As part of the cultural and traditional entertainment this Dubai Shopping Festival (DSF) 2010, the centuries-old Egyptian dance form ‘Tanoura’ is captivating shoppers across Dubai’s malls. The enigmatic performance of the Egyptian dancers never fails to capture the attention of its viewers. These unique performers recently showcased their art at Arabian Centre, a key sponsor of DSF 2010.
There are various ways of dancing the ‘Tanoura’ ( meaning dance, dancer or skirt in English) but the one that is shown this DSF 2010 narrates the story of a man who experiences spiritualism and leaves his worldly surroundings for it.
The different elements of ‘Tanoura’ stand for various messages. As told, it is a story that connects men to the divine; a dance that refers to the relationship of land and the sky, man and God. To be able to show this through the dance, the performers' round skirts and swirling actually refer to the circle of life or the universe. The specially-designed miniature light bulbs in their costumes that only come on at the middle of the dance refer to the new life and pure soul. The cloth that they put onto their eyes and cover their faces symbolises their affinity towards spiritualism and their detachment from the world.
With this explanation, the ‘Tanoura’ is somehow a dance of prayer. Aside from its mystic story, the colourful costumes that denote various human feelings and experiences, the mysterious sound of drums and the flute and the graceful movements throughout contribute to the almost-magical show that is sure to mesmerise audiences of all ages.
The Egyptian performers Walid El Masry, Mohammad Issa, Islam Mohammed, Saeed Ilkawaqa and Amir Youssef have been dancing the ‘Tanoura’ since their childhood. Mohammad Shalaby and Abdelnabi Nofal – who begin the show by playing music to invite audiences – are the musicians who provide wonderful beats to the performance. These performers have devoted themselves to dancing the ‘Tanoura’ for the past twenty years. They have travelled to and performed at various places like Tunisia, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and Sudan, to name a few.
