You must be living under a rock if you’ve never heard of the Egyptian project Ballerinas of Cairo. It’s a one of a kind project that shows stunning photographs of ballerinas in the streets of Cairo. We all know *cough* most *cough* Egyptians are not used to the sight of women flaunting their graceful bodies in ballet moves in the streets. “The was the thing that made this project a challenging and a unique one,” they told us. But it’s true, most of us, upon seeing these photos for the first time asked ourselves how did these girls not worry or get scared of getting harassed. It’s the thing that bugs every Egyptian girl and gives her nightmares, the simple act of just walking on your own damn street. “Yes, we were afraid. Of course we were afraid. But the ballerinas were so courageous and wanted to do it no matter what,” they reply when we ask them that question.
“The project was founded by directors Mohamed Taher and Ahmed Fathy. We don’t have a fixed schedule for shooting, once we’re free we just go out and shoot. Our ballerinas are Mariam El Gebali, Nour el Gazzar, Mirielle Azer, Nirvana el Nahhal, Veronica Emad, Passant Abo Pasha and Roshan Hesham. Most of them dance at the Cairo Opera House,” they tell us.
“The team were pleasantly surprised at the mild reactions of onlookers, some of whom saying how impressed they were at what the group were doing. Our base city is Cairo, but we have plans to take the project to all parts of the country — especially as we’ve received numerous requests from ballerinas in Alexandria asking to join the project.”
The project is a remarkable one. One that we all need to support, not only for its role in adding up to our appreciation and knowledge to this beautiful form of art, but also as it empowers Egyptian women in our streets. Keep it up, you guys! Egypt needs more of this.