Picks for the Weekend

Thursday 18 October Eftekasat at Cairo Opera House at 8pm One of Egypt’s oldest and biggest oriental jazz bands, Eftekasat celebrated its 10th anniversary in 2012 and continues to bring beats from their two albums to the audience. Read more on Eftekasat here. Open Air Theatre, Cairo Opera House Grounds, Zamalek, Cairo Masar Egbari at Sufi Bookstore at 8pm International award-winning band Masar Egbari hails from Alexandria with catchy tunes addressing social issues in Egypt. Read Ahram Online's band review here. 12 Sayid El Bakry Street, off Brazil Street, Zamalek, Cairo Haram film screening at El-Cabina Centre at 8pm 'Haram' the 1965 film by Henri Barakat, stars Faten Hamama, Abdallah Gheith and Zaki Rostom about a married woman who gets raped and pregnant in Egypt's countryside. The screening is part of a project entitled 'Days of Alexandrian Heritage 1930-1950' in cooperation with the Alexandrian Research Centre. 11 San Saba Street, behind Cinema Realto, Downtown, Alexandria The Percussion Show in El Sawy Culturewheel at 8.30pm Seven Egyptian percussionists join together to mix their styles into fast paced beats and rhythms. River Hall, 26 July Street, Zamalek, Cairo Friday 19 October Like Jelly concert in Photopia at 7pm The band draws their inspiration from contemporary social and political issues in Egypt using a variety of musical styles and compositions.  Like Jelly describe their concerts as more of a show than a concert, giving verbal commentary to each of the original songs. 15 El Somal Street, behind Vodafone, El Korba, Heliopolis, Cairo Hamza Namira concert at the Hockey Stadium at 7pm The talented singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist is often compared to Sayid Darwish and Mohamed Mounir in his style of music. His songs are highly influenced by social and humanitarian issues. Cairo Stadium Grounds, Cairo Cairo International Circus Performances at El-Geneina Theatre at 8pm Tonight's CirCairo performing Groups are Head Feed Hands (Germany) and Balagans (Spain). Read full programme here. El-Azhar Park, Salah Salem Rd. Darassa, Cairo Czech Band Romano Bebop concert at Darb 1718 at 8pm Hailing from Czech Republic, the band made up of half Czech, half-Gypsy members will perform their gypsy upbeat music that is full of rhythm for a night of moving to the beats of Eastern Europe. Kasr El Shame'e Street, Al Fakhareen, behind the Hanging Church and Amr Mosque Saturday 20 October Cairo International Circus Festival Closing Ceremony in El-Azhar Park at 7pm The closing ceremony will take place in the entrance of the park, and the event will include performances by Bash Street Circus (England), El-Darb El-Ahmar Arts School (Egypt), Outa Hamra (Egypt), Head Feed Hands (Germany), Roikkuva (Switzerland), Balagans (Spain) and Kosha Puppet Team (Egypt). Salah Salem Rd. Darassa, Cairo El-Ghouri Tanoura Group at Wekalet El-Ghouri at 7.30pm Expect traditional dance, vibrant music and colourful performances by El-Ghouri Dance Group this Saturday. They play every Saturday, Monday, and Wednesday. 3 Mohamed Abdou Street, behind Al-Azhar Mosque, Cairo Abyusif in 100Copies music at 9pm The talented rapper, known for his satirical Arabic rap music, has been involved in the heavy metal and rap scene in Egypt interchangeably for more than a decade. He also writes jingles for commercials. 22 Talaat Harb Street, Downtown, Cairo Basiony exhibition in several venues Shady El-Noshokaty puts on installations of his work in several venues in Cairo to commemorate the revolution's fallen artist Basiony. Read our review here. Darb 1718 Contemporary Art & Culture Centre Kasr El-Sham3 Street, Al-Fakhareen, Old Cairo, Cairo AUC Sharjah Art Gallery AUC Centre for the Arts, American University in Cairo, AUC Avenue, New Cairo ASCII Foundation for Contemporary Art Education 6 Mourad Street, from Eleseery Street, from El-Shohadaa Street Ard El-Lewa, Mohandiseen, Giza Sunday 21 October Le Corsaire Ballet in Cairo Opera House at 8pm Le Corsaire or The Pirate is a ballet in three acts based on a poem by Lord Byron. The original version of the ballet was choreographed by Balletmaster Joseph Mazilier to the music of Adolphe Adam. The ballet was premiered in January 1856 by the ballet of the Academie Royal de Musique in Paris. The ballet will be staged at the Cairo Opera House from Wednesday 17 October, including matinee and soiree performances. Directed by Abdel Moneim Kamel, the ballet is performed by the Cairo Opera Ballet Company, accompanied by the Cairo Opera Orchestra conducted by Nayer Nagui. The performance is also taking place at the following times: Soiree: 17, 18, 19, 21, 22, 23 October at 8pm; Matinee: 21 and 23 October at 11am. Main Hall, Cairo Opera Grounds, Zamalek, Cairo 'Generations I' by various artists in Picasso Art Gallery Generations 1, an exhibition that showcases the work of 35 visual artists that vary in style and experience, features sixty-five artworks, paintings, and sculptures by Egyptian artists from across the generations are displayed side-by-side in this ambitious exhibition. Artists include renowned names such as Samir Fouad, Zeinab Khalil, Walid Yassin and Mohamed El-Sharkawy, among many others. 30 Hassan Assem Street, from Brazil Street, Zamalek, Cairo '8 Bit Portraits' by Ahmed El Shaer in Mashrabia Gallery The artist's first solo exhibition immortalises some of Egypt's iconic culture figures through the old 8-bit imagery of video games like Atari. 8 Champollion Street, Downtown, Cairo 'The Virus is Spreading' by Ganzeer in Safarkhan Gallery Ongoing until 1 November, the exhibition by Mohamed Fahmy (Ganzeer) brings the politically driven energy of the street to the exhibition space. Other Cairo artists contribute to the work hanging on the walls of the first floor adjacent. Each of their paintings stands alone but together they contribute to the spread of the "virus." The second floor of the gallery features traditional - yet progressive - framed works. Check out Ahram Online photo gallery here. 6 Brazil Street, Zamalek, Cairo Follow Arts and Culture updates on Twitter: @AhramOnlineArts and on our Facebook page: Ahram Online: Arts and Culture From /  Ahram online