Shadi Abdel Salam Desert” at Gomhouria Theatre

04 March 2024

After 27 years, the Cairo Opera House, under the supervision of Dr. Lamiaa Zayed, presents “Shadi Abdel Salam Desert” by the Egyptian Modern Dance Theater Company at Gomhouria Theatre on 6, 7, 8 March 2024 at 8 p.m.
Choreographed and directed by Walid Aouni, the performance is based on three films by Shadi Abdel Salam: “The Mummy”, “The Eloquent Peasant”, and “Isis” and celebrates his birth anniversary. Aouni pointed out that the authenticity of Shadi Abdel Salam’s art mirrored the abundant emotions flowing through the mind and heart of this great artist. A timeless sense of Egyptianness prevails in all his works revealing a Self that yearns to imitate the life of its ancestors.
Shadi Abdel Salam was born in Alexandria in 1930 and he grew up in cultured, middle-class family. In 1948, he graduated from Victoria College in Alexandria and then moved to England to study theater arts from 1949 to 1950. After that he continued his education in Cairo at the Faculty of Arts, and graduated from Department of Architecture in 1955 receiving a degree of excellence. He worked as assistant to the artistic architect, Ramsis W. Wassef, designing the decorations and costumes of some of the most famous historical Egyptian films. As a director, he has directed a number of other highly ‎regarded films including “The ‎Eloquent Peasant”, “Armies of the Sun”, “The Mummy”, and “Isis”. He was the recipient of several prestigious film awards, including ‎the George Sadol Award (1970), the Carthage Film Festival ‎Award (1972), and Egypt’s State Encouragement Award (1985). ‎ He passed away in October 1986.
On the other hand, Walid Aouni is one of the most important theater and performance artists in the Arab world. He studied graphics and plastic arts at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Brussels. He worked with international designer Maurice Béjart as an assistant and scenography designer. During his artistic career, he succeeded in presenting many prominent theatrical performances. Aouni participated in a number of films with the international director Youssef Chahine. He founded the Egyptian Modern Dance Company at the Cairo Opera House in the nineties of the last century. Among his most important performances are “Scheherazade”, “Elephants Hide to Die”, and others. He received many awards and honors, and his name was included in the Arab Encyclopedia of Arab Artists and the American International Encyclopedia of the Oxford Dance Arts as one of the founders of the contemporary dance movement in Egypt and the Arab world.
The Egyptian Modern Dance Theatre Company was founded in 1993 and is currently led by director and choreographer Walid Aouni. Being the first of its kind in the Arab world, the Company has achieved significant success by focusing on topics related to Egyptian and Arab culture. The Company has presented over 26 artistic performances and has participated in various international festivals. It has staged its productions in several European countries like the United States, China, Korea and various Arab countries. In 2015, “The Blue Elephant” by the Egyptian Modern Dance Theatre Company received the “Best Performance Award” at the National Theatre Festival.