Club Cairo - Carmen, belly dancing
Club Cairo performers
Club Cairo performers
Club Cairo performers

Introduction to Club Cairo

Club Cairo presented its first event in 2010. Five years on after eight sell-out shows it's going stronger than ever and is travelling nationally. Each incarnation wishes to share new aspects within the genre, creating a fresh and exciting new experience every time. The aim is to inspire, educate and bring fun and fantasy to the audience.

A regular feature at Club Cairo are our invited guests from cultures far and wide. Their traditions, rhythms and dance are a wonderful addition, creating an even more potent experience.

Another exciting aspect to our evenings has been the introduction of theatre. Again, combining the traditions of Middle Eastern music and dance but this time with drama.

Each production is historically based and then transformed into an abstraction of sight, sound and movement with a difference. Drawing on the roots of tradition yet branching out to explore new forms of expression. A provocative and super-sensory experience combining fantasy with reality.

Club Cairo has a friendly and welcoming atmosphere, always encouraging not only the audience to observe but to participate too. We are very proud to appeal to such a cross section of people. A multicultural gathering all drawn together to enjoy a feast of global delights!

Carmen Jones

Carmen Jones is the core producer. She has been working with musicians regularly teaching and performing for many years in UK and abroad - Ibiza, Turkey and Egypt.

She has drawn on this experience to create a show that is fueled by her passion and understanding of these art forms. Music, Dance, theatre and Vibrant Visuals combine to create a captivating display straight from the heart of the Middle East.

Carmen's dance is one of expression, expansion and fun ! Her years of experience have been a journey of self discipline, self discovery and adventure. She has travelled internationally, works within the theatre and teaches and performs internationally.

She has trained with many great teaches from Egypt, UK and USA and continues to develop her style by taking classes in contemporary dance. She hopes to convey an authentic Egyptian style with her own dynamic form of expression that truly resonates with the music.

Her real passion is working with "live" music. Not only has she performed on several occasions with Hossam Ramzy and his Ensemble but also has guested with Brothers of the Baladi (USA) and has, since 2007, performed regularly with UK based bands Mazaj and Souk-Bab-El -Louk (formally the Arabic Balkan Gypsy Band).

Her close collaboration with the musicians have led her to gain a deep understanding of the connection between musician and dancer. It is this that she especially enjoys sharing with her students through her teaching.

As well as performing with the musicians she also runs workshops with them regularly working in schools and at many festivals nationwide (Glastonbury, WOMAD, Drum Camp Norfolk, Middle Eastern Music, Drum and Dance Camp nr Bath, Majma, The Big Chill) She also did travel annually to the Sinai (Egypt) where she helped host a music, drum and dance holiday (www.arabicmusicband.com).

Her travels have also taken her and Mazaj to the Bergen Festival (Norway) and in the summer of 2011 they did a short tour of Ibiza (Spain).

Back home amidst her Club Cairo shows she also is a regular feature at the Bath Fringe Festival.