Denise Enan, born in Egypt, began classical
ballet at the age of four. Having had the opportunity to study
with the dance teachers of the Russian Bolchi, she moved to
Folkloric dance with the National Folklore Troupe of Egypt
(Firqa Kaoumia). The female students in the troupe were taught
Oriental Dance by Saneya Shawki, one of the best professional
dancers from the famous Mohamed Ali quarters in Cairo. Denise
quickly rose to become a principal dancer with the Kawmiyya, as
well as being responsible for teaching the troupe repertoire to
new members; counted among her students are prestigeous names
such as Dawlat Ibrahim, Faten Salama, Freiz Sayed and Lubna
Imam, among countless others. In addition to teaching the
Kamoueia repertoire to the main troupe, she also trained may new
students in the Folkloric Institute of Egypt. Denise and her
husband Ahmed, who was also a principle dancer in the National
Troupe, began establishing dance groups in four different
regions in Egypt and in 1971 won first prize at the television
National Competition in folkloric dance.
Denise and Ahmed have danced for many celebrities around the
world including presidents, emperors, and kings. She has also
performed in many international festivals throughout Europe,
Asia, Africa and the Middle East.
In 1975, after 14 years of dancing with the
National Folkloric Troupe, Denise and her family moved to
Canada. Wasting no time, she began passing on her knowledge and
experience of dance and choreography by teaching classes and
seminars across Canada. Denise has travelled the world over
several times as as an acclaimed performer and workshop
instructor.
Denise also currently teaches Egyptian folklore
to children in elementary and high schools for performances in
recital and television shows. She has gathered many devoted
students that she has groomed and trained to become professional
dancers.