In 1930, Damanhour City in el-Beheira Governorate in the Delta got its first opera house. And, in 2013, Damnhour has now got the First International Damanhour Festival for Folk Arts. The festival, that opened late on Sunday in Damnhour Opera House, features different folkloric arts from Egypt, India, Greece and Indonesia. The Egyptian troupe Fursan el-Shark opened the festival with a work inspired by the folkloric tale of Yassin and Bahia. Their work featured several dances inspired by famous folk dances from around Egypt. The Beheira Folk Troupe participated in the dances performed in the opening ceremony, reflecting the personality of the governorate and the city hosting the festival. The big surprise in the opening ceremony was the short performance by the Greek troupe Stefanos Karatheodoris, which witnessed cheerful, elderly ladies dancing energetically. According to Dr Inas Abdel-Dayyem, head of Cairo Opera House, the organiser of the festival, one of its aims is to explore, document and promote folkloric heritage. “It's part of the continuous dialogue of civilisations," she stressed. The festival may also described as one of the efforts to preserve these folkloric arts and establish a platform for troupes from Egypt and other world countries to meet and exchange experiences. It may also help boost tourism in Damanhour, a beautiful place, that rarely gets highlighted on the tourist map. The festival, which runs until Thursday, will witness works by six Egyptian troupes, in addition to three troupes from Greece, India and Indonesia. It will also allow you to enjoy not only different folkloric songs and music, but also beautiful costumes and tales coming from different places and different ages.
