Rules for Umm Khalsoum-interpretation

I've seen Egyptian dancers turn Oum Kalsoum pieces into what another dancer called, "bar songs". They seem to be mocking the drama of the song! I know these things are relative, but I kind of feel like some foreign dancers (read not Egyptian) take these things too seriously; but then again, we foreign dancers can be so much more carefully scrutinized and harshly judged for what we do to music that is not our own.

Yes, learn the words, even if it is an instrumental of the vocal parts. However, a dance show shouldn't necessarily be Melodrama Hour. Fifi Abdou said (more or less) in Dallas that people who come to see a show do not come to see sadness. Leila of Cairo said in DC that you still have to be cute and sexy when you're emoting. I think there is a balance between interpreting the heavy themes of a song, looking attractive ; ) and keeping the crowd entertained. I think interest in these classics is decreasing along with most audience members' attention spans, but anyway...

I can't watch too much of the video while I'm at my job, but the parts I did see don't seem particularly egregious. She doesn't have a smile plastered on her face; and the big kicks, etc. I saw don't seem much different than what dancers trained by the new camp of Egyptian instructors (i.e. Raqia Hassan) do to the classics. She still seems to add feeling to the song.

We all interpret these things in different ways. If she were dancing exclusively for Arabs, maybe she would do a more conservative interpretation with fewer head tosses, but I agree, Nuria: what's wrong with her dancing and her feeling for that song? She transcended some ethnic boundaries while still keeping the same spirit. So what?

By the way, the person who posted that comment has a Greek name. Unless she is Coptic, or a Greek ex pat in Egypt, or is an Egyptian who uses Greek names for the Internet, she is not Egyptian. While I think those who have studied this dance have a valid opinion, too, I would like to see what some Egyptians have to say on the subject of this dancer. Who knows? Some might think the "bar song" dancers, or the new style dancers, are the ones to condemn instead of Ms. Shashkova ;)

Its not so much about making a correct interpretation of the lyrics but of getting the right feeling for the dance...the song is sad and yearning..remembering a lost love..that has to come from within the dancer..this dancer looks like she is acting to me..not feeling the music. She is far too extrovert and showy. To 'get it right' she has to feel the music- regardless of her intepretation or techniques.

She is beautiful, powerful and outwardly passionate with her dancing.
I'm not sure how to put it into words, but in a nutshell many Oum Kolsoum songs are traditionally performed with a more introspective passion.There's something softer about the expression and the dancing even with the really strong more modern Cairo style dancers.
Some of her songs are almost like conversations with oneself or conversation with God...when they're about truly devastating life experiences sometimes the wound is too deep to shout about it from the rooftops...at first you go inward and think it through.
That is how I would interpret a difference anyway. I'm sure everyone sees things differently. :)

Here are the lyrics, BTW, on Shira's site
www.shira.net/inte-omri.htm

Well, I watched the video and I think she did a wonderful performance with great passion. I understand the emotion she is expressing with those turns and head tosses. To me it fits....

Rules? Sorry I'm against rules for dance or art. Once we place rules on our art we limit expression and creativity.

Oum Kalsoum music is beautiful, and very inspirational. But I do think it's risky for a dancer to interpret it using a style other than Egyptian style, even if her style is beautiful. It's "safer" for a dancer to use non-Egyptian style with songs by one of the other Egyptian greats such as Farid al-Atrache, Abdel Halim Hafez, or Mohammed Abdel Wahab. Her reputation went far beyond that of a beloved singer - she was also known for being a dedicated patriot to her country. That's why she became known as the "voice of Egypt" - not just for singing, but also for patriotism and activism.

The very first dancer to do a performance to a song by Oum Kalsoum was Soheir Zaki, in the 1970's. By then, Oum Kalthoum had already been a legend in Egypt for half a century, but no one had ever done a raqs sharqi performance to her music before.

I guess when it comes to "rules", I'd have to say that it all depends on what the dancer wants to achieve. If she wants to win the respect/admiration of Arabs, then she needs to use Egyptian style when dancing to Oum Kalsoum music. But if she simply wants to express herself and doesn't care what Arabs in particular think, well, that's different. There is a definite artistic risk in doing a style other than what is expected to a certain piece of music.

She danced beautifully. But whether she danced "appropriately" is in the eye of the beholder - those who adore Oum Kalsoum might say no, while those who appreciate skilled dancing that takes risks might say yes.

Hello Nuria,

This is in my opinion the best interpretation of Oum Khalsoum i ever did see.... It is from Maria Aya from Greece.

youtube.com/watch

If the dancer of your clip feels the music the way she dances on it, than she has every right to dance on it the way she does. And that is all there is to say about it. In my opinion. Always there will be somebody who dislikes it and always there will be somebody who adores it.....