Raks Madrid 2015
The eighth edition of the international Arab music and dance festival is being held in the Sala Galileo Galilei from July 8-11
July 08, 2015
MADRID
This edition of the festival will be held on three nights, starting with a concert by Egyptian guitarist Ali Khattab, in a duo with Arabic oud player Hesham Essam (Thursday, July 9) and two nights of Egyptian dance and music (Friday and Saturday, July 10-11) with Nesma and her orchestra, directed by famous Egyptian accordion player Ahmed Abdel Fattah, and the voice of Lebanese singer and Arabic oud player Tarek Bitar. International dancers will be taking part in these two nights devoted to dance.
In terms of training, this year’s festival is focusing its schedule on the relationship between dancer and orchestra. Two of the most experienced masters of music for Middle Eastern dance at the international level are offering an intensive course on dancing with live music at Raks Madrid.
About Nesma
Due to her experience and dedication, Nesma is undoubtedly one of the dancers and choreographers who best knows and understands Egyptian music. She spent her career as a soloist in Cairo from 1993 to 1998, where she performed daily with her orchestra of 30 musicians in the city’s finest dance halls.
In 1998, she produced her first album in collaboration with acclaimed composer Ahmed Abdel Fattah, and she later created her own label, Nesma Music, delving deeper into her work as a musical producer.
“I became devoted to dance because of the impact which the music had on me. When I began to dance in Egypt, I was accompanied by an orchestra with 30 musicians. It was like a dream come true, a feeling that is impossible to describe. This is the memory which motivated me to create this project, to give an opportunity to women Middle Eastern dancers to live this dream as part of an educational experience that also provides them with training for their professional future.” Nesma
Ahmed Abdel Fattah
A composer, music arranger and one of the most brilliant accordion players in Egypt, his profound experience in music for dance goes back to the eighties, when he played for famous women dancers like Zeinat Olwi, Nagwa Fouad and Nahid Sabry.
Since 1995, he has been devoted mainly to producing and managing his own recording studio.
