Al-Ghoury Dome is known for hosting troupes staging heritage performances, and the centuries-old walls of this magnificent building are no strangers to the sounds of Egyptian folklore. 

Folklorita, consisting of nine woman singers, eight instrumentalists, and five dancers, performed a series of heritage songs. And, though the band has already given more than 40 concerts in a matter of months, this one was unique. Not only did it incorporate tanoura dancing for the first time, it also featured the premiere of the band’s first original composition, entitled Khamsa wa khemesa.

The hour-and-a-half concert enabled the full house to forget the intensity of the summer’s heat as people sang along to the well-known compositions and cheered the dancers.

The brainchild of Ahmad Mohamed Sakran (also known as Siko), Folklorita started with four friends playing music together, exploring Egyptian folkloric material. From those informal meetings of Siko, Doaa El-Zeidy, Rita Nagy and Khadiga Farouk, the idea of a band was born.

They were soon joined by the kawala player Raafat Farahat and the percussionist Mohamed Farahat. The two, as Siko explains, are among the band’s founding members. And once the idea started taking form, new members found their way to the band, the most recent addition being five woman tanoura dancers.

“In fact, one girl wears two hats. Mariam Mohamed sings and participates in the dance segments,” Siko explains, sitting on stage with his tabla. “The band’s members come from all walks of life. The female singers are students, engineers, lecturers, working mothers, musicians… Folklorita incorporates different generations too. For instance Rawan is 16; she likes folkloric dance. Nariman, our youngest singer, is 21... We have ladies in their twenties and thirties and forties. What brings them together is a profound interest in folklore. We are also all friends, or rather one big family.”

All the men are professional musicians, and they accompany the women’s vocal performance which Siko likens to “traditional henna parties, subou’ baby showers, and so on. People are used to women’s voices on such occasions, and so receptive to them at concerts.”

The tanoura segment is managed by Radwa Saad El-Din, “the first girl to dance tanoura, and a choreographer of this art form. I am very happy that she joined Folklorita, since her spirit reflects that of the band.”

While folklore has always held an important place in Egyptian musical tastes, the past few years saw the rise of bands consisting of young people rediscovering this material. “Most of those groups present folklore in its original, ‘pure’ format,” Siko says, “using instruments from the Egyptian musical heritage. With Folklorita, we are combining the heritage with modern instruments, a choice that is at the core of the group’s philosophy.”

He points to an amalgam of tabla (darbouka), duhulla (bass darbouka), duff (frame drum), kawala (cane flute), mizmar (single or double reed wind instrument), rababa (bowed string instrument), keyboards, drums and bass guitar, all of which give a new sound to Folklorita’s performances.

The idea of Folklorita has already proved successful. Since their inaugural performance in Beit El-Seheimy in February, the group have performed in Cairo, Alexandria, Damietta, Mansoura, Assiut, the North Coast, and elsewhere. “From Beit El-Seheimy, we moved to Rouh in Maadi, a space owned by our friends, the darbouka player Sara El-Botaty and her husband Amr Nada.”

As the requests for performances multiplied, Siko was somewhat surprised. “I thought that it would take some time for Folklorita to be recognised, yet since last February we’ve already had many gigs, with a particularly large number during the month of Ramadan [March-April], when we performed a few times a week.”

In April, Folklorita took the stage of the Alexandria Opera House (Sayed Darwish Theatre), marking the opening of the Alexandria Short Film Festival. “The audience engaged with us strongly, a fact that prompted the festival’s artistic director Mony Mahmoud to ask us to perform during the festival’s closing as well.”

Folklorita also pays attention to the visual component. “The visual presentation of any band is very important. I have already implemented this concept in other bands. It’s like creating a painting,” Siko comments, pointing to the contemporary brush strokes obvious in the musicians’ modern dresses instead of traditional galabeyas. “The whole picture needs to correspond with the musical output.”

All of which entails a lot of work. Behind the scenes, there are countless hours of training with specialists in music, singing, and most recently traditional dance forms.

“Prior to the group’s launch we worked for several months on each and every detail. We continued to develop, through lessons held on a weekly basis. We took a month’s break after Ramadan. We needed to evaluate our trajectory, think what to add to the performances. So we returned with the tanoura, and an original track. We will continue our journey of development; it’s very important.”

Folklorita’s repertoire is chosen by all its members, through sharing ideas and discussions, with Siko taking the final decisions on songs, outfits, presentation, etc. Most of the works are performed with an original arrangement aimed at infusing them with a modern touch. Such is the case with Beiba (from 1999 film Araq El Balah), “a piece often requested by our audiences,”  Alexandrian Medley, a natural favorite of the Mediterranean city’s audience, and many others.

The band’s first original work Khamsa wa khemesa which premiered during their concert at Al-Ghoury Dome has its own story. “We were testing the waters, and it turned out the audiences liked the composition. Khamsa wa khemesa has music and arrangement by Islam Refaat, lyrics by Nader Shaaban, and my own rhythmic arrangement. We are currently working on the music video. Meanwhile we already have our second original song in the pipeline. I hope we can close 2024 with our first original album,” Siko reveals. “Khamsa wa khemesa is very dynamic, cheerful. It is suitable for concerts as well as private events including weddings. Who knows, maybe we will manage to introduce our ‘new folklore’, making our own mark on this wonderful genre.”

Siko has a strong background in music management, in which he has worked for more than 20 years. Since 2011 he has managed his own studio, Vibe for Developing Arts, and supported the launch of numerous musicians and bands. He applies his skills and knowledge to managing Folklorita, undertaking a myriad of organisational tasks: “It is a huge responsibility indeed, but everyone adds their part in terms of logistical support. We are like a big family,” he repeats, listing members and their tasks. Jessy Gamal, for example, does “a huge job at the backstage of all preparations and concerts.”

In today’s musical scene, big projects require big investments, but Siko’s passion has made this irrelevant. “The music market is not an easy place. It is hard to succeed without investment, and the courage to take risks. However, the results are always encouraging. After all, I enjoy the process immensely.”

Siko’s interest in folklore is a years-long journey of exposure to many musical genres on a daily basis. I featured him on those pages several years ago, tracing his continuous development and the many projects he had on his plate. He often expressed his particular interest in jazz, his work with jazz musicians, but stressing that he embraces all music genres.

Today he reveals how, over the past few years, he has become increasingly drawn to folklore. “We all develop, and encounter new creative influences, some of which touch us in a unique manner. Egyptian folklore is one such rich musical trove. It belongs to us all.”

Though still young, Folklorita has already made its mark on the local scene. “We hope to take our performances beyond Egypt,” Siko adds, mentioning that he is exploring the folklore of other Arab countries, the genre being “an ocean with no end, and many fascinating tides.”

Folklorita’s upcoming concert will take place at the Manasterly Palace on 31 July. On 16 August, the band will perform at the New Alamein Festival. “The month of August will bring other appearances filled with surprises, especially for Cairo and Alexandria audiences.”

 

* A version of this article appears in print in the 25 July, 2024 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly