Eight men in black tights turn on command and stare as I enter their studio. Their attention makes me blush. Together they cross their hands behind their backs and bow before their instructor Safwat Mohamed demands their attention once more and they shift their collective gaze away from me.
"Get ready for the move!" Safwat commands, "the studio under us must hear your sound!" They lift their legs and crash their toes against the floor again and again.
It takes military discipline to become a ballet dancer, but these men also know, of course, that only the very few will make it to the Cairo Opera House stage at the end of their nine-year programme at the ballet academy.
A gigantic Russian doll hangs by the entrance, dusty and red, to let those who enter know that the Soviets were here. Egyptian instructors mix Russian with French, "assemblé, e pliée, e jeté". Many speak Russian; the older generation learnt while studying ballet in Moscow, the younger learnt from their elders. Pianists from the collapsed Soviet Union say it is like a little version of the USSR here.
>>>
"You might think I am mad," says Aleya Abdel Razek before wandering off to find her en-pointe shoes, which are as old as the ballet itself in Egypt. "I danced my graduation part on the Bolshoi's stage wearing these shoes. I used newspaper to wrap around my toes, there is still newspaper inside."
The daughter of an Egyptian military pilot who served during the reign of the monarchy, Razek was one of the first ballerinas to travel behind the Iron Curtain in 1963.
In the post-war years, Moscow sought allies in the Middle East to challenge the United States. After the end of the monarchy in 1952, the new Egyptian government formed an alliance with the Soviets for economic and military support. During the Nasser years, many young Egyptians studied at Soviet universities and military schools while Soviet experts travelled to Egypt.
The Egyptian ballet was born amid Soviet premier Nikita Khrushchev's and Egyptian president Gamal Abdel Nasser's arms deals when, in 1958, Dr Tharwat Okasha, Egypt's culture minister, approached the Soviets and asked for assistance.
The Russians sent Leonid Labrovsky, the Bolshoi's former director, to Cairo to establish an academy. Five Egyptian girls and three boys were selected to study ballet in Moscow for two years.
Those eight young dancers became the pioneers of Egyptian ballet. Behind the Iron Curtain, isolated from their Russian classmates and monitored by the KGB, the young dancers lived a kind of dream at the Bolshoi.
Meanwhile, from 1958 to 1963, the ballet academy in Cairo took shape and became part of the Higher Institute of Art. Academic and dance studies were combined. The system continues to this day. In the mornings, the children dance in tights and afterwards change into yellow uniforms and attend classes upstairs.
In 1966, the first ballet production, The Fountain of Bakhshisarai, was staged at the Royal Opera House. Based on a Pushkin poem, a Polish princess, Maria, is kidnapped by a lusty Tartar prince. She is killed by Zareema, the prince's wife, who then commits suicide. Aleya performed Zareema. It remains her favourite role.
Okasha called Nasser and asked him to see the production. The next day he saw it and presented orders of merit to the soloists and organisers. Aleya's award hangs on the wall across from her father's medals.
When the Cairo Ballet Company was formed, it became the only Arab resident classical ballet company in the Middle East.
Then, one morning in 1971, the 800-seat Royal Opera House was engulfed by flames. Some speculated that it was a political attack on then-president Anwar Sadat. Whatever caused its destruction, a multi-storey car park would eventually be built in its place.
The following year Sadat severed Soviet ties just before the 1973 war, which ended with a ceasefire between Egypt and Israel. Without Soviet management, the academy kept losing dancers, who fled to Germany, the USSR and the US.
Meanwhile, Ala Shiveleva was studying at the University of Theatre Arts in Moscow. "When Sadat deported Soviets from Egypt, our Egyptian classmates were literally sitting on their luggage in classes, ready to be deported at any minute."
Japan later funded the construction of Cairo's new Opera House in 1988, and the company returned to the main stage. Twenty-five years later, Ala and her Egyptian classmates are together again under one roof at the Cairo Opera House, training a new generation of dancers.
>>>
"Marina, la música por favor!" instructor Jose Chavez tells pianist Marina Davlionidze. Jose came from Cuba and Marina escaped from the USSR before it disintegrated in 1991. "Con la música, uno, dos, tres." Jose taps his hip, Marina hits the piano keys, and dancers creak the floorboards.
The troupe consists of 85 dancers, mainly Egyptians and Ukranians, Russians and Spanish.
For some dancers who are bred on Russian discipline, Jose's Cuban technique is unusual. Later Jose tells me, "the [Egyptian] dancers have energy, forsa, but no disciplina. Ballet is disciplina, no disciplina, no ballet."
Unlike Jose, Erminia Kamel, the troupe's artistic director, is strict and precise during rehearsals. It was difficult for the dancers to adjust to her attention to discipline when she took the post in 2004, "but they slowly digested me," she says laughing.
In a studio back at the ballet academy, a 33-year-old soloist pulls boys by the hair, splits their legs and arches their backs. Hany Hassan himself was pulled by the hair when he was young in the same studio. "I want them at the end to dance on stage, I must know from the way one dances, is he happy or sad, dying or alive, sober or drunk."
Hany's first stage appearance in Cairo's Opera was in Don Quixote when he was 12. Later, Hany, the son of a military officer, moved quickly to lead roles in classics such as Zorba the Greek, Romeo and Juliet, Spartacus and Swan Lake. He knew he must excel. Not all had Hany's luck and potential; many of the graduates fall victim not only to their limitations, but also to the limited places available at the only ballet company in Egypt.
Since 2011, Hany has produced Rasputin, the story of the infamous "holy man" whose ability to heal the Russian royals made him the supreme mystic at the court of Emperor Nicholas II. He was poisoned, shot, beaten, wrapped in a carpet and drowned in an icy river. "I can put all my experience as a dancer in this character." Hany was drawn in by the character's complexity, and the parallels with the current religious and political climate in Egypt.
By the end of the sessions, the studio is hot and smelling of sweat and menthol from muscle cream. The dancers take turns doing arabesques, pliées and pirouettes again and again. They grab their chests to draw breath and wipe off beads of sweat.
The audience sees them striding gracefully in their beautiful tutus, but don't see the sweat or blisters, nor hear their lungs gasping for air. Hany says every movement conveys a dancer's experience of how to save energy. "It is difficult - every day you do the same thing over 150 times."
As she wraps her red toes with plaster, soloist Ekaterina Ivanovna says: "It needs patience and a strong will to really, really love ballet. It is not about wearing beautiful tutus."
Mona Abouissa is a documentary journalist covering the Middle East and is based in Egypt.
APPLE IPAD MINI (A17 PRO)
Display: 21cm Liquid Retina Display, 2266 x 1488, 326ppi, 500 nits
Chip: Apple A17 Pro, 6-core CPU, 5-core GPU, 16-core Neural Engine
Storage: 128/256/512GB
Main camera: 12MP wide, f/1.8, digital zoom up to 5x, Smart HDR 4
Front camera: 12MP ultra-wide, f/2.4, Smart HDR 4, full-HD @ 25/30/60fps
Biometrics: Touch ID, Face ID
Colours: Blue, purple, space grey, starlight
In the box: iPad mini, USB-C cable, 20W USB-C power adapter
Price: From Dh2,099
COMPANY%20PROFILE
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECompany%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Eco%20Way%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarted%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20December%202023%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounder%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Ivan%20Kroshnyi%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Dubai%2C%20UAE%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EIndustry%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Electric%20vehicles%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestors%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Bootstrapped%20with%20undisclosed%20funding.%20Looking%20to%20raise%20funds%20from%20outside%3Cbr%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
COMPANY PROFILE
Founders: Alhaan Ahmed, Alyina Ahmed and Maximo Tettamanzi
Total funding: Self funded
UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE FIXTURES
All kick-off times 10.45pm UAE ( 4 GMT) unless stated
Tuesday
Sevilla v Maribor
Spartak Moscow v Liverpool
Manchester City v Shakhtar Donetsk
Napoli v Feyenoord
Besiktas v RB Leipzig
Monaco v Porto
Apoel Nicosia v Tottenham Hotspur
Borussia Dortmund v Real Madrid
Wednesday
Basel v Benfica
CSKA Moscow Manchester United
Paris Saint-Germain v Bayern Munich
Anderlecht v Celtic
Qarabag v Roma (8pm)
Atletico Madrid v Chelsea
Juventus v Olympiakos
Sporting Lisbon v Barcelona
COMPANY PROFILE
● Company: Bidzi
● Started: 2024
● Founders: Akshay Dosaj and Asif Rashid
● Based: Dubai, UAE
● Industry: M&A
● Funding size: Bootstrapped
● No of employees: Nine
COMPANY%20PROFILE
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECompany%20name%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Revibe%20%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarted%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%202022%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounders%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Hamza%20Iraqui%20and%20Abdessamad%20Ben%20Zakour%20%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20UAE%20%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EIndustry%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Refurbished%20electronics%20%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFunds%20raised%20so%20far%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20%2410m%20%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestors%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EFlat6Labs%2C%20Resonance%20and%20various%20others%0D%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Company%20Profile
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECompany%20name%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Hoopla%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EDate%20started%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EMarch%202023%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounder%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Jacqueline%20Perrottet%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Dubai%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ENumber%20of%20staff%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%2010%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestment%20stage%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EPre-seed%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestment%20required%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20%24500%2C000%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
The Beach Bum
Director: Harmony Korine
Stars: Matthew McConaughey, Isla Fisher, Snoop Dogg
Two stars
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Cricket World Cup League 2
UAE squad
Rahul Chopra (captain), Aayan Afzal Khan, Ali Naseer, Aryansh Sharma, Basil Hameed, Dhruv Parashar, Junaid Siddique, Muhammad Farooq, Muhammad Jawadullah, Muhammad Waseem, Omid Rahman, Rahul Bhatia, Tanish Suri, Vishnu Sukumaran, Vriitya Aravind
Fixtures
Friday, November 1 – Oman v UAE
Sunday, November 3 – UAE v Netherlands
Thursday, November 7 – UAE v Oman
Saturday, November 9 – Netherlands v UAE
A%20QUIET%20PLACE
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarring%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Lupita%20Nyong'o%2C%20Joseph%20Quinn%2C%20Djimon%20Hounsou%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EMichael%20Sarnoski%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%204%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Citadel: Honey Bunny first episode
Directors: Raj & DK
Stars: Varun Dhawan, Samantha Ruth Prabhu, Kashvi Majmundar, Kay Kay Menon
Rating: 4/5
MATCH INFO
Brescia 1 (Skrinia og, 76)
Inter Milan 2 (Martinez 33, Lukaku 63)
The specs
Engine: 1.5-litre 4-cylinder petrol
Power: 154bhp
Torque: 250Nm
Transmission: 7-speed automatic with 8-speed sports option
Price: From Dh79,600
On sale: Now
Thank You for Banking with Us
Director: Laila Abbas
Starring: Yasmine Al Massri, Clara Khoury, Kamel El Basha, Ashraf Barhoum
Rating: 4/5
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: HyperSpace
Started: 2020
Founders: Alexander Heller, Rama Allen and Desi Gonzalez
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Entertainment
Number of staff: 210
Investment raised: $75 million from investors including Galaxy Interactive, Riyadh Season, Sega Ventures and Apis Venture Partners
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
Electoral College Victory
Trump has so far secured 295 Electoral College votes, according to the Associated Press, exceeding the 270 needed to win. Only Nevada and Arizona remain to be called, and both swing states are leaning Republican. Trump swept all five remaining swing states, North Carolina, Georgia, Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin, sealing his path to victory and giving him a strong mandate.
Popular Vote Tally
The count is ongoing, but Trump currently leads with nearly 51 per cent of the popular vote to Harris’s 47.6 per cent. Trump has over 72.2 million votes, while Harris trails with approximately 67.4 million.
Four motivational quotes from Alicia's Dubai talk
“The only thing we need is to know that we have faith. Faith and hope in our own dreams. The belief that, when we keep going we’re going to find our way. That’s all we got.”
“Sometimes we try so hard to keep things inside. We try so hard to pretend it’s not really bothering us. In some ways, that hurts us more. You don’t realise how dishonest you are with yourself sometimes, but I realised that if I spoke it, I could let it go.”
“One good thing is to know you’re not the only one going through it. You’re not the only one trying to find your way, trying to find yourself, trying to find amazing energy, trying to find a light. Show all of yourself. Show every nuance. All of your magic. All of your colours. Be true to that. You can be unafraid.”
“It’s time to stop holding back. It’s time to do it on your terms. It’s time to shine in the most unbelievable way. It’s time to let go of negativity and find your tribe, find those people that lift you up, because everybody else is just in your way.”
The Pope's itinerary
Sunday, February 3, 2019 - Rome to Abu Dhabi
1pm: departure by plane from Rome / Fiumicino to Abu Dhabi
10pm: arrival at Abu Dhabi Presidential Airport
Monday, February 4
12pm: welcome ceremony at the main entrance of the Presidential Palace
12.20pm: visit Abu Dhabi Crown Prince at Presidential Palace
5pm: private meeting with Muslim Council of Elders at Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque
6.10pm: Inter-religious in the Founder's Memorial
Tuesday, February 5 - Abu Dhabi to Rome
9.15am: private visit to undisclosed cathedral
10.30am: public mass at Zayed Sports City – with a homily by Pope Francis
12.40pm: farewell at Abu Dhabi Presidential Airport
1pm: departure by plane to Rome
5pm: arrival at the Rome / Ciampino International Airport
Company%20profile
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECompany%20name%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Fasset%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarted%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E2019%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounders%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Mohammad%20Raafi%20Hossain%2C%20Daniel%20Ahmed%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Dubai%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ESector%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EFinTech%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInitial%20investment%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20%242.45%20million%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ECurrent%20number%20of%20staff%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%2086%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestment%20stage%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Pre-series%20B%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestors%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Investcorp%2C%20Liberty%20City%20Ventures%2C%20Fatima%20Gobi%20Ventures%2C%20Primal%20Capital%2C%20Wealthwell%20Ventures%2C%20FHS%20Capital%2C%20VN2%20Capital%2C%20local%20family%20offices%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Company%20Profile
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECompany%20name%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Cargoz%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EDate%20started%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20January%202022%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounders%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Premlal%20Pullisserry%20and%20Lijo%20Antony%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Dubai%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ENumber%20of%20staff%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%2030%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestment%20stage%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Seed%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
South Africa v India schedule
Tests: 1st Test Jan 5-9, Cape Town; 2nd Test Jan 13-17, Centurion; 3rd Test Jan 24-28, Johannesburg
ODIs: 1st ODI Feb 1, Durban; 2nd ODI Feb 4, Centurion; 3rd ODI Feb 7, Cape Town; 4th ODI Feb 10, Johannesburg; 5th ODI Feb 13, Port Elizabeth; 6th ODI Feb 16, Centurion
T20Is: 1st T20I Feb 18, Johannesburg; 2nd T20I Feb 21, Centurion; 3rd T20I Feb 24, Cape Town