Shafiqa al-Qibtiyya

Shafiqa al-Qibtiyya was one of the earliest Egyptian professional dancers to achieve widespread fame. She emerged before the development of modern Raqs Sharqi and belonged to the performance culture that preceded Cairo's twentieth-century cabaret scene. Her career was associated with Cairo's entertainment venues and the Ghawazee tradition. Later accounts describe her as a student of the famous dancer Shawq and as one of the first Egyptian dancers to gain international recognition. Her importance to Raqs Atlas lies in documenting the professional dance world from which modern Egyptian Oriental dance eventually developed.