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

[NOTE FROM TRANSLATOR: This article about Badia Masabni appeared in El Aroussa Magazine on May 3, 1933. Click on the photo to see more detail. The article's title of "Bada3da3" is a diminutive or nickname for "Badia".]

Madame Badia Masabni, The Queen of Queens of Gracefulness, and the Temptress of Hearts sitting quite fitly, leaning back against her two arms that are like two columns of marble. She has the calm look of a gazelle and her mouth reflects how life happily smiles at her.

With this wonderful costume, Badia appears on the stage singing and performing one of her dances. Anyone who watches her might think that Bad3da3 leads a relaxed life, but they'd be surprised to know that she is always on the move. She is a lady who makes even the strong determination of men appear lacking in comparison, and she excels at management. She won't just settle for having turned Egypt into her very own theater, so she has traveled to Europe and other Arab countries to bring happiness and tarab to the hearts of hundreds of thousands of people who have noble sentiments and pure feelings.

At a time when the crisis was wrenching hearts, she took notice and dedicated 15 days to Syria. She traveled there last Monday evening along with her troupe, who are considered the feathers in the wings of this singing canary. Safe Travels!

[Editor's note: From 1920 through 1943, France maintained a colonial presence in the Eastern Mediterranean. During this time, there were many uprisings as the people of Lebanon and Syria sought independence from France. The "crisis" that was "wrenching hearts" would have referred to one of these attempts by Syrians to drive out the French.]

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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.