I was very excited to be selected as one of the opening dancers for Hakim’s show in Washington DC on October 3, 2004. From the moment I found out about the concert, it was like nothing I’d ever experienced. There was no information about the concert anywhere. It was one of those things you just had to know about. There was no ticket outlet, no web page, and you couldn’t pay by credit card over the phone or online.

When I arrived at the Crystal City Hilton where the concert was being held, I realized why. The show was being run and attended by mostly Egyptians! If you have ever been to Egypt, you will know what I mean when I say it was a "Totally Egyptian" experience. It was haphazard, not on time, and I was not sure that it was going to happen at all.

The doors were supposed to open at 9:00 and my show was supposed to start at 9:45. Both those events were an hour behind schedule. Sultana danced right after me and ended her show around 11:00, which was when Hakim was supposed to come on. After an hour of cooling our heels, the audience started chanting, “Hakim! Hakim!” When he didn’t show by 12:30, people were leaving and asking for their money back. They didn't believe he was coming at all. To tell the truth, I didn't either.

At 1:00, his band streamed in, quickly sat down, and started to play. Hakim opened with “Asalâmu Alaykum.” The crowd was up on its feet and never sat down. The music was so fast that there was no way to dance to it, but we all clapped and most of the audience also sang along.

Hakim was full of energy and seemed to really enjoy himself on stage. He was a lot of fun to watch. He seemed to smile as he sang and spread love around the room. His strong, loud voice never wavered. He occasionally threw in some dance steps that were the cutest things you ever saw. It was a most entertaining 45 minutes.

What wasn’t entertaining was witnessing the drunken Arab women. Loose Arab girls yelled obscene propositions at Hakim. They were not dressed to the nines as I’ve seen in other places, but looked rather American in apparel and behavior. The other dancer who opened the show with me shared her Arab counterpart’s indecency. Her table dancing left me wondering if she was a belly dancer or a stripper.

It was an eye opening experience. Definitely fun, but tiresome and surprising, as only Egypt can be. Except for the brevity of Hakim’s performance, he rates an “A”. The rest of the night was disappointment. Still, I'd suggest you see Hakim if given the chance. Just be aware that it's not going to be like any other concert you have ever seen!