Taqseem Institute is an integrated dance institute/lab with a main objective of providing increased access to culture (Egyptian Music and Dance), improve the environment where those expressions can thrive and contribute to social cohesion, targeting females; the segment most compromised in the sector of art. Aiming to generate a tangible impact on the influence of heritage dance in modern Egyptian society.
The three month program is implemented in five different phases;
Movement Development.
Education.
Technique.
Musical appreciation.
Research.
Specific activities are planned to impact a considerable number of Egyptians working in the field of culture who don’t have the opportunities of exposure and need to be encouraged. The activities are designed to re-generate the performing arts ecosystem Egypt once had.
All of our program activities are documented and promoted through our social media platforms, if you wish not to be featured you can express this to our team and your privacy will be guaranteed. At Taqseem we maintain a respectful environment to promote a healthy and peaceful experience. Any rudeness or inappropriate behavior in our grounds among members or towards any staff will result in immediate dismissal without refund.
Sign up now for your walk in class or packages of 1 month, 3 months, or 1 year membership! All memberships and packages are strictly non- refundable but you can ask our administrator about our grace period policy.
Complete your 150 hour course training and receive your International Dance Council certification! The International Dance Council is the only dance authority that councils UNESCO. You can become a CID certified instructor and dancer through Taqseem!
Team
Amie Sultan
Amie Sultan is the founder and dance program director of Taqseem. She began her career as a classical ballerina dancing lead roles in ballets such as SwanLake, La Bayadere, Don Quixote, and many others. After attending Cairo American College in Egypt, she went on to obtain a Bachelor of Arts in Interior Design from Rhodec Institute. Amie was featured in the book Our Dance Stories which is a series of interviews with dancers from the Middle East region. While on tour in 2014, she discovered her love for Egyptian dance and music. She retired from the ballet to pursue a revival and rejuvenation of the Egyptian dance. She believes in dance and music as a heritage art and an expression of civilization, and was successful to convey that message via several interviews with local and international media outlets. With Vice, she made a video titled “How to treat a Belly dancer by a Bellydancer” which garnered international attention. She was selected by CNN to present a segment of Cairo POV, a special which was produced in cooperation with the Ministry of Tourism to promote famous heritage sites in Cairo. Amie was interviewed by Bloomberg, BBC Africa, The Guardian, BBC Arabic, CNN, Deutsche Welle, ARD German Channel, The New York Times, Associated Press, CBC Canada, Cairo Scene, Enigma, Egypt Today, and Elle Arabia among many others. Since her debut, Amie made a name for herself as Egypt’s most sought after and highest paid dancer at events and weddings of the elite both locally and internationally. She has performed for dignitaries in France, Spain, Greece, United Kingdom, Bahrain, Dubai, Lebanon, Jordan, and continues to perform live with her 15 membered orchestra to the tunes of Oum Kalthoum, Abd el Halim Hafez, Abd el Wahab and many other arrangements rooted in Egyptian Folklore. Her latest endeavor was her production of The Golden Age of Egyptian Cinema Tribute, a theatrical spectacle that premiered at the closing of Gouna International Film Festival 2021. The spectacle is the first of it’s kind in the Middle East bringing Egyptian dance to the stage with a live classical and traditional orchestra, backup dancers, stage projections and stage direction. The show is now preparing for it’s first tour. Amie was recently awarded the International Council of Dance certification of UNESCO’s CID (International Council Of Dance. In her spare time she gives lectures and round table talks and has appeared as a guest lecturer at New York University Tisch School of the Arts, Scripps University, Tahrir Culture Center, Women’s Association of Cairo, the first UNITWIN conference among others. Amie Sultan is the first bellydancer in Egyptian history to dance on a college campus when she appeared at the historical Ewart Hall dancing the Om Kalthoum Tribute in the 2022 edition of She Arts Festival. She is also the first Egyptian bellydancer in history to dance at The National Museum Of Egyptian Civilization (NMEC) when she appeared in the world premiere of “Hassan Fathy Architecture of Dance” directed by spanish director Dani Panullo.
Safaa Saeed
Safaa is an Egyptian dance performer, teacher, and arts administrator; her love for dancing began in the early years of her life. Ever since then, she has nurtured this passion and developed skills in many dances. Her favorites are Egyptian dancing, whirling, and contemporary dance.
She participated in the contemporary, Sufi dance performance (Rawhan) in 2019. Throughout her movement journey, she believed that dance could lead to a profound intimacy with the Self. Nurturing a space where dance could provoke self-reflection and mindfulness.
After completing a 3 Months Dance Module at Cairo Contemporary Dance Center, She became the first graduate who took the scholarship program at Taqseem Institute of Egyptian Dance Heritage founded by Amie Sultan. She received her INTERNATIONAL DANCE COUNCIL. CID @ UNESCO certification.
Safaa completed a Bachelor of Arts degree. And in addition to her dance background, she has 7 years’ experience in administrative work, and a demonstrated history of working in the health, wellness, fitness, and education industries. She has also discovered an interest in pilates and other alternative ways of training to gain awareness and strengthen the body from the inside. Safaa recently was chosen by superstar singer Abu to appear as the Egyptian baladi dancer in his clip for the song Enty Helwa which celebrates Egyptian Beauty and the song as well as her appearance in the song garnered huge success. She has appeared on Insider Arabic Edition Dubai TV as well as MBC Trending.
Fagr Amien
Fagr started her passion for Egyptian baladi dancing at a very young age , and attended many workshops with high ranked belly dancers and was a member of the university team of Folk Arts participating in many performances.
Fagr had the chance to run & choreograph different dance workshops and performances with outstanding outcomes. She also runs dance & movement workshops for children 4+.
She has participated in many theatrical performances and had the chance to combine the baladi dance with contemporary dance in different shows due to her diverse dance and theatrical experience.
She is a graduate of faculty of commerce and now studying Folk Arts at the Higher institute of Folk Arts. Fagr was awarded the Amie Sultan scholarship at Taqseem Institute in 2022 and is working towards her CID @unesco certification as well as instructing at the institute.
Menna Emam
Menna is an Egyptian dancer, researcher, and librarian. Her love of dance began at an early age as her father was a percussionist and member of one of the folklore groups during his adolescence, and as his first child, she unconsciously imitated his trainings. Dancing everywhere, from school party performances to friends' birthdays to family gatherings, and even at relative's weddings, she soon began to focus her training on Egyptian baladi dance and whirling.
She is passionate about movement, flexibility, and yoga and attended numerous workshops with various instructors and dancers.
She is a student and researcher at the Taqseem Institute of Egyptian Dance Heritage, which was founded by Amie Sultan. To pursue a professional career as an Egyptian dancer and dancing instructor.
Menna is also a librarian with specialised knowledge and over 6 years of librarianship and research service experience at academic libraries. MBA student at Cairo University and Master's Degree holder in Feminist Librarianship Documentation and Information Science. Cairo University B.A.
She participated in a number of international research forums, such as, IFLA Global Vision, BIBfram conference, and she was honored for her recent research entitled "The effect of the researchers Key performance indicators (KPI’s) on the scientific research" at the Forum for Open Research in MENA (F.O.R.M.) organized by the Knowledge E Foundation, Knowledge E, and Gulf Conferences, with the support of Advisory Partner UNESCO, Host Partner EKB, and Patron ALECSO.
Menna brings to Egyptian baladi dance her knowledge and research background as well as her continued dance training at Taqseem Institute for which she earned the Amie Sultan scholarship in 2022. She is currently working towards earning her International Council of Dance of UNESCO certification after she completes her studies at Taqseem
Aya Saada
Aya has been practicing Egyptian dance since 15 years and is a Happiness Life Coach. Her work involves teaching Egyptian dance techniques as part of her coaching practice . Since July 2022 she earned The Amie Sultan Scholarship scholarship to join Taqseem institue to pursue her professional career in dance in Egypt and is working towards Cid @ UNESCO certification after completing her 150 hour course. Using her experience at Taqseem her aim is to connect between Egyptian dance and happiness coaching ,use dancing as an art to healing, increase body positivity, self love, self confidence and live happy moments with the self and body to strengthen psychological immunity and face the stress of daily life.