Leylet Raqs Heritage – Muhammad Ali Street Edition is a three-day journey into the living history of Egyptian dance, music, and popular entertainment. Set in Ghent, the festival brings together movement, scholarship, cinema, and performance to explore the roots of Raqs Sharqi through the lens of Cairo’s legendary entertainment district.
At the heart of the festival lies a one-of-a-kind Museum Exhibition, showcasing rare and fragile historical materials: vintage newspapers, postcards, original photographs, posters, books, and vinyl records documenting Egyptian dancers across generations. Accompanied by authentic Golden Era records played on a vintage turntable, the exhibition offers an immersive, sensory encounter with dance heritage rarely accessible to the public.
We are honoured to welcome an exceptional group of international guest artists and researchers, including Nisaa (Heather D. Ward), Reda Henkesh, and Nada Al Basha. Through workshops, lectures, film screenings, and performances, they share embodied knowledge, personal histories, and deep cultural research.
Leylet Raqs Heritage is more than a festival — it is a space where memory, artistry, and living tradition meet.
ALL INFORMATION HERE:
https://www.shoonyadance.com/leylet-raqs-festival
LEYLET RAQS HERITAGE – Muhammad Ali Street Edition
📍 Shoonya Dance Centre, Ghent
📅 Friday 29 – Sunday 31 May 2026
☀️FRIDAY | 29 MAY
• Historical Ghent + Chocolate Tour
16:00–17:30 | Guide: Lenka Badriyah
(Extra activity – 15€ | 5 pralines included)
• Lecture: Zubah al-Klubatiyah – The Life and Legacy of One of Cairo’s Most Famous Awalim
19:30–21:00 | Nisaa & Reda Henkesh
• Museum Exhibition – Grand Opening
21:00–22:00
☀️SATURDAY | 30 MAY
• Workshop: Baladi Masri Home Made
09:00–10:30 | Nada Al Basha
• Snack Break
10:30–11:00
• Workshop: The Awalim and the Delta Ghawazi – Music and Movement
11:00–13:00 | Nisaa & Reda Henkesh
• Lunch Break
13:00–13:30
• Lecture: The Entertainment Landscape of Cairo
13:30–15:00 | Nisaa & Reda Henkesh
• Movie Time: Funoon Shaabeya + Discussion
15:15–16:45 | Sheyla
• Museum Exhibition
17:00–19:00
• Theatre Show
19:30–21:00 | Tickets: 20€
☀️SUNDAY | 31 MAY
• Museum Exhibition
09:00–10:00 & 12:00–12:45
• Workshop: Egyptian Belly Dance in Transition (1890–1930)
10:00–12:00 | Nisaa & Reda Henkesh
• Lunch Break
12:00–12:45
• Lecture: From the Street of Art – Life of a Muhammad Ali Street Entertainer
12:45–14:15 | Nisaa & Reda Henkesh
• Workshop: Dancing Sheikh Imam – Bodies Singing Memory and Resistance
14:30–16:30 | Nada Al Basha
• Closing Circle
16:30–17:00
Also check out other Festivals in Gent, Workshops in Gent, Exhibitions in Gent.
