Money for dancers in Cairo

The other day I made my first commercial shooting in Cairo! We were dancing for the Zanussi company's big promotional event for electrical machinery in a grand mall in Cairo. The performance was a fun bouncy jive in couples and each of the dancers costumes represented professions that would want to use the Zanussi machines. I was a chef, others for example mechanics, regular egyptian family etc. Im not gonna focus on the dance itself but something crucial and principal to the dance world in Egypt - the business of money.

With my first shooting I learnt, this is where the money is hidden in the dance world. This is where the real fight and competition for dance work is happening. Why? Because they pay good;)

WHAT WORKING IN OPERA REALLY MEANS

Happy with my first contract in Opera

The Cairo opera dancers (ballet and contemporary dancers) make up the most respectable and  prestigious class of dancing in Egypt. By the general eyes dance is already looked upon as controversial career and not too decent. But within the artists circle the Opera dancers are highly valued, because of their academic school and road to this position - most of the opera dancers come from Higher Institute of Ballet or School of Contemporary Dance, the only institutions to give a governmental diploma of dance artistry.

But the truth is, although Cairo Opera is the most prestigious work place for dancers, it does not love them back, the salary is ridiculously low and one most certainly does not live off from it. The salary is about 3 times lower than in Europe. One might argue that the living cost in Egypt is also 3 times cheaper, but IT IS NOT! The prices for food and housing and practically everything have skyrocketed after the Arab Spring and by my own experience prices might even top the ones in Europe at the current moment.

So, truth being told, most of the dancers keep to the Opera jobs because of the prestige and better possibilities for extra work with Opera in their CV's. And I am no different.

By the official contract for an Opera artist, its forbidden to work outside the Opera. But this is Egypt, rules exist, but are usually not obeyed and all opera artists work in other places. Because outside is where the real money is.

EASY MONEY

For a commercial video shoot (music video, TV-advertising, presentations etc.) one might get 700-1500 pounds (90-200 EUR). So one day of shootings brings the artist about half of her monthly salary in the Opera. And the shoots are easy and fun, because they are for the public,  aimed to sell or entertain.

Still most of the time and energy of an artist goes to the Opera, because this is what is expected and this is what it means to be a trained trained  - high quality art. This is the ideal. Sadly most of the dancers I know are not very motivated because the governmental salarys are just so degradingly low.

THEATER WORK

Kaidi in egyptian musical rehearsal

I have heard the folkloric dancers in the state theater Balloon (with Reda and Kaomeya companies) take about 700 pounds (87 EUR), but its work only 3 days a week.

For musical and drama work in commercial theaters (drama and comedy plays with music and dance) they pay about 60 pound (8 EUR) for a play. I can imagine Your facial expression just about now! Why dance for this ridiculously low price? Because its constant work with a contract and its an easy job. 

In the present time (we call it baad el saura - after the revolution) stability is what all artists truly need. Work is very little and any contract they can get their hands on will have to do. I remember the moment when I was reading and signing my opera contract and was joking over the salary numbers: "Really!? $1000? And a company car and lunch money in addition?!". The guys smiled and replied serious: " Wallah ya Kaidi, these days You are very lucky to have any contract at all".

ORIENTAL DANCERS

The best places for a decent oriental dance show in Cairo are the cruise boats along the river Nile and a few 5-star hotels. I know the foreigner oriental dancers on the Nile cruise boats take around 300 pounds (38 EUR) per trip but this work is not every night and they too have been seriously affected by the Revolution and lack of tourists riding these boats.

DIRTY MONEY

A cheap cabaret in Cairo Downtown

When I came to Cairo 1 year ago and was scanning the oriental dance field for work I learnt that the only immediate contracted and available work would have been cabarets. Cheesy non-prestigious cabarets with suspicious audience and killer work hours (from 11 PM to 5 AM). Good dancing is not expected, but provocative costumes and getting friendly with the customers is strongly recommendable. The money would have been good! About 500 per gig, making 4 cabarets pay me 2000 pounds (250 EUR) per night. To cut a long story short, I understood this was not a work for me. I did not train myself day and night, body and brain for 14 years to become half-naked cabaret dancer in Cairo. It is the lowest prestige job a dancer might have in Egypt and its just not worth the money and above all one's self-respect.

ART AND MONEY DON'T MIX

So by now You might have the question, why not just work for the shootings all the time? Easy work and fast money, right!? I have two answers for You.
Firstly,  it rarely happens. These days most businesses don't invest too much money for advertising or video productions hiring dance artists, because there are more cheaper ways for them. So when we hear someone got a great shooting deal we look to her with envy and say, she is very lucky. This is dancer's life and reality here. Shooting happen sometimes and You have to be very smart Egyptian style to catch that work. This is something im still learning
to do:). 

Secondly the shootings will never give me the artistic satisfaction to express my skills and expressions as the Opera enables. In the Opera I can be part of big high-quality productions that drain me physically and emotionally and this kind of artistic torture is what feeds me and my hunger for art! Sounds too deep maybe but I believe for a true artist "easy work" is just not enough. But the lesson learnt with my first commercial shooting in a chef costume is - art and money don't mix but shootings are a gold mine!