Walid Aouni
Walid Aouni, a renowned modern dance choreographer and director, began his career in Belgium in the 1980s. He studied Graphic Arts and Fine Arts at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Brussels. Aouni founded his first dance theatre group, Tanit Dance Theatre, in 1980 and gained recognition for his innovative choreography in Belgium.
During his career, Aouni collaborated with acclaimed choreographer Maurice Bejart for nine years and worked as a scenographer. In 1990, he visited Egypt with Bejart and later, in 1993, was invited by the former Egyptian Minister of Culture, Farouk Hosny, to establish the first modern dance group at the Cairo Opera House, the first of its kind in the Arab world.
From 1993 to 2011, Aouni directed over 25 shows for the Egyptian Modern Dance company at the Cairo Opera House. He also created numerous celebratory ceremonies for the Ministry of Culture, the Ministry of Armed Forces, and national events, including the opening ceremony of the restored Sphinx in 2012 and the opening of the Bibliotheca Alexandrina.
Aouni’s contributions to the arts have been recognized with various awards and honors, including the Knight Medal of Honour from the Lebanese government in 1992, the Shield of Egyptian Armed Forces in 1995 and 2002, and the French knight of “Arts and Letters” Medal of Honour in 2002. He has collaborated with notable figures in show business and cinema, both locally and internationally.
In addition to his artistic endeavors, Aouni has established the Egyptian Modern Dance Theatre group, the Modern Dance School, and the International Annual Festival for Modern Dance, held in Egypt and abroad. He currently serves as the Artistic Director of the “Forsan El Shark” traditional group.
