33. Speaking the Language of Dance!

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33. Speaking the Language of Dance!

“The days of the afflicted are wretched,

but the cheerful heart has a continual feast.”

(Job 15:15)

As the year was passing its midpoint, a significant announcement was made from the Egyptian royal palace. In celebration of the king’s upcoming birthday on September 11th, representatives and officials from various regions were invited to a grand banquet at the palace. On that day, a dance competition would be held to determine the best dancer in Egyptian history, a first for Egypt. The rewards were substantial: the couple chosen as the best would have their wish granted by the king himself.

Of course, making an unreasonable request could lead to trouble, but if the wish was within reason and appropriate, it was widely understood that the king would honor it, especially as it was his birthday and he was known for keeping his promises. To prepare for this event, preliminary rounds were held in each village, city, and region starting in July. The final teams selected from these rounds would be invited to the palace to compete in the grand dance competition on the king’s birthday, with a total of 15 teams participating.

Teams that wished to continue after the final competition could tour cities across the country, performing and receiving appearance fees. They could also choose to become official palace dancers or continue as freelance performers. This event was unprecedented and extraordinary in Egyptian history. However, the king had a strategic reason for organizing it: to capture the people’s attention and ensure they enjoyed themselves, thereby fostering loyalty to the Hyksos dynasty and preventing dissatisfaction.

Additionally, the king had a personal reason for this event. For several years, the princess had been increasingly melancholic and uninterested in anything, including the beautiful dances she once loved. The king believed that reigniting her passion for dance could bring back her bright demeanor. This plan proved highly successful. The announcement caused a stir throughout the country, and people began practicing their dances in preparation for the village competitions starting the next month.

In the palace, those wishing to participate were given schedules to showcase their dances to the kingdom’s dance instructors. Only one team would be selected to represent the palace in the competition. Despite the selection process, the enthusiasm for dance remained high within the palace. Everyone hoped to win and advance their status by two or three ranks. A dance fever swept across Egypt, with even farmers swaying as they worked and officials walking differently in the palace.

As the village preliminaries began, it became clear that not just anyone could participate. To ensure effective competition, applicants had to perform briefly before judges, who then selected about 15 teams for the preliminaries. Watching the selected teams was a joy for the people. They wondered who would present their wish to the king and change their life. When the final representative was chosen, they were celebrated as if they had already achieved their wish.

The village competitions concluded, leading to city and regional competitions, where the teams’ skills became so similar that it was hard to distinguish the best. This increased public interest. Many applied from the palace, but most were unfit to compete, causing the royal dance instructors to either frown or laugh. Some noble families, however, had teams with considerable dance skills. Only the palace instructors knew the results, leading to speculation and bets among the officials.

The king hoped that the princess would also become interested as the finals approached. The dance fever that had swept Egypt now focused on the capital. The regional preliminaries were held in the largest local stadiums to accommodate the crowds, leading to economic benefits and increased tax revenue. The king decided to move the final competition to Egypt’s largest stadium to accommodate the growing interest.

On the day of the finals, people were more excited about the dance competition than the king’s birthday. The king was pleased, as this was his intention. From the morning, crowds gathered at the stadium, with soldiers maintaining order. Despite hours remaining before the finals, the stadium was packed. To entertain the waiting crowd, unusual teams from the regional competitions performed, providing amusement and anticipation for the finals.

As the finals approached, officials and nobles took their seats, discussing the importance of a noble victory to avoid disgrace. They hoped the palace representative would win to maintain their honor.

Meanwhile, at the conductor’s signal, the trumpeters stationed at various points in the stadium blew their trumpets vigorously, filling the stadium with majestic trumpet sounds. As people stood up and cheered, the King of Egypt finally appeared on the podium, raising his hand to greet the people. The entire stadium erupted in cheers, and the atmosphere became intensely heated. The king sat in the central seat prepared on the podium, with two princes on his right and his only princess on his left, and next to her sat the chief guard, Potiphar. Then, to the sound of the trumpets, the host appeared, paid respects to the king, and proceeded with the event.

The long-awaited competition had finally begun. Fifteen teams of dancers were to perform for about five minutes each, and with the host’s commentary and the time taken for teams to move, the event was expected to last about an hour and a half. The first team, introduced as participants selected from the region bordering the southernmost part of the kingdom, Kush, received enthusiastic applause as they made their way to the stage set up in the center of the stadium. As the team took their positions on stage and the music began to play, the stadium fell silent, and the team started dancing to the music.

As each team performed one by one, about half of the fifteen teams had danced, and those paying close attention noticed that the teams appeared in order from the farthest regions to the capital. Additionally, it seemed that each new team was better than the previous one. This was because the royal dance instructor, who was in charge of the event, had arranged the order of performances to gradually improve in quality, making the competition more enjoyable and less monotonous. However, the reality was that the farther the region from the capital, the lower the dance level, and the closer to the capital, the more sophisticated and higher the dance level. Some spectators, realizing this, began to wonder who the best team assigned to the end would be.

When the eleventh team finished and the twelfth team was introduced, people were surprised. Most of the teams were composed of young people, with the oldest being just over forty, but this team was a couple in their sixties, twice the average age of the other teams. People wondered how such an elderly couple had defeated younger competitors to reach the finals, but as soon as they started dancing, the audience began to nod in approval. Their dance was more elegant and refined than any of the previous participants. When they finished, the host introduced them as a couple who had spent their lives teaching dance, and the audience gave them a warm round of applause, with many standing to show their appreciation.

Three teams remained. From about two-thirds of the way through, the competition became so close that it was hard to say who was better. Two more teams performed, and now only the last team, which everyone was eagerly waiting for, remained. People remembered that the representative of the royal palace had not yet appeared and nodded in agreement, but they were curious about who it would be. Many courtiers and officials were also eager to know who had been selected as the palace representative. The host, sensing the anticipation, confirmed that the winner of the competition would have their wish granted by the king, heightening the audience’s excitement and curiosity.

Finally, the host spoke again.

“Now, let me introduce the last team. This is the team you have all been waiting for, the representative team of the royal palace. Today’s final performers are the wife of General Potiphar, the chief guard, and Joseph. Please welcome them with applause.”

As the host introduced them loudly, the audience erupted in cheers, satisfied that the mystery had been revealed. However, those who knew them were stunned, wondering if they had misheard the names. The courtiers were equally surprised. They knew that General Potiphar’s wife was a good dancer, but they had not expected her to participate in the competition due to security reasons. They were also skeptical about Joseph, rumored to be a slave, wondering if he could dance at such a level. Some nobles even jeered quietly. But the most surprised was General Potiphar, sitting next to the princess. He had never heard about this from his wife and was curious about how they had practiced together. The king smiled at Potiphar, who bowed his head in gratitude.

Finally, Potiphar’s wife and Joseph took their positions on stage, and the music began to play. They had chosen a lyrical and natural piece of music. As they started dancing, those who had preconceived notions about them were left speechless. Their dance was so natural and beautiful, like two butterflies fluttering among flowers or a stream flowing gently. Even those who knew nothing about dance could see the clear difference from the previous teams. Potiphar’s wife, with her experience from many parties and the depth of her life, naturally exuded elegance in her dance. But it was hard to believe that young Joseph could dance with such depth and grace. They expressed their feelings freely, sometimes becoming butterflies, sometimes birds, drawing the audience into their world.

Suddenly, the music changed to a lively and cheerful tune, and they began to dance in a way that seemed futuristic, as if it belonged to a time thousands of years ahead. The audience clapped along with the rhythm, feeling as if they were reaching the same level of dance. Meanwhile, Potiphar watched them with a growing sense of jealousy. The music swirled around them as they danced smoothly and powerfully. The fast-paced music reached its climax and abruptly stopped, with their dance ending simultaneously in a perfect pose. “Then, with a slight pause, a sudden silence and tension filled the stadium. The silence lingered among the people for a moment, and then, like a balloon bursting from the pressure, the crowd erupted in a loud cheer that started somewhere and spread. Everyone stood up simultaneously, shouting and clapping vigorously. Even the king stood up from his seat and gave a heartfelt applause for their dance. The sound of the crowd’s applause continued until the two performers left the stage and were no longer visible.”