Daphne Pena returns to Edinburgh with a new show for 2007, adding more tales and dances from Cairo, following up her 2006 ‘Bellydance Diaries’. As in 2006, it blends dancing (and live music) with fictionalised stories of the women who she meets in Cairo while studying and practicing bellydancing.
This combination of dancing and story telling is an excellent idea. Pena introduces us to various characters, from a bored housewife from the north of England, to professional Egyptian dancers and her Russian landlady. By including these different perspectives, she explores issues for women in Egypt, inviting the audience to reflect on their freedoms and the limits which are set on them. Pena’s bellydance costumes are amazing, shimmering concoctions, and the musicians are excellent – particularly the tabula and riq player, who stuns the audience with a riq solo producing sounds and rhythms I wouldn’t have thought possible on tambourine-like instrument.
There are a few niggles along the way. I found some of the shifts in character a little confusing. As you might expect with such complex costumes, some of the changes took a little longer than expected, and while the musicians entertain during the gaps, the show seems to lose some momentum during these periods. The lighting could also have done with being softened a little – I found it distracting to see the instrument players so brightly lit, particularly during Pena’s monologues. As this was a preview show, I would hope that these technical issues will be addressed in later shows.
This show will appeal to those seeking an introduction to bellydancing and a behind the scenes peak into the lives of the performers, and is certainly worth considering by fans of Arabic music.
[Kathryn Mack]
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