A Footnote in Ballet History?

In the 1960s, the so-called "Bolshoï Five"—Magda Saleh, Diane Hakak, Aleya Abdel Razek, Wadoud Faizy, and Maya Selim—made ballet history, laying the groundwork for the beginning of Egyptian ballet. In this ground-breaking documentary, Hisham Abdel Khalek tells their story, interviewing them and their colleagues Reda Sheta, Nadia Habib, Yehia Abdeltawwab, and Safwat Gerges in New York, Chicago, and Cairo. We also follow Magda Saleh as she becomes the Cairo Ballet School's first doyenne and the first director of the new Cairo Opera.

Photo: © So Freakantastik / H&O Productions LLC