Dina Talaat

Dina Tala'at Sayed Muhammad (Arabic: دينا طلعت سيد محمد‎; born March 27, 1964), [ˈdiːnæ ˈtˤɑlʕɑt ˈsæjjed mæˈħæmmæd]; 1964) is an Egyptian belly dancer and actress. She was named as the "Last Egyptian Dancer" by the American magazine Newsweek. She has a master's degree in Philosophy.

Personal life

Dina was born in Rome, Italy. Her father was correspondent for the Middle East News 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 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. 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. She is now married to the Egyptian businessman Wael Abo Hussein.

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 7,000 Egyptian pounds 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 it did not sell well in Egypt, but the French-language edition Ma liberté de danser (2011) was more successful.