Amar Gamal was born in Havana, Cuba in 1970. At a young age her family moved to Florida were at the age of 13 Amar started to learn bellydance.

While in Miami beach she learned under the tutelage of Tamlym Dallal. In due course she went on to audition for the New World School of Performing Arts using bellydance techniques and impressed the tutors enough to win a place in the prestigious school. During her time in the New World School of Performing Arts she was schooled in the arts of jazz and tap dancing. Which she incorporates into her performance now.

You can see Amar performing with Bellydance Superstars in June.

Samia Gamal born as Zaynab Ibrahim Mahfus born in 1924 in the Egyptian town of Wana. Samia’s family moved just months later to Cairo and settled near the Khan El Kalili Bazaar. In time Samia meet with Badia Masabni, the founder of modern cabarat Bellydance, who offered her a position with her dance troupe. It was in fact Badia who gave the young Zaynab the stage name Samia Gamal.

At first she studied the dance under Badia and Badia’s star dancer at the time, Tahiya Karioka. In time Samia became a star in her own right and brought forth her own style with included elements from ballet and latin dance. She was the first Egyptian Dancer to perform with high heels on stage. She went on to star in many Egyptian movies of the time with Farid Al-Atrache whom she was in love with both on screen and off. Unfortunetly for Samia Al-Atrache was a Druze Prince and couldn’t marry her.

She went on to marry an American called Sheperd King III. However, the marriage did not least and in 1958 Samia married Roshdy Abaza of Arab Italian descent another actor with whom she had starred with in her many movies.

Samia stopped dancing in 1972 when she was in her 40’s but then she returned to dance after some coercion and she finally stopped dancing in the early 1980’s. Samia died on the 1st December 2004 in Cairo aged 70 years old.

Tahiya Karioka also known as Tahiya Mohamed (born as Badaweya Mohamed Kareem Al Nirani) on the 20th September 1920. Born in the rural Egyptian town of Ismaileya to a good respectable family. Due her background she was discouraged from dancing but good fortune came to her when she was 14. She was sent to live in Cairo with an old neighbour, Ms. Suad Mahasen. Ms. Mahasan was a night club owner and artist. Tahiya had requested her Guardian several times to be allowed to perform in Suad’s nightclub but Suad felt that she could not put a such a young girl to work in such a place.

However, many of Suad’s associates and friends became acquainted with the young Tahiya and they all advised Suad to add her to one of the shows as a chorus girl but she held her ground and refused to employ her. In time Tahiya was mentioned to the famous Badia Masabni (owner of the Casino Opera one of the most prominent nightclubs in Cairo at the time) Badia offered Tahiya a position in her dance group.

Tahyia accepted and was given the stage name Tahiya Mohamed. She soon gained popularity as a solo dancer and as she became more experienced she learned a popular Samba dance from Brazil at thte time called the Karioka. After the she was known as Tahiya Karioka

She died on 20th September 1999 aged 79 years old.