Egypt’s House of Folks to organize a memorial service for Mahmoud Reda on September 20

CAIRO - 19 September 2020: Egypt’s House of Folks to organize a memorial service for late great Egyptian artist Mahmoud Reda on September 20.

Veteran Egyptian dancer, choreographer and founder of Reda troupe Mahmoud Reda passes away at 90 on July 10.

Reda was born in Cairo on March 18, 1930.  He studied at Cairo University where he received a degree in Political Economics. 

His older brother Ali who was a dancer had strong influence on Mahmoud so he became found of dancing. 

He was a gymnast and represented Egypt in the 1952 Summer Olympics in Helsinki.

But his passion with dancing pushed him to join an Argentinian dance troupe and toured Europe. 

Then he began to plan to start his own dance troupe, but because of lack of funds he worked as an accountant for Royal Dutch Shell. 

He met the Anglo-Egyptian  dancer Farida Fahmy in the Heliolido Club in Cairo and she became his dancing partner.

Reda and Fahmy performed in the Soviet Union in 1957 then founded their  folk dancing troupe in Egypt with Ali Reda in 1959.

At the beginning Reda troupe consisted of only twelve dancers and twelve musicians. 

Reda's choreography is a mix between traditional Egyptian folk dances with Western styles dances like ballet. 

Reda troupe achieved booming success and became the most famous dance troupe in Egypt at that time.

In 1961, Mahmoud Reda and Fahmy starred in the film ‘’Igazah nisf as-sinah’’ ( Mid Term Vacation) which was directed by Ali Reda along with the rest of the troupe members. 

The film popularized Reda Troupe among people. In 1967 their second film ‘’Gharam fi al-karnak’’ ( Love in Karnak) was released. In 1970, the troupe appeared in a third film Harami El-Waraqa.

Mahmoud Reda stepped down as the principal dancer of the troupe in 1972, but continued as a choreographer and  performances director.

Reda is the father of famed Egyptian actress Sherine Reda.