Lebanese director and designer Walid Awni, the head of Modern Dancing Festival in Cairo, is gearing up for the dancing show Kalilah Wa Dimnah.
Awni who is the founder of the modern theatrical dancing troupe of the Egyptian Opera House and the designer of the dances for Yousef Shahin’s two films, al Muhager (Immigrant) and al Masir (Destiny), is a controversial artist and a searcher for non-traditional and mystery.
“Kalilah Wa Dimnah is comprised of three parts: Tariq al Hareer (Silk Road), Asrar Samarqand (Samarqand Secrets) and Shehrazad Korsakov. Previously I presented the trio of Sutrat al Najat Tahet al Maqa’d (Life Vest Under Seat) and the Egyptian Trio,” the Lebanese designer told the daily al Nahar.
Awni won many prizes, medals and medallions throughout the course of his career and he will soon be decorated by France with the Literature and Art medallion, Knight rank. He also participated in the biggest Arabic and foreign festivals.
Responding to a question on the meaning of honoring, he said, “it is difficult for me to say and I don’t know whether honoring affects me. But it is fine as long as I am Lebanese and as long as Lebanon is forgetting me. Honoring raises value.”
“I started studying ballet dancing at the Royal Academy for Fine Arts in Brussels where I got acquainted with Maurice Bigar and discovered my love for the theater which I studied for seven years alongside my dancing studies. Bigar took interest in my cinographic, set and costume works and so I entered the dancing world through Bigar’s school and troupe. Bigar is one of the founders of modern dancing at the time of the modern theatrical dancing emergence in the late seventies. Modern dancing has been based on contemporary dancing which has in turn been based on classical dancing. The Belgian Ministry of Culture has recognized all my works and produced them during the period between 1985-1990 -- Albawaba.com
