Sham3dan

The shamdan dance (Candlestick Dance) is a unique and playful art form that originated in the 19th century when a candlestick-carrying dancer announced a wedding by walking through the city's dark streets, lighting up the path. Since then, the shamdan dance has been performed during weddings and festive ceremonies. Over the years, the dance changed and mythical stories saw the light of day. For instance, the story is told that Shafiqa Al Kobteya - founder of the Shamedan dance - leaning back with a candelabra on her head balances filled glasses on her belly. Or the story that Zooba El Klobateya had a candelabra of five stories and a whopping 10 kilograms made. Whatever the case, the dance is more than sensual entertainment for the male gaze. With their fire, the dancers influence the politics of the female body. Inspired by these forgotten and invented stories of their Egyptian predecessors, the Nasa4nasa collective evokes a world of female power, colonisation and mysticism.

The two dancers of Cairo-based dance collective Nasa4nasa - Noura Seif Hassanain and Salma Abdel Salam - are known for their duo dances in different settings and on different stages, from Instagram to an empty swimming pool or a squash court. Their debut performance SUASH premiered at the NEXT Festival in 2018. They recently received an award from the Arab Fund for Arts and Culture for Sham3edan (2023).