Hello all. In reading descriptions of dance styles for ex. N. Africa, they typically state the dance uses strong hip movements, generated by the hips, not legs, and that the movements are very earthy. What is earthy?
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Kansas
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Re: What are "earthy" movements?
Thu, March 27, 2008 - 6:58 AMI think of it as the opposite of "dainty" or "refined." Think of the difference between classic Egyptian style & Turkish Rom... the latter being more "earthy." Wider, looser, movements. Or like a Ghawazee shimmy where you really just let everything fly. Less reigned-in, I guess, more natural & folk-dancy.
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Re: What are "earthy" movements?
Thu, March 27, 2008 - 7:00 AMHi Zina, my take on "earthy" would be: grounded, on flat feet, knees bent, so you have maximum reach for your pelvis rotating front side and back, up with a heel lift or down by bending the knees furhter. Something you can't do when standing on high heels. Hips as the body's center of gravity and sensuality. -
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Re: What are "earthy" movements?
Thu, March 27, 2008 - 7:27 AMI meant to say "something you can't really do well when standing on high heels" (IMHO).
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Re: What are "earthy" movements?
Thu, March 27, 2008 - 7:49 AMI agree with Zina's interpretation
"grounded, on flat feet, knees bent, so you have maximum reach for your pelvis rotating front side and back..."
(except that I think you CAN get "earthy" in heels - but it's def. different than being flat-footed).
Egyptian folklore is earthy too - the style called "beledi" is as well. The movements are a bit more UN-subtle, shall we say, than the oriental version, Raks Sharki. The energy comes 'out' more, whereas the oriental version seems to be more confined within the body's vertical plane.
In other words, almost any movement can go either way - it's a matter of feeling - dynamics, or degree of strength in the movement.
You can start exploring that difference in feeling by way of the feet, and seeing how movements change from how you can do them flat, w/a lot of plie (to keep you "grounded" ;-)), versus in releve, where you don't have as much sideways leeway for movement.
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Re: What are "earthy" movements?
Thu, March 27, 2008 - 10:36 AMThe absolute earthiest dance movements I play with are more afro-centric in nature and I don't think they apply well to BD rhythms or the BD aesthetic. I am thinking of the booty popping, pelvic-centric type of movements. For example, I often find myself dancing with BD-based movements at concerts & dance parties with a "house" oriented, square, four-on-the-floor, or waltz beats, but NEVER at an afrobeat, highlife, funk, or breakbeat show. For me, these type of rhythms are too polyrhythmic and funky and require a totally different muscle vocabulary, which I think exemplifies "earthy."
If you've been watching America's Best Dance Crew (TiVo keywords rock!), Live in Color comes to mind when I think about these type of movements. -
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Re: What are "earthy" movements?
Thu, March 27, 2008 - 11:55 AMI don't (completely) agree with this! I think you can be pleantly earthy to BD rhythms. Earthy is a way of interpreting the music. You can for sure interpret BD rhythms in an earthy way. I think it's easier to be earth with "more earthy" music, but I think you dance how you dance. If you are an earthy dancer, you will find earth elements in non earthy music. I've seen beautiful earthy dancers done to smmmooooothhh msuic. -
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Re: What are "earthy" movements?
Thu, March 27, 2008 - 8:32 PMI dance very earthy, in bellydance, to Corvus Corax, to VNV, to ANY music. Earthy is definitely all about BIG loose movement, no tight little shimmies or anything.
I stand wide, almost so that my legs create a rectangle with the floor. and you are certainly doing most of it from your stomach muscles. If you want to try, practice all moves sitting down, can't move your hips from your legs if you sit down. -
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Re: What are "earthy" movements?
Fri, March 28, 2008 - 2:47 AMFor my perception of earthy the hips are the important. Yes Octavia, also the first posting, I also understand your concept of earthiness. That would be more of a folk-type of dance. To me as a classical raks student, the earthiness lies in a good posture that always has the pelvis pushed slightly forward and the hips move like a ship on the waves. The abdominals, the glutes and the how do you call it - wait I'll look it up..."pelvic floor"(?) -muscles alternately work to generate the hip movement, but all of them have to work well for an earthy feeling.
Ok Anthea, maybe some can dance that on heels, too. But heels make it more difficult at least. Most heel dancers I've seen they look to straight to transport the earthy feeling. -
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Re: What are "earthy" movements?
Sat, March 29, 2008 - 10:57 AMI agree with you wholeheartedly Nuria! Your description of how the movement works in the body is a good illustration and is exactly what I try to convey to students. -
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Re: What are "earthy" movements?
Mon, March 31, 2008 - 6:26 AMerr, uhm, thanks Sarita!
(*blush*)
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Re: What are "earthy" movements?
Fri, March 28, 2008 - 10:40 AMwhen i think "earthy" i think of literally connected to the earth
hence the flat feet thingie
and also i agree with everyone who said that big loose movements are part of it
like for me, i see it as a person dancing maybe in a primative sense. not that the movements are primative, but the person is dancing without the modern views of modesty or correctness or of what's proper/not proper or whatever, just dancing
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Re: What are "earthy" movements?
Fri, March 28, 2008 - 11:20 AMThank you all, this gives me direction. Are there any really illustrative examples on youtube of earthy dancers? -
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Re: What are "earthy" movements?
Fri, March 28, 2008 - 11:58 AMcheck out Turkish Rom, for exemple. Reyhan looks earthy to me. ; )
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Re: What are "earthy" movements?
Fri, March 28, 2008 - 12:46 PMeveryone has said anything i would add, so i am going to add my 2 cents in aunomotapia (sp?)
earthy=BA-BAM!
airy= *TING* (like 2 crystal glasses doing cheers)
^_^
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Re: What are "earthy" movements?
Fri, March 28, 2008 - 1:09 PMI'd say tribal groups like Fat Chance Belly Dance look very earthy. I think the costuming plays a role, but the sheer movement really seems earthy to me
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Re: What are "earthy" movements?
Sat, April 5, 2008 - 8:35 PMTo me, "earthy" is where you hold your energy.
Tribal dancers tend to have a lower "center of engery" so to speak, it connets into the earth more, it's heavier, moodier. Cabaret tends to be airier, like Ballet, the energy tends to be higher up, extends up, is looser, lighter. I tend to think red and browns when I think earth, wheras with air I think light blue, white, yellow, and that can corrispond as well between the two styles.
I guess that's as compex as it gets in my mind...really...just what energy you are connecting to...you can learn to shift your energy, like some dancers do from body part to body part, from earthy to airiy, and back, try it. :D -
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Re: What are "earthy" movements?
Tue, April 29, 2008 - 12:08 PMi agree with tricia. i think its very heavily focused on where your center of energy is. also i think its alot about having a strong core and staying strongly balanced and in a grounded, earth-connected position. and heavy and moody describe this very well in my mind.
so there's my two cents
-ash
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Re: What are "earthy" movements?
Fri, April 25, 2008 - 11:08 AMI couldn't actually tell you exactly what people mean by "earthy" movements, since that's somewhat subjective I think, but I will say this.... I saw a performance by Anysuya (who I didn't like at all at first, btw) who is supposed to be Cabaret style, (correct?) that I actually loved, and it was, I felt, very earthy in some ways. -
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Re: What are "earthy" movements?
Fri, April 25, 2008 - 11:41 AM"Earthy" Cab dancer check out Fifi Abdo, the woman is amazing!
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Re: What are "earthy" movements?
Tue, April 29, 2008 - 9:39 PMI agree that earfhy is a feeling and being connected to the ground with flat feet, but also earthy can be making sure that you are doing weighted movements. So, that hip drop is done on the side that your weight is on. Your stance would be like this: your weight is mostly on your left, a little on the right. You drop that left hip. Or even you have weight evenly distributed. Not only is that more authentic, but more connected to the ground, and the energy that you are getting from it.
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Re: What are "earthy" movements?
Tue, April 29, 2008 - 9:40 PMI can't believe I misspelled earthy. It is time for a nap!!
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