Nour al Huda (1949)

The singer in this scene is Nour al Hoda (نور الهدى) from the 1949 Egyptian film ‘Huda’ (هدى). The style of dance is probably most identified with the ghawazi and its interesting that Ali Reda (1924 - 1993) was the dance teacher for this movie. The film also starred Kamal al Shinnawi, Zeinat Sedki and Farid Shawki. Huda/Hoda is pronounced ‘Whoo-da’, the word means ‘guide’ in English and is a common Arabic female first name. Nour al Hoda’s real name was Alexandra Nicola Badran (1924-1998) and her father was a singer in Lebanon. She moved to Cairo with her father and made her screen debut in 1943. However, after making the 1953 film “Hokm Karakoush”(Karakoush’s Reign حكم قراقوش) Nour al Hoda left Egypt and returned to Lebanon as there was a change in Egyptian tax rules which meant she could only sing in films and was no longer permitted to perform live. She remained in Lebanon until her death in 1998.