Chronology

1980-1982	1983-1987	1988-1999	2000-2006

1980-1982

Suraya Hilal began her performance career in the early ‘80s as a solo artist, where she first exhibited her work at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in 1980 and 1982. From this beginning onward, Suraya Hilal’s work progressed rapidly, and continued to receive tremendous media coverage and critical documentation. This is what the critics first wrote at the Edinburgh Festival 1980 and 1983:

“Suraya Hilal is the spirit of dance and she has mastery of both performance and knowledge that exposes the crudity of other representations of Middle Eastern Dances.”

The Daily Telegraph, 1980

“Hilal’s performance is excellent. She holds one’s attention throughout a strenuous performance lasting over an hour … her beautifully timed and executed movements exert an almost mesmeric effect upon the audience”

The Festival Times, 1982

Throughout the 80’s, Hilal continued to perform her solo work with recorded music accompanied by a percussionist in small theatres all over Britain.

“What Hilal has done is to master a technique of this style to perfection ... her treatment of this pre-Islamic style has its own purity and nobility, reflecting the ritualistic origins.“

The Scotsman

The main outward direction of her work at that time was to show a different representation of a much-misunderstood Egyptian/Arab dance tradition. At the same time her main artistry and passion lead her to innovation, and invention in creating new expressions and extending the traditional to unexplored territories. This is visible in all her work from the beginning up to the present.

To Suraya Hilal, not only the performance but also the teaching of the dance was an important arena for creating and progressing her work. Her yearly travel and connection to her birthplace, Egypt, provides an essential source of inspiration and research that continued to inform her creations.

1983-1987

Suraya Hilal's career lead to a breakthrough: the collaboration with a full Arab ensemble of 11 musicians in 1983 and then in 1985. These were sell-out performances first at the Commonwealth Institute and later 5 nights at The Place theatre. At that time, a small Projects grant from the Arts Council helped to pay for the musicians.

“For the first time, Hilal had persuaded a group of Arab musicians from various London clubs to play together for her. The rapport between dancer and musicians was an added joy in an exhilarating evening ... Suraya Hilal is a choreographer of subtlety and high skill and a dancer of quality.”

John Percival, The Times, 1983 on the Commonwealth Institute concert.

“What Suraya Hilal has done is to rehabilitate an often mocked Arab art and find new thrilling possibilities for it. ... Suraya Hilal’s aim is to raise the classical Egyptian dance to the level of high art, and on the basis of this concert she succeeds. ... Suraya Hilal shows how the traditional can be given new scope in a modern composition.”

Kenneth Rea, The Guardian, 1985 on The Return of the Spirit programme at the Place.

1988-1999

In 1988, a dream was realised, and Suraya Hilal worked with nine folk Sai’di musicians from Luxor, Egypt, and 4 other dancers. With the help of her manager at the time, she created “Celebration of the Nile” which performed in Womad and the Almeida Theatre. Granada television produced a documentary on the work, called “The Return of the Desert Dancers”.

“The evening was dominated by swirling colour, curious sound and exhilarating movement…it had humour, exciting choreography and a wide range of emotional expression to commend it.”

The Arts Guardian on the Celebration of the Nile, 1989

"... the natural ease with which the dancers and musicians combined indicated the power of common folk roots. The amalgam of dance and music crackled with vitality; despite all the cultural pressures, it was self-evidently part of a living tradition."

Kenneth Ansell, from Law, 1989

A major step forward was made in 1989-90, when the Arts Council of Britain funded Suraya Hilal and Company for a six-venue tour. This resulted in the full classical programme, JewelS performed at the Queen Elizabeth Hall, London in 1989.

“Hilal’s versatility does not just depend on dance invention and physical discipline, it is also rooted in her authority as a performer. She can unite a packed Queen Elizabeth Hall in hushed concentration, then with a wave of the hand provoke a riotous clapping accompaniment to her troupe of excellent musicians.”

Judith Mackrell, The Independent on Jewels, 1989

“Watching Hilal is like watching the music dance itself.”

An Arab newspaper, 1990

With the continued funding from the Arts Council in 1990-91, Suraya Hilal created Divine Rites a diverse programme including the ritualistic Moulid inspired piece for four dancers, a singer and the full music ensemble. The classical piece called The Beloved was also created and included in the Divine Rites programme. This toured in ten venues including three nights at the Sadlers Wells. Divine Rites was a major step for the Company's work.

1991 also brought on the creation of Rhythms of Cairo - a baladi programme, based on urban folk form for seven musicians and 4 dancers performed at the Purcell Rooms, South Bank. It was then reworked into a longer programme of Colours of Cairowhich included new classical works and was performed at Sadlers Wells and toured in Britain and Europe from 1992-94.

“When Hilal dances Baladi, one can see how uniquely the dance blends sensuality with form and sophistication. Her body earthed… yet at the same time, she articulates a dazzling complex of rhythms and counter-rhythms.”

The Independent 1992 on Colours of Cairo

“The audience exhale in unison as the other musicians strike up in celebration. Suraya Hilal is a unique phenomenon.”

Sue Gaisfort, The Independent on Sunday, 1992 on Colours of Cairo

Teaching in the European capitals was then a well-established practice for Suraya Hilal.

1992 brought international travel for Suraya Hilal and Company in performances: invitations from major theatres and festivals across Europe were received. The Company began its relationship with Europe and touring brought further success and international acclaim. Among the theatres and festivals visited are:

• Tropeninstitute, Amsterdam
• Rasa in Utrecht, Holland
• Kanonhallen, Copenhagen
• Savoy Theatre Helsinki, Finland
• Dancin’ City Festival, Copenhagen
• Kuopio Dance Festival, Finland
• Konstanz, Germany
• Dance Festival, Stuttgart

From 1992-1996 Suraya Hilal had established an international status with her work. Earlier she had begun to fund her creative work and the production of her programmes from the sales of her videos which by then had been selling by the thousands throughout the world. Also, thousands of people had seen her work in many theatres across Europe.

After a few years of starts and stops, and inner contemplation, of time and travel in Egypt and Europe, Suraya Hilal created Spirit of the Hearta work based on the inspiration of the voice.

In Spirit of the Heart, Suraya collaborated with the unique and remarkable singer Ruh el Fuad. Ruh is one of the last Baladi singers of her type, whose art was nurtured in the popular artistic quarters of Alexandria and Cairo. Her vocal range was a perfect accompaniment to the diverse expressions Suraya created in this work. Ruh can sing a strong emotive mawaal (an improvisation of the voice) leading into a sweet baladi song, and move on to the Sufi chants and epic songs of the moulid (Saints festivals).

Hilal also found an excellent group of musicians who come from the original school of Baladi. They still live and breathe Baladi music in spite of the superficially manufactured and commercial climate they work in.

An important step in this work was Hilal’s collaboration with the well-known Egyptian/Armenian multi-media artist, Chant Avedissian. Chant has great knowledge and experience in the design of the authentic Egyptian costume. His inspiration was in the moving geometry of Suraya’s work which lead him to design the costumes for Spirit of the Heart.

This group of artists formed a powerful core for Suraya Hilal’s work in Spirit of the Heart. The work came together in a formidable union of voice, music, movements, colour, line and geometry. Unity was the key in all these elements. Hilal found new ways of moving the known traditional into unknown and unexplored territories. At the same time, her work is a celebration of the Baladi form, the working people’s art, conveying depth, emotion and the richness of humanity.

Ancient and modern, urban and rural, Islamic-Sufi, Pharaonic and universal, all interweave within the complex yet simple art of Baladi. This was a milestone in Suraya Hilal’s work for it was the beginning of the formation and completion of her holistically based dance idiom called Hilal Dance®.

“Hilal through her choreographies expresses the depth of Egyptian culture whether from the South or the North. ..She has succeeded through movement to combine cultural/artistic expression with social mores."

The Arab paper Al Ahram on the Spirit of the Heart, 1997

Spirit of the Hearttoured from 1997-2000 throughout Europe:

• 6/7Sept. 1997 RNCM, Manchester Premier
• 10/11 Sept 1997 Queen Elizabeth Hall, London Premier
• 27/28 May 1998 Tanz Haus, Düsseldorf, Germany
• 30/31 May 1998 Haus Der Kulturen Berlin, Germany
• 28/29 August 1998 Zurich, Switzerland
• 22,23,24 Oct. 1999 Dansen Hus, Stockholm, Sweden
• 27th Oct. 1999 Gavle, Sweden
• 29th Oct. 1999 Omea, Sweden
• 1999 Ljubjana, Slovenia
• 20th August 2000 Dancin’ World, Copenhagen
• August 2000 Göteberg Dance Festival, Sweden

2000-2006

The year 2000 brought the formation of the Hilal Art Foundation as the official body behind the teaching of Hilal Dance®, the support of Suraya Hilal’s creative work, qualification and licensing of the teachers, and opening up more avenues for collaboration with other art forms and artists.

Upon the formation of the Foundation and with the sales of her videos, Suraya Hilal created, the work Al Janub in 2001.

Hilal dedicated this work to the Sha’abi people of Upper Egypt, the cultivators of the soil/the Fallahin, the nomadic tribes of the desert/the Bedouin, the Nubians, and all the artistic tribes that live through music, dance, song and poetry.

This work was especially dedicated to the most authentic of musical tribes, The Metqual family and their brothers, the Mohammad Murad family. Suraya Hilal has worked closely with these special people in Luxor and Upper Egypt since her first programme with them in “Celebrations of the Nile” in 1989 and now in Al Janub.

In Al Janub, Hilal works with traditional/root movements and expressions only to extend them and transform them in pure line and essence to something more dramatic, dynamic and stylistic giving this timeless music a modern accessibility and universality.

Working with two other dancers, Hilal’s choreographies reveal the magic of the reverberating rich sounds of the fine Upper Egyptian music of the Metqual Family and Abu Kherag and Quenawi Mizmar Family. As it was no longer possible to bring the full Sa’idi ensemble of ten musicians, Suraya Hilal uses excellent music recordings of dynamic pieces such as “Ya Rab Toba” by the mizmar band. Accompanying the pieces, live is the ‘Rais’ (chief) Mohammad Murad himself, his son El Hami Murad, on rababah and Ibrahim el Minyawi on percussion.

“Suraya Hilal, Marie al Fajr and Alessandro el Bascioni move through space with upright, elegant steps. Moods change with the music and the authentic, multi-layered garments, and the seemingly feather-light solos, duos and trios are filled with dramatic tension. The canon of movement of the dance is so rich and complex that the choreography dispenses with the use of scenery-and rightly so. Suraya Hilal has a love of the abstract, purist dance, which has at lease as much to relate as the tales from the 1001 Nights.”

Westdeutsche Zeitung-B Trouwborst, Feb, 2002

“Hilal captivates the audience with a sublime sensuousness and purity of movement, giving visible expressions to the timelessness of ancient tradition.”

Reinische Post- G. Pölert, Feb, 2002

“With her transformation of age-old traditions into modern form, Suraya Hilal seems to have struck a primeval nerve, opening up new dimensions to the audience. Sensations of the physical and temporal distance mingle with a reassuring feeling of security."

Tanz Oriental- R. Möhr, April 2002

2004 brought the creation of Aseel with it’s premier at the Tanzhaus, Düsseldorf and toured internationally 2004/2006. This programme is also a further progression and development of Suraya Hilal’s work in collaboration with the dancer and choreograper Alessandro el Bascioni. Here, Suraya uses the idiom of Baladi music and dance developed in the late 19th and throughout the 20th century in the cafes of the fast growing urban centres of Cairo and Alexandria. The music combines traditional, rural forms with new influences and instrumentation. Baladi music has blossomed into a joyful yet soulful improvisational form likened to Afro-American blues and jazz. “Al Aseel” or the “authentic moment” is that inspired and spontaneous instant when the musicians and dancer unite, ignite and create the unexpected.

Khu’d W’hat or "Give and Take" is an essential element in the relationship between dancers and musicians. The thrill of the moment is created only when all unite in that instant. Suraya Hilal and Alessandro el Bascioni explore the Aseel of live rhythm with Ibrahim el Minyawi and Ali Abdel Alim on tabla and daholah.

“In Khud w’Hat, a duo performed by Hilal and Alessandro el Bascioni … the pair created what might perhaps be called harmony at a distance. The contact between the two remained limited to the eyes throughout, their bodies never touching. But the movements of the woman mirrored those of the man and vice versa, an unaffected, joyful cooperation evolved, no game of contradictions pressing for resolution”.

Westdeutsche Zeitung 28.02.04

“In lively dialogue with their three musicians, who are positioned at the back of the stage (percussion: Ibrahim and Ali el Minyawi; accordion: El Gamal), Hilal and el Bascioni show subtle games of enticement, elegant double forms; supreme ease paired with discreet sensuality.”

Rheinische Post 28.02.05

“[In Aseel] Suraya Hilal has gone back to the roots of Baladi ... but at the same time one also recognises elements of free dance and of contemporary modern dance in the movements, which almost always flow gently.” “It is thrilling that she not only never loses contact with the live music but lets her body breathe as one with the sounds of the accordion right to the smallest nuance, and dances the accents of the percussionists in pure understanding.”

Westdeutsche Zeitung 28.02.05, Klaus Schmidt

In 2007 Suraya Hilal appeared as a guest artist of the Iskandar Dance Company with the production, El Saqiyeh at the Lilian Baylis Theatre (Sadler's Wells) in London and at the Institute du Monde Arabe in Paris. She perfomed a dynamic solo piece on live rhythm with Ibrahim el Minyawi.

"El Saqiyeh, is like an oasis of restorative calm" The Herald

"El Saqiyeh, (The waterwheel) celebrates, the integration of sha'abi (traditional folk) and contemporary dance at a point of transition between theatre & movemetns based on the arab/egyptian culture" Time Out 2007

The work continues ...

Suraya Hilal Dance Company through time

Edinburgh festival, 1980

Edinburgh festival, 1982

Commonwealth Institute, 1983

"Occasionally, history has seen artists bringing art forms back to life from the edge of oblivion. Suraya Hilal has done so for Egyptian Dance." The Guardian, 1991

SAHIRRAH In 1984, Suraya Hilal worked with Polish choreographer and theatre director, Halina Witek in Holland. The result was the unique modern piece called SAHIRRAH performed 5 nights in Eindhoven, Holland.

The Return of the Spirit “Suraya Hilal shows how the traditional can be given new scope in a modern composition.” Kenneth Rea of the Guardian, 1985

Celebrations Of the Nile “The evening was dominated by swirling colour, curious sound and exhilarating movement…it had humour, exciting choreography and a wide range of emotional expression to commend it.” The Arts Guardian, 1989.

The Beloved A classical piece was created and included in the Divine Rites programme.

Divine rites Rehersal, 1991

Journey to Light In 1994, Suraya Hilal worked with the composer Peter Chowdry’s 7-piece chamber orchestra where they produced a 35-minute modern piece called Journey to Light, which featured at the Queen Elisabeth Hall in 1995.

Spirit of the Heart “Hilal through her choreographies expresses the depth of Egyptian culture whether from the South or the North. ... She has succeeded through movement to combine cultural/artistic expression with social mores. The Arab paper Al Ahram, 1997

AL JANUB “Suraya Hilal, Marie al Fajr and Alessandro el Bascioni move through space with upright, elegant steps. Moods change with the music and the authentic, multi-layered garments, and the seemingly feather-light solos, duos and trios are filled with dramatic tension. The canon of movement of the dance is so rich and complex that the choreography dispenses with the use of scenery, and rightly so. Suraya Hilal has a love of the abstract, purist dance, which has at lease as much to relate as the tales from the 1001 Nights.” Westdeutsche Zeitung-B Trouwborst, Feb, 2002

Aseel our latest work is premiered at the Tanzhaus, Düsseldorf

The spirit of collaboration and innovation

Throughout her profession, Suraya Hilal collaborated with composers, and musicians from different fields, not only Arab but also western and international dancers artists and choreographers. Among the important works created were:

• In 1984, Suraya Hilal worked with Polish choreographer and theatre director, Halina Witek in Holland. The result was the unique modern piece called SAHIRRAH performed 5 nights in Eindhoven Holland.

• In 1988 through collaboration with Kathak and Flamenco artists, “Dance Mosaic” was produced and presented at The Place.

• In 1994, Suraya Hilal worked with the composer, Peter Chowdry’s 7-piece chamber orchestra where they produced a 35-minute modern piece called Journey to Light, which featured at the Queen Elizabeth Hall in 1995.