Gad hands over the academy shield and a certificate of appreciation to Nadia Abdel-Malek With her daughters by her side
Abdel-Malek lived in Russia for nearly half a century after travelling with her late husband, cinematographer Ahmed Abdel-Fattah, in the 1970s.
There they had their daughters, Hala and Heba and settled in Moscow, where the family achieved success in many areas.
On 28 March, the Egyptian Academy of Arts and the Higher Institute of Ballet authorised Sherif Gad, President of the Egyptian Association of Graduates of Russian and Soviet Universities and Director of Cultural Activities at the Russian Cultural Centre in Cairo, to hand over the academy shield and a certificate of appreciation to the ballerina in Moscow.
President of the Academy of Arts Ghada Jabara said that "Egypt does not forget its artistic icons and is very keen to communicate with those pioneers and honour them for their contributions to the history of Egyptian culture.”
Atef Awad, dean of the Higher Institute of Ballet, congratulated Abdel-Malek and her family on her 80th birthday, wishing her health and stressing the institute's pride in the pioneers who contributed to the establishment of ballet in Egypt.
Hala Abdel-Fattah expressed her happiness with this honour, which boosted her mother’s morale. Abdel-Malek’s second daughter, ballerina Heba Abdel-Fattah, confirmed that the family is happy about the recognition.
Gad congratulated them, stressing that "the family has always been the best ambassadors for Egypt in Russia, as the late father was a cinematographer who recorded many political and cultural events between Egypt and Russia and the mother, ballerina Nadia Abdel-Malek celebrates her birthday after she succeeded in instilling a love of the art of ballet.”
"Daughter Hala has become a well-known name in the world of fine art and depicts Egyptian civilisation in most of her paintings. Recently, a book was published about her artistic career. Her younger sister, Heba, was the first Egyptian and Arab woman to join the ballet school at the great Bolshoi Theatre. When the wife of the former President of Egypt, Suzanne Mubarak learned about this, she visited her at the Bolshoi Theatre,” Gad added.
Heba continued her creativity in the field of performing arts, with most of her performances inspired by the history of Egyptian civilisation.
The family receives moral support from the Egyptian embassy in Moscow, where they have become extraordinary ambassadors of Egyptian culture.
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