Nobody had ever dared dance to the voice of Oum Khalsoum, the legendary Egyptian singer. Idolized to this day across the Arabic-speaking world, she remains one of its federating forces. Leila Haddad has added her offering to the many tributes paid to this towering, legendary figure. It is a dance inspired from a poem called Zikrayat. It is one of 200 written by Ahmed Rami for the diva, with whom he was deeply, but platonically in love.

Zikrayat literally means “memory”

It is the memory of all Arabic and Berber peoples from all walks of life. They rediscover their sense of identity in the great singer who brought together the scattered fragments of their soul.Through Oum Khalsoum, whose voice resonates in street cafés throughout the Arab world, Leila Haddad also glorifies the people. In her Zikrayat she juxtaposes and revitalizes complex classical and popular music. Born into a modest family, the diva began singing at the age of thirteen disguised as a boy. Later whole orchestras were to accompany her. Zikrayat follows that career evolution. The first part is rooted in the soul of the Egyptian people, while the music in the second part is more complex. The uniting theme throughout is the singing voice of Oum Khalsoum. Through a subtle play of shadows, Leila Haddad seeks to restrict the individuality of the dancers performing to the great voice. The pure, deeply learned dance movements remain, however. They espouse the turns and depth of Oum Khalsoum’s voice in songs like “Eastern Star”.

Leila Haddad expresses her style explosively. She pursues the ecstatic trance-like state known as tarab. Induced by the music, it leads the audience into a dreamworld where sound responds symbolically to colour.

"….memories invaded the horizon of my fantasy like lightning illuminates the darkness…Zikrayat Zikrayat Zikrayat" Ahmed Rami for Oum Khalsoum

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