Biography

Born into an artistic family, Nesma began performing with her brothers in shows for television and theatre while still a teenager. At the end of the 80s, playing the role of an Arabic dancer in a show, she became interested in Arabic music and dance. At that time, oriental dance was rarely performed in Spain, and was practically unknown.

She began training with Shokry Mohamed, an Egyptian maestro living in Madrid, who had a studio in Las Pirámides (1991). During the following two years she travelled frequently to Paris to take classes with the maestro Zaza Hassan. In his ‘Ramses’ company she began to perform in France and the Middle East.

In 1993 Nesma decided to spend her summer holiday in Cairo, with the intention of completing her studies with great maestros and learning more about Egyptian people and culture. Once there, she had classes with Fathy Andrawis from the national Egyptian folk group El Kaomeya. Before returning to Spain she received a request to attend and audition. Caught up in the adventure, she accepted the challenge. As a result, she was recruited and so began to dance professionally in Cairo, with her own orchestra.

From 1993 to 1998 Nesma performed as a soloist with her 30-strong orchestra, doing three or four shows a day. She performed on practically all the stages in Cairo, from the mythical night clubs of the time, such as Sunset, Tivoli, Cave des Rois, etc. the prestigious El Balón theatre and the five star hotels like the el Sheraton Gezira, Sheratón Cairo, Marriot, Semiramis, Mina House, Safir, Nile Hilton, Sonesta, Movenvik, Novotel, etc.

The famous “Sunset” night club signed up Nesma as their new, star dancer and she performed there for five years in a row. She shared billing with great artists such as the famous singers Ahmed Adawiya, Hakim, Ali Haghar, Mohamed Fouad, etc. before the decline of these famous Cairo venues at the end of the 90s.

During her first years in Cairo, Nesma had daily lessons from great teachers such as Rakia Hassan (1993-1996) and Ibrahim Aakeef, (1995-1997); maestros steeped in the panorama of dance at that time. Each with their own style, they taught her the techniques and styles of the Egyptian soloists as well as other important matters to help her develop her work.

In 1996 Nesma decided to dedicate herself to thorough study of Egyptian folklore and Arabic music, with the goal of researching and developing her big project: recreating Andalusí dance. Alongside her career as a soloist, she began to study in the mythical studio of Mahmoud Reda where she met the great Egyptian dancer Farida Fahmy and, later, Mahmoud Reda himself, father and pioneer of Egyptian dance for the stage. From day one, Nesma was deeply moved by the technique and adaptation of folk dances developed by Mahmoud Reda for the stage. She immediately understood the importance of studying this technique, both to perform folk dances and to apply it to her own dancing style. From 1996 to 1998 she combined her work as a solo dancer with her studies of Egyptian folklore with Mahmoud Reda.

In 1998, having completely ceased her work as a solo dancer, she starter to work with Mahmoud Reda in his private dance company, the “Mahmoud Reda Troup”. She performed on Egyptian television and on different stages, such as in the Giza pyramids.

In 1998 she was contracted by the Egyptian Ministry of Culture as a dancer in the Reda National Folk Ballet, of which she was he only non-Egyptian member. Nesma worked with the Reda company for almost a year, participating for months in the preparation and performance of the ballet “Alb Fie Robabekia”, directed and choreographed by Mahmoud Reda, which was on the bill at El Balón National Theatre for months. She later took part in various performances with the company.

Since then, she has become one of Mahmoud Reda’s closest students and collaborators, making a meticulous study of his technique and helping in his workshops, both in Cairo and on international tours. In 2009 the Library of Alexandria contracted her and her company to put on a performance of Mahmoud Reda’s emblematic dances to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the creation of the Reda Company. In 2014 the Egyptian Embassy in Spain contracted her to put on the same show at the Templo de Debod in Madrid.

Since 1998 Nesma has dedicated a large part of her time to teaching, giving workshops all around the world

In Spain she has developed professional teaching, the AATEC programme, and given intensive seminars that are internationally renowned.

 

 

In 1996 Nesma decided to dedicate herself to thorough study of Egyptian folklore and Arabic music, with the goal of researching and developing her big project: recreating Andalusí dance.

When, in the time of Al-Andalus, the moors were expelled from the Iberian Peninsula, they took with them their music and their dances. Crossing the North of Africa, they arrived in the Middle East, where their influence began to be felt.

Founded in 1998, the Al-Andalus Dance Company, directed by the choreographer and dancer Nesma, came about with the aim of spreading the dances and folklore of Arabic countries as well as Hispano-Arabic music and dances which are in the original foundations of Spanish folklore.

The importance of this Company has been in the choreography this musical art in an era when haste and superficiality prevail in many artistic productions. Through study of the musical rhythms of the period, Nesma recreates the splendour of those times with choreographies full of creativity and a rich wardrobe designed specifically for her.

The Company is made up of dancers and musicians from various regions of Spain and other countries.

The have presented shows in prestigious venues in Europe and Egypt, including the Cairo Opera, the Opera of Alexandria and the Library of Alexandria.

Their principal shows are:

· Memories of the Nile (2002)

· From the Nile to the Guadalquivir (2003) – with the collaboration of the Instituto del Mediterráneo

· A Life for Dance (Madrid 2005, Library of Alexandria 2007/2008)

· Dreams of Al-Andalus (2008) – Tour of Egypt with the Instituto Cervantes

· Egyptian Dances of Mahmoud Reda (2009) – commissioned by the Library of Alexandria, Egypt for the 50th anniversary of the Reda Company

· Egyptian Dances in the Templo de Debod, Madrid – commissioned by the Egyptian Embassy in Spain (2014)

· Enta Omri (2015) – commissioned by the Arabesques festival, France

· Muwashahat (2016) – commissioned by the Arabesques festival, France

In 2003 she worked with José Monleon in the show “El Clavel y la Espalda”.
Among the project in development, an important one is the creation of a dance company in Japan under the artistic direction of Nesma to undertake tours there. This project had its premiere in October 2017 with the show Enta Omri.

Since the creation of her company in 1998, Nesma has dedicated a significant part of her work to researching and creating a style inspired by the Andalusí legacy in Spain. This “neo-Andalusi” style is entirely her own and combines elements of Egyptian folklore, Oriental dance and Spanish folklore. Using this style, she has created shows such as From the Nile to the Guadalquivir (2003), Dreams of Al-Andalus (2008), Muwashahat (2017) and numerous choreographies.

She has also developed the “Arabic Flamenco” fusion in collaboration with artists such as the flamenco dance from Málaga Rafael Jiménez El Olae and the Egyptian musician Ali Khattab (El Toro y la Luna, Sin País, A…dios).
Her early interest in the creation of shows inspired by the artistic legacy of Al-Andalus has established her as the pioneer of neo-Andalusí dance.

Since 1998 Nesma has recorded all the music she uses in her dance productions in the studies in Cairo. In 2004 she created her own record label, Nesma Music, to produce original music and videos with the aim of making her productions available to the dancers all around the world.

Today her label is known all over the world as a mark of quality. Alongside the dance productions, Nesma Music has produced other artists and developed groups such as the guitarist or the group Alkobry.

From 1994 to 2012 Nesma produced the annual Al-Andalus Festival, a presentation of her work with the students at her school, in the best theatres in Madrid.

In 2005 Nesma created the international festival of Arabic music and dance Raks Madrid which has become an international model for the teaching and dissemination of Arabic music and dance.

In additional to these festivals, her production company Nesma Events develops and organises events for organisations and prestigious clients such as the Egyptian Embassy in Spain (for the 75th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Spain and Egypt, Templo de Debod, Madrid 2014) or Casa Arabe (Tour of the Arabic Music Orchestra of the Cairo Opera, in homage to Umm Kulthum in 2015)

 

Known for her elegant and innovative style. Nesma designs her own dresses and those of her dance company.

In 2003 the shop SAMAI opened with her own line of clothes and accessories for Oriental dance.

Since 2015 she makes unique dresses for dancers under the Nesma Fashion label.