Nabaweya Mustafa (نبوية مصطفى)
January 1, 1919 – August 31, 2001
LineageNabaweya Mustafa (also seen as Nabaweya el Masreya) appeared in nearly 50 films as a dancer and occasional actress between 1935-1955.
Born into the awalim tradition of Mohammed Ali Street, her mother the almah Anissa el-Masreya (nicknamed Anous) enjoyed wealth and prestige as an "Osta" (leader or boss figure) before retirement and Hajj. Ads indicate the mother-daughter duo worked together for private and public events for all of Egypt's elite and high-class families (although they are advertised as "sisters" in the clippings), performing early on in their careers for the 1932 Congress of Oriental Music in Cairo and recording a performance of wedding music for the historic event, around which time Nabaweya is estimated to have been 13-17 years old (most websites repeat the assertion she was born in 1919 while the journalist Ali Ibrahim, recalls her birth year at 1915 based on his personal conversation with Nabaweya and her daughter, late in Nabaweya's life). Available documentation presents Nabaweya's career as an innovative dancer, un-equaled in her creativity, agility, and flexibility, usually appearing as a prominent part of the program given by the troupe of the "almah" (العالمة) Anous. However, Nabaweya herself doesn't appear to have been directly referred to as an almah, which is probably due to her career in Egyptian Cinema; and although she was a highly demanded dancer, her roles as an actress generally remained quite minor, with the exception of her second film "Maruf al-Badawi" where she struck the lead role, showcasing her skills as an actress, dancer and singer. |
A photo of the well known artist, Ms Anisa El-Masreya, and the great movie star, Miss Nabaweya Mostafa, in decorated Arabian clothes.
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Style
Nabaweya's unique dance style shows many spectacular feats like sudden dramatic backbends, splits and barrel turns among other very dynamic torso movements. She is featured in dances using assaya, sagat and/or shamadan in several of her films along with rare occasions of non-raqs sharqi tableaux such as two of the three dances in 1946 “Enemy of Women”; while magazine clippings fawn over the new dances she created such as the “Peacock” and the “Calling for the Stars” (which may have been created especially for the parties where she entertained with Anisa).
Although her dancing style remains consistent overall, career trends show two main character types present in her cinematic work: in rural or lower class settings (cafes, cotton fields, bedouin camps, village courtyards, mawalid, etc) we generally see her outfitted in a tulle bi telli galabeya and matching tarha representing a ghazeya or badawiya, while her performances in upper class urban settings (theaters, parties of the wealthy, indoor women’s events, etc) positions her in the role of an almeh and are typically clothed in sequin and chiffon dresses, accompanied by a tarha worn over the head or diagonally across the body.
Her modest costuming style, generally covered the front of the stomach, much of the arms and featured extra-long hem lines (a trend starting in the mid 40's, perhaps to camouflage her busy feet which are visible in her earliest films, where she wore ankle or mid-calf length dresses made of tulle bi telli). Most performances are done in heels, seldomly seeing barefootedness or flat slippers. Her signature accessories included moon shaped kirdan of varying sizes often layered with beaded necklaces and crescent moon, lantern/chandelier shaped, or hoop earrings.
Although her dancing style remains consistent overall, career trends show two main character types present in her cinematic work: in rural or lower class settings (cafes, cotton fields, bedouin camps, village courtyards, mawalid, etc) we generally see her outfitted in a tulle bi telli galabeya and matching tarha representing a ghazeya or badawiya, while her performances in upper class urban settings (theaters, parties of the wealthy, indoor women’s events, etc) positions her in the role of an almeh and are typically clothed in sequin and chiffon dresses, accompanied by a tarha worn over the head or diagonally across the body.
Her modest costuming style, generally covered the front of the stomach, much of the arms and featured extra-long hem lines (a trend starting in the mid 40's, perhaps to camouflage her busy feet which are visible in her earliest films, where she wore ankle or mid-calf length dresses made of tulle bi telli). Most performances are done in heels, seldomly seeing barefootedness or flat slippers. Her signature accessories included moon shaped kirdan of varying sizes often layered with beaded necklaces and crescent moon, lantern/chandelier shaped, or hoop earrings.
Nabaweya on the back cover of Al Aroussa Magazine No. 550 Vol XI CAIRO Sept 18, 1935
Nicknames
I learned in a private conversation that she had the informal nickname "malban" / "ملبن" (an arabic name for Turkish delight) essentially meaning "boneless, like gelatin" for her flexibility. This moniker was probably not widespread, belonging only to a small social group, being shared verbally. Similarly, some people referred to her as Nabaweya “Kahraba” / "كهربا " (a reference to her “electric” movements, a word which some Egyptians use to describe shimmies) and at least one magazine writer describes her dance as "al-lawlabeya" / اللولبية which is something like coiling or spiraling and refers to her dynamic flexibility.
The wedding of Nabawiya Mustafa and Mukhtar Hussein: On Tuesday afternoon, the wedding of the well-known dancer Mrs. Nabaweya Mustafa was held to the sports hero, Mr. Mukhtar Hussein. It was a party of concerts, the likes of which cannot be seen in artistic circles and “Al Arousa” congratulates the newlyweds and wishes them a happy married life in light of sincerity and loyalty. Source (date unverified): Al Arousa w al Fan al Cinema Magazine [Vol 576 Mar 18 1936?], courtesy of Priscilla Adum |
Family LifeMany sources indicate she retired on her marriage to Mukhtar Hussain, a wrestler and actor who she is said to have met on the set of "Maarouf Al-Badawi”; but that doesn't seem to coincide with other information available. While confirming the date of marriage has proven difficult, at least one announcement (source and exact date as yet unconfirmed) for their marriage appears most likely to have been published in March of 1936 (see image of their wedding announcement from Priscilla Adum at left). They had two or three children together including the journalist Bahira Mukhtar, a son named Ahmed (and possibly another son called Hussain). Her last film appearance in 1955, may suggest her retirement followed soon after, but no official announcement has yet been found to confirm this.
*Note about possible changes*As research continues and our understanding of the details of Nabaweya's life evolve, details of the biography may change to reflect new information.
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About the author:
Shining is a performer, instructor and researcher of Egyptian traditional dances, whose work emphasizes the cultural and historical influences on the medium of dance in and from Egypt.
Since 2005 she has been studying dances from the Middle East, North Africa, Turkey and Central Asia with a variety of instructors foreign and native to these cultures, but in order to gain a deeper understanding of dance in the context of Egyptian society and conduct research on the disappearing traditional entertainment styles, she moved to Egypt in the summer of 2021.
Her first project in Egypt (BanatMazin.com) was founded the following spring, in cooperation with Khyria Mazin (from the Banat Mazin family of entertainers in Luxor) to create a website dedicated to the legacy of the Mazin family which includes recorded lessons, interviews, song translations, family bios, streamable music and more; enabling the international dance community to learn directly from Khyria now and far into the future.
Queen of the Hips: Nabaweya Mustafa is a passion project dedicated to a beloved yet under-recognized artist in hopes to learn more about her life and lineage, and share that with other dancers and researchers.
Shining continues to perform, research and teach online and abroad while compiling clues about the lives of her favorite Egyptian dancers from her home in Cairo.
Learn more about Shining at www.instagram.com/shiningpeacekeeper
Since 2005 she has been studying dances from the Middle East, North Africa, Turkey and Central Asia with a variety of instructors foreign and native to these cultures, but in order to gain a deeper understanding of dance in the context of Egyptian society and conduct research on the disappearing traditional entertainment styles, she moved to Egypt in the summer of 2021.
Her first project in Egypt (BanatMazin.com) was founded the following spring, in cooperation with Khyria Mazin (from the Banat Mazin family of entertainers in Luxor) to create a website dedicated to the legacy of the Mazin family which includes recorded lessons, interviews, song translations, family bios, streamable music and more; enabling the international dance community to learn directly from Khyria now and far into the future.
Queen of the Hips: Nabaweya Mustafa is a passion project dedicated to a beloved yet under-recognized artist in hopes to learn more about her life and lineage, and share that with other dancers and researchers.
Shining continues to perform, research and teach online and abroad while compiling clues about the lives of her favorite Egyptian dancers from her home in Cairo.
Learn more about Shining at www.instagram.com/shiningpeacekeeper
Honorable Mentions
This project would not be possible without the constant help and positive attitude of Ahmed Elsemallawi who spent countless hours digging through archives, photographing, translating and answering millions of random questions in pursuit of my curiosity and extended my questions to others for their perspectives.
Sincere thanks also goes to Mariam M. who graciously translated and answered question after question to enable me to gain the skills to do some translation work myself when she had (unfortunately for me) to sleep!
Priscilla Adum for baiting my curiosity with two ads featuring Nabaweya and Anissa, which once identified and connected to my favorite dancer funneled into dogged pursuit to find more information!
Lenka (Badriyah) and her belly dance museum for posting the translated article identifying Anissa (Anous) as Nabaweya's mother, and taking me further on my path of infatuation.
Thank you all so much for your help, encouragement and inspiration to pursue my interests.
Sincere thanks also goes to Mariam M. who graciously translated and answered question after question to enable me to gain the skills to do some translation work myself when she had (unfortunately for me) to sleep!
Priscilla Adum for baiting my curiosity with two ads featuring Nabaweya and Anissa, which once identified and connected to my favorite dancer funneled into dogged pursuit to find more information!
Lenka (Badriyah) and her belly dance museum for posting the translated article identifying Anissa (Anous) as Nabaweya's mother, and taking me further on my path of infatuation.
Thank you all so much for your help, encouragement and inspiration to pursue my interests.
References
مما جرى في بر مصر by يوسف الشريف pg. 233
Al Sabah Magazine archives in the Egypt National Library in Ramlak Boulaq, Cairo
Private Conversations with Ahmed Elsemallawi; Abdallah Armaan Youssef; neighbors in Luxor (between 2020-2023)
https://www.badriyahbellydance.com/post/the-state-of-the-awaleem-in-egypt-1958
https://elcinema.com/person/1095433/
https://www.serpentine.org/articles/nabaweyamoustafa.html
https://awtanpost.net/post/52710/
https://www.dostor.org/2015487
https://ar.wikipedia.org/wiki/نبوية_مصطفى
https://dhliz.com/artist/nabaweya_mustafa/
https://www.shira.net/about/ads-flyers/1930s-awalem-ad1.htm
https://www.shira.net/about/ads-flyers/1930s-awalem-ad2.htm
https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=10164996854965497&set=g.91478073938
https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=10154279720255497&set=g.91478073938
https://arz.wikipedia.org/wiki/مختار_حسين
https://bidayatmag.com/node/340?fbclid=IwAR3_jPxzbWWPkVnibjR3CqmpNPsGdQHq4C-oZBAOHZWNDA-z-MLaycb5t0w
https://www.facebook.com/morjana.marmar/posts/pfbid02x5EpShMUGLrzjUuQeRsUXLHkAt7X1knNAYpWQb4jkR8qzLkmgDwYiodN61ydv22al
https://archive.org/details/13.PsaumeDeLaTristesse/Congr%C3%A8s+de+musique+arabe+du+Caire+(The+Cairo+congress+of+arab+music)+-+1932+%5BBNF+01+CD-01-18%5D+(2015)/CD+7/17.+Ann%C3%BBsa+al-Misriyya+and+her+ensemble+of+almeh+-+Tu+es+purifiant%2C+%C3%B4+brin+de+girofle.flac#
https://bajakhana.com.au/congres-de-musique-arabe-du-caire-1932-discography/#jp-carousel-2113
https://www.facebook.com/ZmanWlyalyZman/photos/a.318754621575784/540967019354542/
https://www.facebook.com/Alarshfjy/photos/a.386362774785965/399373886818187/
https://www.facebook.com/388753295647/photos/a.407038635647/10160281524325648
https://www.alsolta.net/48795
Al Sabah Magazine archives in the Egypt National Library in Ramlak Boulaq, Cairo
Private Conversations with Ahmed Elsemallawi; Abdallah Armaan Youssef; neighbors in Luxor (between 2020-2023)
https://www.badriyahbellydance.com/post/the-state-of-the-awaleem-in-egypt-1958
https://elcinema.com/person/1095433/
https://www.serpentine.org/articles/nabaweyamoustafa.html
https://awtanpost.net/post/52710/
https://www.dostor.org/2015487
https://ar.wikipedia.org/wiki/نبوية_مصطفى
https://dhliz.com/artist/nabaweya_mustafa/
https://www.shira.net/about/ads-flyers/1930s-awalem-ad1.htm
https://www.shira.net/about/ads-flyers/1930s-awalem-ad2.htm
https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=10164996854965497&set=g.91478073938
https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=10154279720255497&set=g.91478073938
https://arz.wikipedia.org/wiki/مختار_حسين
https://bidayatmag.com/node/340?fbclid=IwAR3_jPxzbWWPkVnibjR3CqmpNPsGdQHq4C-oZBAOHZWNDA-z-MLaycb5t0w
https://www.facebook.com/morjana.marmar/posts/pfbid02x5EpShMUGLrzjUuQeRsUXLHkAt7X1knNAYpWQb4jkR8qzLkmgDwYiodN61ydv22al
https://archive.org/details/13.PsaumeDeLaTristesse/Congr%C3%A8s+de+musique+arabe+du+Caire+(The+Cairo+congress+of+arab+music)+-+1932+%5BBNF+01+CD-01-18%5D+(2015)/CD+7/17.+Ann%C3%BBsa+al-Misriyya+and+her+ensemble+of+almeh+-+Tu+es+purifiant%2C+%C3%B4+brin+de+girofle.flac#
https://bajakhana.com.au/congres-de-musique-arabe-du-caire-1932-discography/#jp-carousel-2113
https://www.facebook.com/ZmanWlyalyZman/photos/a.318754621575784/540967019354542/
https://www.facebook.com/Alarshfjy/photos/a.386362774785965/399373886818187/
https://www.facebook.com/388753295647/photos/a.407038635647/10160281524325648
https://www.alsolta.net/48795