In one of her first decrees since assuming her new post of minister of culture on Sunday, Ines Abdel-Dayem has announced that Magdy Saber will replace her as acting chairman of the Cairo Opera House (National Cultural Centre).

Born in 1963, Saber is a graduate of the Higher Institute of Ballet in Cairo, where he later worked as a lecturer and served as the head of the ballet directing department. He also holds a bachelor's degree of commerce from the Cairo University, taught at the Theatrical Arts Institute in Kuwait.

Saber also served as the deputy artistic director of the Cairo Opera Ballet Company, a troupe managed by Erminia Kamel.

He was assistant director of several ballets staged at the Cairo Opera and designed choreography for performances included in celebrations staged at the opera, including the opening ceremonies of the Arab Music Festival, Media Production City, and the Cairo Cinema Festival.

Saber designed choreography for over 50 theatre plays produced by the culture ministry.

Saber has a long career as a dancer, and until the late 1980s performed lead male roles in works such as Giselle, Don Quixote, Swan Lake, The Nutcracker, Romeo and Juliet, and other ballets staged by the Cairo company.

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