Farida Fahmy's Official Dance Site




		About Farida Fahmy Born in 1940 in Cairo, Egyptian dance and cinema icon Farida Fahmy was co-founder and principle dancer of the Original Reda Troupe for 25 years. Elevating Egyptian theatre dance to the high arts, her unique style, grace and elegance inspired generations of dancers and won her the admiration of her audiences in Egypt and abroad. Her dedication, hard work, discipline and commitment to the troupe made her a role model that was emulated by generations of dancers. Together with her brother-in-law Mahmoud Reda and the Reda troupe, she traveled extensively, performing in over 60 countries and participated in international dance festivals where the troupe has won various prizes and awards. She has danced for heads of states in numerous cultural and honorary performances in Egypt and abroad. The Reda troupe represented Egytian cultural arts and dance theatre - the first of its genre to express Egyptian dance theatre on a worldwide level and to so many international audiences.
	In 1967 Farida was decorated by President Gamal Abdel Nasser with the Order of Arts and Sciences for services rendered to the state, in 1956 by King Hussein of Jordan with the Star of Jordan, and in 1973 by President Bourguiba of Tunisia. She starred in a number of Egyptian films, as well as in two major musicals directed by her late husband Ali Reda, starring Mahmoud Reda and The Reda Troupe. Farida continued to pursue her education while she performed in The Reda Troupe. She received her Bachelor of Arts in English Literature from Cairo University in 1967, and her Master of Arts degree in Dance Ethnology from The University of California at Los Angeles. Her social statue and her artistic career, together with her academic achievements, further enhanced the already growing positive view towards female dancers at the time.
		Farida Fahmy started to give classes and workshops from the year 2000, traveling extensively to Europe, the United States, and South America. Her primary aim is to teach students the essence of this dance genre, and to have a deeper knowledge of the different qualities of movement it embraces. She emphasises the value of heightened kinesthetic awareness to develop the dancer's own physical and emotional experience. Are you interested in further reading of Farida Fahmy's full life story with archival images from the Reda Troupe and more fascnating, personal stories from Farida's life? 'Daughter of Egypt' is a great book about Farida Fahmy by Marjorie Franken (PhD Dance Ethnology UCLA) is available to order online here.

	IMPORTANT NOTE: Permisssion for reprinting this article must be sought to legally obtain Farida's personal permission - sent to you in writing, to use the article and include the appropriate credit details. Please feel free to contact office@farifafahmy.com we are happy to help.



Official website of Farida Fahmy. Contact the Office of Farida Fahmy in Egypt office@faridafahmy.com Contact the web designer Keti Sharif Contents copyright 2008 (c)