Ep 279. Hend Elbalouty: Book Discussion: Mahraganat in Egypt. Between Acceptance & Rejection
Hend Elbalouty is a choreographer, performer and author. She holds a MA in Performing Arts from Kunsthochschule für Medien, a BA in Production Design from the Institute of Cinema Studies in Egypt and a 3-year degree in Contemporary Dance from Cairo Contemporary Dance Center. She works across mediums combining and mixing them in accordance to the project at hand. In the last few years, she collaborated and presented many multidisciplinary art pieces such as “FrauenGold'' Video Exhibition in Hamburg, “The Kitchen” Dance performance, Köln, “Absence” a group exhibition at CoCulture Art space, Berlin. In 2021, she created a performance inspired by the local street dance and music in Egypt called Maharagant, for which she was awarded the “kunstpreis der FREUNDE der KHM”. Hend strives to produce and participate in socially aware dance pieces, constantly exploring the role of art as a tool to empower the individual and bring out those neglected modes of expression.
In this episode you will learn about:
Hend’s personal dance journey, and what led to researching Mahraganat
Professional Mahraganat dancers, and what it means
The concept of a street as private community space
Why would dance possibly turn into a fight
The process of writing and producing the book
Show Notes to this episode:
Find Hend Elbalouty on Instagram and her website. Information about her book “Mahraganat in Egypt: Between Acceptance & Rejection” is available HERE. You can order it online via khanaljanub.com, or khm.de
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