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Printed in "Al Cinema" magazine, 13 June 1946; Translated by Shining Peacekeeper; all images provided by Ahmed Elsemellawi My Teacher the Mirror
"Many people asked me when I learned to dance and who taught me how. Perhaps the last part of this question is due to the proliferation of dance schools these days, the abundance of teachers and the pride of many of my colleagues who boast about being a student of Professor So-and-So or Dancer So-and-So. As for when I learned to dance, I can’t pinpoint it precisely. I grew up in an artistic family and I used to hear music and singing and dance melodies and see the singer-dancers swaying to the beats of the drum and tunes of the qanun and oud. I used to stare at each of them and go to bed after returning from the school, and I would think about what I had seen and heard. And how much I wished to grow up so my body would be full and mature in order to imitate those dancers and have my name as an actress and dancer on every tongue…"
"Actually, I would steal any opportunity to get in front of the mirror and watch myself dance. This art reigned over my mind and I became more and more passionate about it. “The Mirror” started to become my first teacher, in front of whom I corrected my mistakes and attempted to find the most difficult movements. I worked hard to become an excellent dancer and this habit stuck with me until I grew up and was able to satisfy my identity in art, so I did not leave the mirror and did not reject it as an honest and trustworthy teacher who would tell me about my mistakes before people found out about them. It reveals to me the beauty of this movement or the corruption of that one before criticism and critics reveal it, and since the artist needs diversification and innovation every day in order to reach the desired perfection I have never humored the thought of listening to the advice of a coach or waiting for his innovations. Rather, I used to stand and still do, everyday in front of my first teacher, the mirror, for some time; trying out new moves, new outfits, and new colors of dance." 
"On this occasion, I would like to offer advice to those who love art and cinema, which is that dancing is, first and foremost, a talent that is polished by humility, patience, perseverance and diligence. All of these are qualities that must be present in everyone who dreams to have her name recited in the world of art. Perhaps many people remember that I started working in film acting many years ago. I did not have the opportunity to appear after that until two or three years ago. This did not make me despair or retire from practicing my art, but rather I continued working until opportunities arose again. Who knows, the day may soon come when I will act in a dance film. With the starring role to satisfy my acting identity as well!" ~Nabaweya Mustafa  Caption: This is one of the most difficult movements the mirror taught me.
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Nabaweya Mustafa is a lesser-remembered but still prominently featured dancer of the Egyptian cinematic golden era (appearing in over 45 films between 1935 - 1955), whose background, training and life story has remained largely unknown. With new information supporting her position as a well known and popular artist raised by the almah Ms. Anisa el Masreya in the traditions of Mohammed Ali Street entertainers, we can start to examine what skills and talents their work together entailed. According to current findings (as of Sept 2023), the first publications to appear, which mention Anisa el Masreya (aka Anous), her ensemble and her “sister” Nabaweya follow the 1932 Arabic Music Conference (مؤتمر الموسيقى العربيه فى القاهرة). It appears Anous was invited with her ensemble to participate at the conference in Cairo to represent the traditional kinds of music sung by Awalim for weddings and other important ceremonies such as the metahir (circumcision), a few recordings of which are available digitally: Anussa al-Misriyya and her ensemble of almeh (301-304) "Metaher ya Oud Oronfil" (no. 301) "Leyla el Henna"(no. 302) Zeffat al-Arousa "Ya Talaa Talaet el Badr" (no. 303) Zeffat al-Arousa "Onzor Beeinak" (no.304) I have yet to see anything that specifically lists each member of Anous’s ensemble and their duties, but it's implied by her presence in the publications which followed the conference that Nabaweya was likely singing if not also playing something like a frame drum.  Caption below image: Singer Anisa Al-Masrya and her sister Nabaweya [78rpm Recordings] (Awalim) at the Arab Music Conference. Caption to right: I had the opportunity to hear samples of the (Awalim) records being made at the music conference by Gramophone Company featuring the famous almah the singer Anisa el-Masreya, her sister Nabaweya and the members of her band. I liked how the melodies were set on (the wahda [rhythmic mode]) and what increased their beauty is that they were composed of beloved popular melodies. It would be great if the Gramophone Company rushed to produce them and have them ready for listeners. ([signed: a musician]) We see in the above musician's review, some details about their program at the conference such as the use of popular [shaabi] melodies set to the Wahda rhythm which we heard earlier in "Metaher ya Oud Oronfil". A few years later we get just a handful more details to embellish our understanding of the shows these artists gave.
These two clippings appear in the same issue of Al Sabah Magazine, a few months following the below review of their performance from a private family event in Mansoura, solidifying our understanding that Nabaweya was indeed performing raqs sharqi at weddings and other high society celebrations before and concurrent with her work in cinema, alongside Anous and her ensemble of musicians and vocalists. The promotional photo of Nabaweya used here also coincides with other featurettes which mentioned dances she prepared such as "The Peacock" and " Star Soliloquy" but not where she performs them (whether they were made for film, casino/sala shows, or otherwise was unidentified), suggesting these dances were created specifically for the parties where she and Anous entertained.  Caption: We saw Ms. Anisa el-Masreya, last Thursday evening, at the el-Qasaby family party in Mansoura, and we found her a true artist who demonstrated brilliance, genius, and ability in her art, and all the members of her troupe proved their skill and ingenuity, so I congratulate her as I congratulate miss Nabaweya for her wonderful raqs sharqi. ([Signed: female spectator from the audience]) Also presented at these events was a careful selection of "serious music" and tarab-inducing songs. Could this include the "higher education" repertoire typically played by male musicians of the time as mentioned by Frederic Legrange? The ad below specifically mentions the creation of interesting and innovative monologues, a rising form at this period [which was developing as a comedic and often political genre.] Certainly, as wedding entertainers, "light music" such as vocal taqtuqa or instrumental dance melodies were present, but I remain curious about what other musical forms were presented by their (often mixed-gender) ensemble, and what percentage of each show was allocated to which kinds of vocal or instrumental pieces.  Caption: Ms. Anisa el Masreya and Miss Nabuweya Mustafa on the occasion of creating new dances and interesting, innovative monologues to be presented for parties and family celebrations. Her ensemble is formed from a select group of beautiful [female] voices. Address: Muhammed Ali Street No. 196, Egypt. After exposure to these tiny new pieces of information, I am seeing with a different eye, Sabah in the 1946 film عدو المرأة [Aeduun al Mar’a’] ("Enemy of Women"), imagining Anous in her place with all her ensemble around her while Nabaweya dances for the guests, and rewatching 1945 أحلاهم [Ahlahum] ("The Sweetest") where Nabaweya is depicted dancing and singing to the bride and her guests, wondering if indeed it is her voice and how accurate a representation it is of her real life work.  Caption: An Acting, Dancing and Singing Star The thing Egyptian cinema needs most is the new faces which directors search for here and there in order to introduce to the audience shining stars who will appear on the screen and impress them with their charm and magnetism. The well-known director Ibrahim Lama managed to find our young star Nabaweya Mostafa, and his discovery was a very important event in the local cinema. Miss Nabaweya Mostafa is not only one of the few girls who possesses talents rarely found in other girls, but her talents combine three arts: acting, dancing, and singing, and the audience will see her in her roles in each of those arts.... [Read the rest of the translation in the Nabaweya Mustafa gallery!] aAs we dig further back into Nabaweya's start in film it seems more and more likely she sang as well as danced, even if that's not what she became famous for. In at least one featurette on the new star from the film Maruf Al Badawi (1935) we are promised to see her in this leading role using all her skills of singing, dancing and acting! Unfortunately this film has been difficult to track down in order to see it for myself, so I'll have to wait to make a comparison to the scene in Ahlahum ("The Sweetest") about whether this could actually be Nabaweya’s voice or a dubbed in singer. As for Ms. Anisa el-Masreya, she apparently was rumored to have a small appearance in Maruf al Badawi as well but whether as a singer or actress is currently unclear, and there is no explicit information to indicate she was ever a dancer, her title remains throughout "Almeh", with seldom more specific addendums such as Mutriba ("Singer"). Although the information on these artists and the specifics of their work is still so limited, this collection of magazine clippings serves to widen our understanding of what awalim shows looked like throughout the mid 20th century, and help us be observant of where true-to-life crossovers occur in Egyptian cinema, in addition to adding more color and roundedness to Nabaweya and Anous’s personal stories. Special thanks to George Sawa, Mari M., Ahmed Elsemallawi for assistance with translations as well as musical and cultural points in the texts.
Other References:
Published in "Al Aroussa w Al Fan Al Cinema" Magazine No. 547 Vol. XI. Date: August 28th, 1935 (Most likely written by magazine Editor El Sayed Hassan Gomaa?); Translation assistance by Mari Mohammed with edits by Shining Peacekeeper.  An Acting, Dancing and Singing Star
The thing Egyptian cinema needs most is the new faces which directors search for here and there in order to introduce to the audience shining stars who will appear on the screen and impress them with their charm and magnetism. The well-known director Ibrahim Lama managed to find our young star Nabaweya Mostafa, and his discovery was a very important event in the local cinema. Miss Nabaweya Mostafa is not only one of the few girls who possesses talents rarely found in other girls, but her talents combine three arts: acting, dancing, and singing, and the audience will see her in her roles in each of those arts. Even though Nabaweya had never appeared on the screen, in an interview of mine with her she said: “I fell in love with cinema a long time ago, and I always used to go to the movie theaters and watch the stars totally amazed. I also used to collect magazines in many languages, and I would passionately read the stars’ news and their biographies and admire their photos, which increased my obsession with the cinema to the point that I made a semi studio out of my own room and I would act there in front of the mirror, all the scenes that I would see here on the screen. However, I was looking for more than that; I was looking forward to seeing myself in a real, non-imaginary studio, and finally that dream has come true as you can see.” Nabaweya stopped talking for a second and looked like she woke up from a beautiful dream to see herself facing the truth and reality. She said while her eyes wandered the studio corners: “I thought that working in the cinema industry was easy and relaxed, but I found it very tiring and exhausting!! It’s a nerve-racking and physically taxing job, but despite that it’s a very fun job if you end up with a satisfying result.” While she talked, her tone of voice indicated her great self confidence. It wasn’t surprising anymore that she stood in front of the camera not nervous or stammering. It seems one of the special traits that Nabaweya has is her hard work and determination, she doesn’t show any frustration when the director Ibrahim Lama asks her to re-do a scene many times until the scene comes out as desired. So wouldn’t we, after all that, predict a great future for her? |
AuthorShining is a performer, instructor and researcher of Egyptian traditional dances, whose work reflects a strong emphasis of the cultural and historical influences on the medium of dance in and from Egypt. She is the founder of www.banatmazin.com, a website dedicated to the legacy of the famous "Banat Mazin", artistic family from Luxor. Categories
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