Tango the Night Away

Enjoy four nights of tango dancing (May 17–21) at the Fairmont Towers, organized by Tango Club Egypt (Ramy William and Khaled Tawfik) under the auspices of the Argentine Republic's Embassy. The hightlight of the Tango Festival is a performance by Ezequiel Paludi and Geraldin Rojas, one of the most famous international Argentine tango dancing couples. This is the first event of its kind in Egypt and will definitely be an experience to remember. The event is a good chance to acquaint yourself with the art of tango dancing by watching the dancing couple and even finding yourself a partner and starting to tango yourself. If you think you want to take it a step further, this is a good opportunity for you to arrange classes for yourself (in Cairo or Alexandria), as the event will also host some of Egypt’s finest tango dancers. It will be a suit-and-tie event; so if you think you have what it takes, put on your dancing shoes and show up for those four nights starting at 9:30pm at Café Heliopolis at Fairmont Towers.

Explore your creative side by participating in one of the Let’s Make a Book workshops, held all over Cairo. The program was initiated in 2008 and is a grassroots attempt at sculpting a more creative generation of local writers. Workshops are mainly aimed at children and teenagers between eight and 18 years old, and are offered in both Arabic and English. Adults can participate as trainers or editors in the workshop, invited to sit down with kids to help them make their stories publishable.

Send your child to a workshop, contribute as a trainer and editor, or simply enjoy an inspiring ambience watching kids brainstorm the most darling storylines, draw impressive caricatures and read books out loud for all to hear. Workshops are currently held in Moqattam, Imbaba, Zamalek, Mohandiseen and Heliopolis. The activities and times vary depending on the location, so contact them first for further details. In any case, attend up to two sessions for free and decide for yourself. Subsequent costs depend on the type of workshop.

Omar Mohsen

Feeling stressed? Not good at expressing yourself to friends or family members? Maybe it’s time for a new forum for expression. Rework your schedule and take off to Alexandria during the last week of May, or any month for that matter. Providing an opportunity for creative release, El Dokan Space of Art and Society offers “Our Stories” at 8pm on the last Wednesday of each month. It’s a chance to meet some new faces, make friends, and most importantly, to tell your story any way you want. You could talk about your accomplishments, your downfall or your secret emotions. It doesn’t matter, as long as you agree to share a little something about your life. You can meet and mingle with the people there, tell your own story and put your experiences into the “Our Stories” writing archive.

The October War Panorama in Nasser City offers a reminder of a shining moment in the national psyche. Paying tribute to the military's breaching of the Bar-Lev line, the museum features movies and a slightly cheesy diorama of the troops crossing the Suez Canal. The highlight, however, is the 360-degree panorama depicting the fierce battle for Sinai, with athree-dimensional foreground blending into a painted mural. The auditorium-style seating section rotates, moving the viewers chronologically thorugh the battle's events as a narrator tells the story with all due drama.

The landmark cylinder-shaped building covers an area of 32,000 square meters and has an outdoor static display of Egyptian aircraft used in the war and Israeli armaments including tanks and guns captured during the fighting.

Get your dose of history by spending a couple hours wandering around with friends or family. The museum is open daily, except Tuesdays, from 9:30am until 12:30pm and then again in the evenings from 6:00pm until 7:30pm (in the summer). The panorama presentation is offered in several languages via headset for the benefit of foreign visitors.

Enjoy fantastic May weather by seeing some greenery and smelling some fresh air at the the International Garden in Cairo (Al-Hadeeka Al-Dawlia).

It is called the international garden because each individual section has trees and plants from around the world including flora and fauna from Bahrain, Saudi Arabia and Japan, to name a few. Signs in the garden identify the plants, and activities abound. There is a small theater that mainly hosts oriental shows, while swings and games keep the kids occupied — all the necessary ingredients for an enjoyable and educational day.

In addition, the seafood restaurant Inside the Sea (Gowa Al Bahr) serves (in addition to seafood) pastries and drinks at reasonable prices.

The garden is located in Nasr City next to Wonderland theme park building on Abbas El Akkad Street.

As Cairo experiences a wave of art gallery openings, people are getting inspired to put more color into their lives and to capture every moment with a camera. So, where to go to satisfy the artist within? Art Zone is one of the destinations in Cairo that provides a solution.

Located in Maadi, close to the Corniche, the venue hosts various art courses including a free drawing session held every Saturday at 6 pm, which you can attend to see the place and decide whether you want to continue with other courses.

Professors and teachers from the nation's fine arts and applied arts academies give lectures, tutorials, and workshops on drawing, painting, photography, printing and sculpture. The courses are conducted at a professional level, but amateurs can also use them to hone their skills.

Courses are not cheap, but are good value for the money. The photography course, for example, will cost you LE 1200 for 36 hours and is taught by a professional photographer with an academic background. Calling the center in advance is a good way to learn about available courses and the cost of each course.