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"Dances of Egypt" on VHS. Included is a bonus clip of the Banaat Maazin performing with Aisha for the cast of "Death on the Nile" in 1974, 1977 & 1983. Araf is well known for its publication of high quality audio and video field recordings collected from the Egyptian and North African countryside. The video "Dances of Egypt" earned Aisha Ali a Lifetime Achievement award from the Giza Academy of Music and Legends of Dance in 1997; in the year 2000. This documentary includes two dances performed by Aisha Ali in 1991. The performances take place in cities, towns and villages throughout many parts of Egypt, and were filmed or recorded by Aisha Ali between 1971 and 1988. Considering the changes that have occurred since the filming began, much of the material has important archival value. It begins in Cairo with a wedding procession or Zaffah which is followed by a belly dancer performing for wedding guests at a modern hotel. An example of the traditional awalem style of dance follows. Concluding this section is a remarkable zar ritual, and a cabaret version of a whirling Darwish dance. Traveling between Cairo and Tanta, there are brief views of the farmlands and the fellahin at their daily chores. At Alexandria, a fascinating variety of dancers, singers and musicians perform at several wedding celebrations. In Upper Egypt (the Saeed) there are presentations of the Tahtib, a combat dance performed with quarterstaves, that dates back to Pharaonic times; a dancing horse, a men's cane dance, and a Saeed version of the bambutiya dance from Port Said. Especially interesting are several performances of the Banat Mazin, a family of Nawar gypsies that has been settled in Thebes for hundreds of years. They are some of the much-talked-about Ghawazee, a term used to describe the public dancing girls of Egypt who perform in the traditional manner at weddings and festivals.