Egyptian dancers on show in Jakarta

Tantri Yuliandini, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Spinning and spinning, the man wearing a multicolored, multilayered skirt over his traditional white Egyptian galabea costume spun round and round, all the colors of his costume becoming a blur of rainbow mozaic.

Spinning to the music and without stopping, he suddenly threw a layer of his skirt over his head, enveloping him and turning himself into a beautiful giant spinning top. Then up went the skirt altogether, spinning high above his head, like a huge martabak dough ready to be fried.

It was a treat to see the Tanura, the Sufi mystical dervish dance, reenacted here in Jakarta as part of the month-long JakArt@2003 festival, by the Reda Folkloric Troupe from Cairo, Egypt.

The whirling dance was not a sacred dance, of course, but rather a modified, and secular, version inspired by the many traditional dances in 27 regions of Egypt.

But it was steeped in symbolism, nevertheless. The spinning signified the heavenly bodies encircling the sun and the discarding of skirts the abandonment of worldly ties.

Since Mahmoud Reda established the Reda Folkloric Troupe in 1959, the company has enthralled many audiences in more than 60 countries, and introduced them to the richness and magic of Egyptian dance.

Starting off with only 15 dancers, Reda Folkloric Troupe now has more than 150 members, including dancers, musicians and technicians. The group has presented more than 300 shows including dances, folkloric songs and ballads.

The group is endorsed by the Egyptian government and has traveled extensively throughout Egypt to collect folk dances and promote them to the world.

Reda Folkloric Troupe will perform at the opening of IDOLS photography exhibition at 7:30 p.m. on June 11, 2003, at Senayan Square, South Jakarta. For more information call JakArt@ at 021- 5265762, 2524705.