ar from being a sensual entertainment which is confined with the obscure corners of the night clubs, the dance in Egypt is a true heritage which goes back to times of Egypt Antique.

Old scenes of more than 5 000 years represent women who express their prayers while dancing, a scarf on the hips, at the rhythm of a tambourine.

It is as by the dance as one celebrated, at that time, the weddings and the prosperous season of believed of the Nile

And during years, the dance remained a significant mean to express the joy " It is Bamba Kachar, the well-known dancer who danced in the procession of Saad Zaghloul, celebrating her return of exile " explains Sadeq Sabbour in its book the History of the Eastern dance in Egypt.

The famous dancer, who occurred only at the time of the weddings, had paid from her pocket so that the streets of the capital are covered with red carpets and flowers, of the preparations to the height of the event. According to historians', the first school of dance in Egypt goes back to 1852; it was located at Chabrakhit and gave courses to the 10 year old girls.

Chafiqa Al-Qébtiya (the copte) account among the first graduate ones of this school. This famous dancer, who marked Egypt of the beginning of XXème century, was called the "nun of the dance"

because it carried the costume of the nun while coming out of its house, then changed in the dance costume where she danced, in the downtown area. Exit of a preserving family, she was to have recourse to this handing-over to be able to practise the art which she liked. Chafiqa is the only one to have danced while carrying diamond and gold shoes whose price rose to 5 000 L.E.

At the beginning of the century, Naïma Akef, the girl with the beautiful smile, comes to give a new image of the dancer, that of the rascal. her photograph, in costume of dance, made the poster of the first festival of the Arab cinema in the Fifties. She was followed of Tahiya Carioca, dancer belonging to the school of the soft dance: " She was capable of superb performances, and all that while showing much flexibility and of simplicity ", tells Zizi Moustapha, which made an example from her.

Samia Gamal, the diva of the Eastern dance, as forher, marked a figure record. She danced until the 70 years age while keeping her form and her tonicity. And, against Tahia Carioca, she could evolve/move like a ballerina, the gestures of the hands and legs in perfect harmony, never separating from this long scarf which characterized her.