ALEXANDRIA: Pictures featuring a 20-year-old Egyptian ballerina wearing a hijab as she performs on the streets of Alexandria have proved popular on social media.
Aya Magdy appears in photographs performing dance moves around the city and on its iconic Stanley Bridge while wearing a headscarf and donning a long-sleeved ballet dress.
Magdy, a law student at Alexandria University, says her aim is to showcase the beauty of her city by performing in front of its most famous sites and encourage tourists to visit.
When asked how people in the street react when seeing her, Magdy said: “They were surprised at first, but soon I began to see admiration in the way they looked at me as they see me perform this beautiful art,” she told the local Youm7 newspaper.
When the photos were posted on a public Facebook page, some people criticized her for dancing and wearing a hijab at the same time.
But Magdy said she wanted to break taboos about ballet dancing in Egypt, and promote it as a form of art.
The idea of taking to Egyptian streets and performing ballet began when the “Ballerinas of Cairo” were spotted posing and performing moves in front of Cairo’s architectural gems.
Magdy says she was inspired by them and wanted to do the same for her city.
See more photos from the shoot by Hussein Hossam / Fantasia Photography here.
Hijab-wearing ballerina performs on Alexandria streets to promote tourism
Hijab-wearing ballerina performs on Alexandria streets to promote tourism
