Dina Talaat Sayed Muhammad (, ; born March 27, 1964) is an

Egyptian ''Egyptian'' describes something of, from, or related to Egypt. Egyptian or Egyptians may refer to: Nations and ethnic groups * Egyptians, a national group in North Africa ** Egyptian culture, a complex and stable culture with thousands of year ...

belly dancer and actress. She was named as the "Last Egyptian Dancer" by the American magazine ''

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''. She has a master's degree in

Philosophy Philosophy ('love of wisdom' in Ancient Greek) is a systematic study of general and fundamental questions concerning topics like existence, reason, knowledge, Value (ethics and social sciences), value, mind, and language. It is a rational an ...

Personal life

Dina was born in

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. Her father was correspondent for the

Middle East News Agency The Middle East News Agency (MENA) is a news agency based in Egypt. It is run by the Egyptian government. History and profile The MENA was founded on 15 December 1955 as a joint stock company owned by Egyptian press establishments. The agency, ...

in Rome. At age 16, Dina became depressed after her fiancé committed suicide and she attempted to kill herself. She earned a master's degree in philosophy from

Ain Shams University Ain Shams University () is a public university located in Cairo, Egypt. Founded in 1950, the university provides education at the undergraduate, graduate and post-graduate levels. History Ain Shams University was founded in July 1950, the third ...

at the insistence of her father. She has a sister, Rita, who was a professional singer in the 1980s before retiring and deciding to wear the

niqab A niqāb, niqab, or niqaab (; ), also known as a ruband () or rubandah (), is a long garment worn by some Muslim women in order to cover their entire body and face, excluding their eyes. It is an interpretation in Islam of the concept of ...

. Her first marriage ended in divorce in 1998. She then married director Sameh El Bagoury, the father of her son Ali. After El Bagoury's death from a brain tumour in 2001, she secretly married Hossam Abol Fotouh. It was rumored that she would retire, but she returned to her career.

Career

Dina started her career in the early 1970s with the Reda Dance Troupe. She became a solo dancer in the 1980s and soon became well known. In the 1990s she became known for her gigs at hotels like the Cairo Sheraton where she shocked Egyptian society by eschewing the traditional bellydance costume for shorts and a bikini. Like most belly dancers, Dina dances for private functions as well as public engagements. As of 2007, she charged around to appear at weddings. She has travelled to various countries to teach workshops and perform, including Brazil in 2005 and Australia in 2010. In 2011, she released her autobiography, ''Huriati Fi Al Raqs'' (''My Freedom in Dancing''). Because of the

2011 Egyptian revolution The 2011 Egyptian revolution, also known as the 25 January Revolution (;), began on 25 January 2011 and spread across Egypt. The date was set by various youth groups to coincide with the annual Egyptian "Police holiday" as a statement against ...

it did not sell well in Egypt, but the French-language edition '' Ma liberté de danser'' (2011) was more successful.

Filmography

Cinema

* ''El-Kammasha'' (1987) * ''En-Nasib Maktoub'' (1987) * ''El-Hubb Aydan Yamoot'' (1988) * ''Ginan fi Ginan'' (1990) * ''Al-Ghashim'' (1991) * ''Albaree wa al-Gallad'' (1991) * ''Esteqalet Gaber'' (1992) * ''Mazbahet al-Shorafaa'' (1992) * ''Demo Sahebat Al-Galala'' (1992) * ''Al-Mansi'' (1993) - ''Guest of Honour'' * ''Qshr el-Bondoq'' (1995) * ''Estakoza'' (1996) * ''Ibn Ezz'' (2001) * ''Alaya el-Tarab bet-Talata'' (2007) * ''Elbelyatsho'' (2007) * ''Maganin Nos Kom'' (2007) * ''Ezbet Adam'' (2009) * ''Had Sama' Haga?'' (2009) * ''Wlad Al Balad'' (2010) * Asl Eswad'' (2010) * ''Shari' Al Haram'' (2011) * ''Foukak Mini'' (2011) * Abda Mota'' (2012) * Ash al-Balbal'' (2013)

Television

* ''Rodda Qalbi'' (1998) * ''Fereska'' (2004) * ''Raya Wi Sekeena'' (2007) * ''Romanet el-Mizan'' (2008) * ''Al Ashrar'' (2009) * ''Samasim'' (2009) * ''Zahra Bareyya'' (2009) * ''Khas Gedan'' (2009) * ''Waad Mesh Maktoub'' (2009) * ''Qeshta We Asal'' (2013) * ''Ahl al-Hawa'' (2013) * ''Faraoun'' (2013) * "Al-Harbaieh" (2017) * "The Flood / El Tofan" (2017) * "Rahim" (2018)

Theatre

* ''Alabanda'' (1995)

Bibliography

* Dina Talaat, ''Ma liberté de danser: la dernière danseuse d'Égypte'' (My Freedom to Dance), Michel Lafon, January 2011

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Dina Egyptian female dancers Egyptian film actresses Egyptian belly dancers 1964 births Living people Ain Shams University alumni Egyptian television actresses Egyptian stage actresses 20th-century Egyptian actresses 21st-century Egyptian actresses