After starting out in jazz dance at the Samia Allouba Dance and Fitness Centers, Salma Salem began practising contemporary dance and physical theatre in 2011 when she followed a course at the Centre for Contemporary Dance in Cairo and the Cairo Opera Centre of Creativity headed by artistic director Karima Mansour. She also took part in projects with companies including Ex Nihilo, Don Gnu and StopGap Company.
In 2019 she performed at the Sophiensaele in Berlin and the Institut du Monde Arabe in Paris. In 2020 she was invited by the Pina Bausch Foundation + l’École des Sables to take part in a workshop in Tunisia. Her solo Anchoring was then presented at the Biennale of African Dance in Marrakech, the Joint Adventures festival in Munich and the Arab Arts Focus in Cairo.
Before devoting herself entirely to her career as a choreographer, Salma Salem graduated in psychology from the American University in Cairo and worked as an occupational therapist for autistic children.
Salma Salem
The work of Salma Salem, a freelance artist who lives in Cairo, focuses on active research into forms of dance. During her career she has become interested in body-and-mind practices, the ability of the body to adapt, environmental awareness and healing through movement.