It is a complete artistic discipline, extremely demanding in the technical and physical work it requires and yet offers its experienced exponents genuine gratification.

Authenticity, the power of memory, the search for beauty, the preface to modernism: these are the key concepts which theatrical dance of Egypt blends subtly through its forms. With a method marked by innovative energy, Béatrice masters and gives authenticity to these refined and deeply feminine dances.

On stage, with controlled movements, attention to detail and use of space, Béatrice bears in mind that those who succeed are those who remember that they will never be more than apprentices. She has devoted herself to passing on an authentic, poetic art, which finds its roots in the heart of a thousand-year-old civilisation.

Sha'abi traditions originated in villages and small towns all over Egypt. They play an essential role in the fellahs', or peasants, lives: every festival, every ceremony is played out to the rhythms of sha'abi.

Rural dances are important in giving a sense of identity to a nation or a region. These traditional dances have changed little over many years and their substance remains untouched by modernity. In Egypt, sha'abi contains different traditions and dance forms, e.g. Fellahi, Saïdi, Ghawazi. Some are performed by both men and women, giving a technical and emotional coexistence with exciting potential.

Whatever its rhythmic or melodic differences, sha'abi springs from the pride the fellahs have in their land and their attachment to it.

"Sharqi" refers to the classical music and dance whose distant origins are fundamentally linked to the support of the Egyptian elite for art and culture. At that time, in palaces and the residences of the rich, refined music groups called "takht" would perform; the group comprised an ûd, a qânun, a kamânga (violin), a nây and a riqq. Incidentally, "takht" is a Persian term for the raised platform where the musicians sat and which came to denote the orchestra itself.

The takht and the dancer it accompanied, deeply united in artistic expression, produced an atmosphere known as "Tarab" - "emotional ecstasy".
And so dancing for the aristocracy became something, which reflected the extreme elegance of their world.

The 1930s were a high point for sharqi music and dance, much appreciated by the public and widely popularised by the Egyptian cinema and its beloved musicals. But this was a time of change for the takht: it increased in size, adding more violins and gradually introducing the cello, bass, clarinet and even accordion. It was transformed into an oriental orchestra where eastern and western instruments sat happily together. It was a gentle revolution for the Egyptian musical world. The experimentation, talent and sensitivity of many players and composers meant the gradual introduction of new classical repertoires, open to modernism; they were vast, diverse and complex. But parallel to this extraordinary musical creativity, in the 1970s dance was dead on its feet, gross commercialisation and Hollywood influences having considerably obscured the beauty of the authentic court dance and compromised its hopes for innovation and renewal.

Today, Béatrice, whose work is marked by attention to detail and respect, is helping to bring the court sharqi back to life, and, thanks to her deliberately modern technical and aesthetic approach, is developing the modern sharqi, a superb fusion of eastern and western sensitivities and techniques.

"Baladi" is the folk dance of the urban areas of Egypt.

This vibrant music, both structured and improvised, appeared at the very beginning of the 20th century. It roots are in the old songs and rhythms of the countryside. At that time important social and economic changes resulted in an exodus of fellahs to the towns. Along with their new-found urban prosperity they discovered the cultural and artistic exuberance of the new century.

Tradition and modernism joined hands: the peasants' musical repertories became more polished and complex, and took up new instruments like the saxophone, the accordion and the clarinet.

To the people of rural areas the significance of baladi is a little like that of jazz and blues to the black American community. It expresses the mood of a time and a community, and offers up to dance a whole new world of technical and expressive possibilities.