This summer witnessed the graduation of the first class from the Cairo Contemporary Dance Center, founded by acclaimed dancer Karima Mansour. Despite facing a number of hurdles over the years, including the Culture Ministry withdrawing its support halfway through the program in favor of a series of non-specialized workshops, Mansour and her students have succeeded in maintaining the center, establishing the first standard dance education program in the region and fostering collaborations with a range of festivals, institutions and dancers in Egypt and abroad.
In this interview, Mansour walks us through the developments at the center and its future plans. A number of students also reflect on their first formal training in the field of dance.
The interviews are in Arabic and have English subtitles.
[This video was produced by Medrar TV and is featured in partnership with Jadaliyya Culture]