“When society deserts art, art forces its presence on society” is the slogan a group of photographers and ballerinas have adopted for their art project, Ballerinas of Cairo. By taking to the streets of Cairo, the young artists have succeeded in breaking the stereotype that ballet is an art form for the upper class only. Despite the dangers of performing on the streets and fears of negative reactions from the public, the ballerinas surprise passers-by with their performances.

The project's founders and performers have taken ballet to the streets of Cairo in light of the restrictions imposed by theaters and halls that have been forced to close. Cairo's performing art scene is limited, and so the Ballerinas of Cairo project exposes the public and tourists alike to what is readily available in big cities such as New York and Paris.

The idea came about when Mohamed Taher, a young director, was inspired by the Ballerina Project in New York, which was established 17 years ago by American photographer Dane Shitagi. Shitagi’s project also inspired photographers in several countries, such as Australia and France.

Given the attention the Ballerinas of Cairo project received on social media, the organizers are now preparing to take the street performances to other governorates, hold photo exhibitions of the shows and promote the project outside Egypt.