes I should enter.  As I was talking to a very good friend of mine to ask his opinion, a teacher came up to me and told me how much she enjoyed my performance two nights previous and said it was so great just to see someone dance relaxed.  She said she was happy when she saw me because she felt like she could breathe and just enjoy it and I was not over doing my dancing as is the general style lately in her opinion.  I said thank you and my friend said “you see, you should enter”.  So that kind of sealed the deal for me and I came home to practice a bit before the competition.

As I was practicing, I started having doubts.  “Why should I do this?  I don’t have to prove anything. -I have been dancing too long to enter competition and I shouldn’t do it.  I already dance in Cairo and I don’t need to say to anyone I am good enough.” All the little voices in my head were rolling around and around.

I called my boyfriend to tell him how I was feeling and he said, “Enter.  I saw you dance, and you are great.  Go have fun and don’t worry about it.” I said, “ok you’re right”, and I told the little voices to shut up! 

I arrived at the competition, took my number and went to change.  As I was changing, a contestant asked me, “Oh will you be dancing with the band?  Are you going to do a show?”  I said, “No, I’m in the competition”.  She look at me with a perplexed look on her face and said, “But, but you’re a professional.  I’ve seen you dance.  You’re great”.  THEN- I felt like an idiot and that I was making a really big mistake, but it was too late to back out.  I was in and that was that.  So I said to her “Yes, but I would love to teach  so maybe if I can win something then they will ask me to teach.”  Then she said, “Oh, I thought you were already teaching here, well you’re right maybe this will be the way.”

Cut to…end of the night.  We all finished performing.  There were about 28 contestants which was quite a lot considering the turn out of girls at the festival.  I thought at least I would place, but I did not.  I was crushed.  I’m not one to let things like that crush me and I didn’t cry or get crazy, but I felt bad inside.  All I could think of was that I made a very big mistake and why am I trying to prove myself?  Also, to be beaten by girls who have maybe been dancing less than half the time I have, also made me upset.  In almost every competition I’ve been in I have placed in the top 3 at least.  It was a crushing blow to my ego.

The next day I was still upset about it.  What made matters worse was that I was upset BECAUSE I was upset.  LOL.  If that makes any sense to you.   My boyfriend said he needed to call my mom for the manual on me to answer that statement.    What I mean is that with all that is going on in the world, really, should I be upset because I lost in a belly dance competition?  People are getting killed everyday in the Middle East.  There are wars and revolutions right now at this very moment, and I’m upset because I lost a belly dance competition?  So what did I do?  I went SHOPPING!!    Food shopping to be exact,  because one of my new creative passions is cooking.  I love to shop and look for interesting items at the supermarket.  That night I came home, cooked a beautiful dinner and felt better.  As I always say, sometimes you don’t get what you want the way you want it, but I live in Cairo, I dance here and I’ve danced at the Pyramids, the Nile Maxim Boat, the Nile Pharoah Boat and Camelia has asked me to cover for her at the Grand Hyatt Boat.  I’ve danced at a palace in Qatar for the royal family.   I teach, I have students who adore me and people who really love the way I dance.  After I put it all into perspective, I don’t need an award to tell me I’m good.  I dance in Cairo and that’s good enough. 

Update:  So I went to Ahlan wa Sahlan to hang out with Jillina and Princess Farhana.  When I went to say hi to Raqia Hassan we said our hi’s and she asked where I have been.  Then she told me “Aleya, you will teach here at the festival next year.”  I answered “Inshallah”.  So I will see you in class next year at Ahlan wa Sahlan!  

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