PHOTO CREDIT: Above photo by John Rickman Photography, San Jose, California.

Ratiba and Ensaf Rushdie were multi-talented entertainers who sang, danced, and acted. They were very famous, along with their youngest sister Fatma Rushdie. Fatma was not only a stage and film actress, but also one of the pioneers of Egyptian film production.

Ensaf and Ratiba started their careers with Sayed Darwish, then worked with the el Rehani Theater group, and later with the Ali Kassar Theater group. These were all prestigious theater groups at the time.

The sisters opened their first club in 1929 in Cairo, and in 1935 they opened their famous club on Alfi Bek Street.

Many of the same dancers that performed at Badia Masabni's club also danced at Casino Ratiba and Ensaf Rushdi, including Taheya Carioca and Zozo Lebeb.

They also ran a popular club in Asyut, Egypt.

The photo below featuring the Rushdie sisters appeared on the cover of the Egyptian magazine El Sabah in 1932. Click on it to see the magazine cover in more detail.

The Two Sisters Ensaf and Rateba Rushdie As They Appear In Their Club Every Night

• 1930's Ad for a Show in Asyut by the Rushdie Sisters. At El Khadawia Garden.

• 1935 Article About Grand Opening of Rushdie Sisters' Club on Alfi Bek Street. In Cairo.

Priscilla is a dancer of Lebanese heritage who enjoys researching the Golden Era of Egyptian dance. She owns a collection of more than one hundred classic black and white Egyptian films which is continually expanding.

Priscilla has also gathered a large library of dance related articles and clippings from Middle Eastern magazines and newspapers, many of which she has translated from the original Arabic to both English and Spanish.

Priscilla currently resides in Central America where she is a dance instructor.