The fascinating dancing performance, "Women from Egypt", choreographed and directed by Tarek Hassan, is currently on at the Cairo Opera House. Angy Essam attended the show. The massive dancing production is on at 8 pm every day, at the Main Hall. ''Women from Egypt'' is performed by the Forsan El Sharq heritage company which is affiliated to the Cairo Opera House. The company was set up in 2009 by famous dancer, choreographer and director Walid Awny. One year later, in 2010, the company joined the Cairo Opera House. The Forsan El Sharq Company is famous for its creative dance movements, inspired by the Egyptian and Arabian heritage. The troupe is known for its historical, dramatic and oriental choreography that has been hugely successful in all its previous shows and making it tremendously popular. The performance aims at reviving the Egyptian and Arabian dance legacy by reformulating it artistically. The idea of the show, as explained by its director and choreographer Tarek Hassan, is to cover the various stages of development undergone by Egyptian women throughout the ages, from ancient times to the modern era. The performance highlights the vital role of Egyptian women in history. ''In the first part of the performance, the curtain rises on Scene One, showing students and their teacher in a classroom. When the teacher asks a girl to lead the class, the male students are annoyed and start protesting. The teacher begins then to explain the greatness of Egyptian women's status in society and how essential the role they have played and are still playing; giving examples of famous Egyptian women who have changed history," said Hassan. Hassan said that the performance contained well known compositions that clearly express the idea of the show. "Women from Egypt" highlights the path of five historical Egyptian women, demonstrating their essential contributions to Egyptian society and how they influenced history. The show concentrates on the lives of five great women from different eras: Queen Cleopatra from the Pharaonic era, Hepatia from the Roman era, Princess Fatma Ismail the daughter of the Khedive Ismail and the granddaughter of Mohamed Ali the founder of Modern Egypt, Hoda Sharawi a pioneering Egyptian feminist, nationalist and founder of the Egyptian Feminist Union and the nuclear energy scientist and genius Samira Moussa. Hassan confirmed that these five great women had been chosen for two reasons, firstly, because of their vital role in Egyptian society and secondly, because they came from different eras; and the performance wanted to prove that Egyptian women, at every stage in history, have contributed a great deal to making Egypt what it is now. Without Egyptian women, Egypt wouldn't have become the great country we live in now,'' he added. The performance's dazzling costumes were painstakingly chosen to ensure that they reflected each character's role in history and the era to which they belonged. The choreography succeeds in conveying the show's message and in clearly illustrating the greatness of Egyptian women not in words, but through the language of dance.
