Cairo: the city of a thousand dancers. Swathed from head to toe with suits that are dotted with gleaming sequins and intricate embroidery of colorful threads, the rhythmic shakes of bellydancers’ curvaceous bodies have ensnared the attention of the Egyptian public—and beyond—for many eras. Their suits are a testament to decades of art and a history of dance in Egypt. One of the artisans behind the suits that make Egypt’s belly dancers shine bright is none other than Om Aya: the lady whose reverent engagement with the craft and fondness for the art of belly dancing led her to become one of the most well-known suit designers in Cairo. Om Aya is a craftswoman and artist—a designer who understands the bellydancers’ mobility of flowing gestures and the power it takes to navigate spaces on stage when making her suits. It is an art she has mastered over the past 20 years. Small Studio, Large Influence In a small alley in the Imam Al-Shafei neighborhood in Cairo—one aswarm with tuk-tuks and street vendors—lives Om Aya. Luxor born, but having spent over 20 years in the capital, Om Aya’s passion for…
