dance, music, body wisdom from egypt
dance, music, body wisdom from egypt
Born in 1940 in El Minya (EGT)
Passed away in 2013 in Dubai (Emirates)
Buried in El Minya
Ibrahim el Minyawi embodied the traditional earthbound rhythms of his Egyptian home and mastered the complex repertoire of Arabian music like no other. Ibrahim el Minyawi grew up with traditional Egyptian music. He belonged to the generation of musicians of Baladi Asseel. Ibrahim was a musician who moved effortlessly between the rural and classical music genres of his country and created new variations of century-old traditions without losing sight of his roots. He started his career as a young boy in his home town of El Minya, a city well known for its musical families. The talented young musician played with the old masters in almost all villages and towns along the Nile, until he arrived in Cairo in the 1960s, the nucleus of the Arabian music and art world. Ibrahim played in the best orchestras in the country. As the situation in Egypt grew more difficult for artists, he emigrated to London in the 1980s, and enthralled audiences throughout Europe. For over 40 years, he worked for Arabian television and radio, made numerous recordings and performed in top venues throughout Europe and the Arabian world.
Ibrahim's knowledge of the tradition and his sensibility as a musician contributed greatly to the development of the dance technique we teach today (traditional and modern). Ibrahim worked closely with us in teaching, music research, music recording and stage production and played a key role in making all tanz raum music productions possible.
Whether in Stockholm, Berlin, Düsseldorf, Zurich, London, Paris or Cairo, his playing enthralled his audiences: the rhythms, sounds and beats he enticed from his drum, the speed at which his long, supple fingers moved over the fishskin of the tabla.
Ibrahim passed away on 12th of November 2013 and we miss him much.
