At Night, They Dance

At Night, They Dance French La nuit, elles dansent is a Canadian documentary film, released in 2011. Directed by Isabelle Lavigne and Stphane Thibault, the film profiles a group of belly dancers in Cairo, Egypt.

Isabelle Lavigne is a Canadian film director known or her previous film J.U.I.C.E, which tackled similar themes dealing with the male social sphere and how women interact with male authority. The film won several awards. Lavigne, 30, is now a mother and as such has become increasingly interested in womens issues.The movie follows the lives of a family of belly dancers living in a small Egyptian neighborhood in Cairo. Reda is the matriarch of the family who passes down her knowledge of the art of belly dancing to each of her children. Her husband died more than a year prior to the making of the documentary, so the viewer sees her in a state of mourning and uncertainty. She represents the authoritative figure, but her seven children often test the boundaries of her power. Each of her children contributes to the family profession through performing at local events, learning the trade during the day, or in the case of her younger son, watching the process of knowledge transition from generation to generation. Only three of her daughters currently perform, typically for allmale audiences. The documentary follows their journeys, from their household to the stage. ........

Source: Wikipedia