Ethnology & History of Mid-Eastern Dance's topics - tribe.net

Some help on research

Ashley — Sat, 21 Jun 2008 06:47:41 GMT

I know this is outside of this tribe's genre, but I was hoping that out of the kindness of your scholarly hearts, could someone possibly point me to a place where I can find some good (reliable) research on folk festivals of Pacific Island Cultures? (specifically hawaii, tahiti, samoa, new zealand, and the phillipines?

Everyone here has well researched opinions, and really helpful attitude, so i figured you guys can point me to some good resources. Thank you!

posted in Ethnology & History of Mid-Eastern Dance - 4 replies

How does your culture affect your dance?

thespisis — Tue, 11 Mar 2008 18:08:21 GMT

Something someone said over the on BD Health, Fitness, and Anatomy tribe got my wheels turning, so here's the topic:

How does your culture affect how you approach dance and how you see yourself as a dancer? This could be your home culture, local culture, national culture, or some combination thereof. What aspects of the culture that you most identify with find their way into your dance expression?

posted in Ethnology & History of Mid-Eastern Dance - 22 replies

Exposition Universelle, 1889

samirashuruk — Wed, 21 Nov 2007 19:32:43 GMT

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yftSkqGDlfM

It was the fairs in France that inspired Sol Bloom. He even hired dancers from French fairs and brought them over to the US for his Chicago Worlds Fair.

posted in Ethnology & History of Mid-Eastern Dance - 2 replies

The Ethics of Fusion

ShiraDotNet — Fri, 08 Dec 2006 06:20:29 GMT

This article by Naajidah was posted on the Gilded Serpent this week: http://www.gildedserpent.com/art38/NaajidahEthicsFusion.htm

It talks about the ethical issues surrounding fusing a cultural dance form with other dance forms. The focus is particularly on fusing Polynesian dance with other forms such as belly dance, but taking a step back you could apply much of the thought process to fusing belly dance, which itself comes from someone else's culture, with other dance forms.

posted in Ethnology & History of Mid-Eastern Dance - 26 replies

Reliable Resources

thespisis — Wed, 11 Oct 2006 20:41:00 GMT

Are there any good books and/or videos out there with accurate historical information?

posted in Ethnology & History of Mid-Eastern Dance - 21 replies

Anthorpologically inclined?

thespisis — Fri, 22 Dec 2006 03:35:11 GMT

So who else here has interests in other aspects of anthropology besides me? What are those interests?

I love anything to do with the studies of other cultures. I have a preference for cultural anthropology, but I like some aspects of the physical as well, and I'm fascinated with how they can each be used to study the other. My minor in college (until I realized I wouldn't graduate on time with it and switched from a b.s. to a b.a.) was anthropology. Despite my strong interest in the cultural studies, my favorite class had to be forensic anthropology. The professor was great (btw, he was one of the students who was studying at UT when the body farm was started), and the class was fascinating. Who knew I would actually be intrigued watching a slideshow of an autopsy?

I also have a great love for folklore. I love myths, legends, and fairy tales of all types. They frequently find their way into my storytelling repertoire. My favorite story to tell, in fact is "Mr. Fox." What I love about that story is that it's timeless. It's every bit as creepy and gory for audiences today as it was several hundred years ago.

posted in Ethnology & History of Mid-Eastern Dance - 20 replies

shaabi, baladi, saiidi, Khaleegy, classic, modern, etc

sandrakeil — Sun, 20 Jan 2008 17:47:24 GMT

Hello everyone!
This is my first post here so my apologies if I am repeating things that have been posted before...
I am really interested to learn more about the fine differences in all the egyptian styles, the exact moves, significant hand postures, cultural background, etc... Does anyone know of a good DVD?

posted in Ethnology & History of Mid-Eastern Dance - 11 replies

Comparative Method and Middle Eastern Dance

thespisis — Fri, 09 Mar 2007 02:02:49 GMT

Are there any studies applying a method of study similar to that in linguistics--the comparative method--to study Middle Eastern Dance?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comparative_method

If so, I'd be interested to see it.

posted in Ethnology & History of Mid-Eastern Dance - 31 replies

A shimmy is a shimmy right???

tracy — Mon, 07 Jan 2008 02:03:06 GMT

Ok, I have a question for you ladies that know waaaaaay more than I do. What is the difference between a "cabaret" shimmy and an "ethnic" shimmy?
I've been hearing both terms lately and I'm very very confused.
HELP!!!!!!!!!!
Thanks Tracy

posted in Ethnology & History of Mid-Eastern Dance - 8 replies

A new book, "Popular Egyptian Cinema"

ShiraDotNet — Mon, 24 Sep 2007 19:17:56 GMT

Just thought I'd let everyone know about a great new book I've just started reading. The title is "Popular Egyptian Cinema," and the author is Viola Shafik. She's a professor at the American University in Cairo, and has published another book in the past called Arab Cinema.

She also wrote the chapter on Egyptian cinema for the Companion Encyclopedia of Middle Eastern and North African Film. (If you don't want to spend the $240 to buy that book, her chapter can be found on the web at http://arabworld.nitle.org/texts.php?module_id=5&reading_id=1051 .)

Anyway, back to talking about her new book, which was hot off the presses when I visited the AUC bookstore in Cairo in July.... You can buy the book on Amazon. It examines how the content of Egyptian movies has been shaped by changing develops in Egyptian society, economy, and politics, as well as by the export market. Although there is not a chapter on dance per se, she mentions dance quite frequently in the context of other topics such as feminism, "the male gaze", moral conservatism, etc. I find that I'm really enjoying her interpretation and analysis.

Eventually, I'll put a review of it on my web site. I haven't finished reading it yet, but I've read enough to know that I feel confident recommending it to folks who have an interest in Middle Eastern dance ethnology, dance as portrayed in Egyptian movies, and Golden Age dance stars.

posted in Ethnology & History of Mid-Eastern Dance - 3 replies

Belly Dance & Childbirth

Kath — Tue, 20 Nov 2007 13:25:36 GMT

Does anyone have any specific historical info or links on this? For example, if specific moves were used to help change a baby's position during labour.

Thanks,

Kath

posted in Ethnology & History of Mid-Eastern Dance - 2 replies

Way back when...

Chandani — Thu, 20 Sep 2007 18:23:04 GMT

I'm doing some research on belly dance specifically in Egypt but can't find much past the Golden Cinema Era. Before that it seems very general and vague.

Do we have any specific information on belly dancers in Egypt before the dawn of movies?

I am looking specifically for names of dancers and any type of lineage.

If you know of any information or books/websites that I can research, please let me know.

Thanks!
Chandani
www.chandani.net

posted in Ethnology & History of Mid-Eastern Dance - 2 replies

News article and bellydance "history"

thespisis — Thu, 04 Jan 2007 14:25:56 GMT

I don't know if this is a case of journalists twisting the words of the dancer (far too common) or someone giving a pet theory as fact to one, but I was a little taken aback by one of the historical "facts" about snakelike movements given in this article...

http://www.sacbee.com/107/story/102520.html

posted in Ethnology & History of Mid-Eastern Dance - 15 replies

Upcoming video/lectures on Egyptian dance history & culture

ShiraDotNet — Tue, 18 Sep 2007 18:49:42 GMT

I'm going to be presenting two video/lectures next month on different aspects of Egyptian dance history and culture next month (October 2007). The two presentations are different topics, with different focus.

One is Dance In Egyptian Cinema. In Minneapolis, Minnesota.

Details in the events section here in this tribe: http://minnesota.tribe.net/event/Dance-In-Egyptian-Cinema-VideoLecture-Presentation/minneapolis/5d4f829f-4f4c-4a7b-bedc-038607964687

The other is How Egyptian Dance Evolved in the 20th Century. In Cable, Wisconsin.

Details in the events section here in this tribe: http://wisconsin.tribe.net/event/VideoLecture-How-Egyptian-Dance-Evolved-in-the-20th-Century/cable-wi-54821/08decb45-e9bf-44d2-96c2-6ef3eb434e19

posted in Ethnology & History of Mid-Eastern Dance - 2 replies

World Bellydanceday

Sitara — Wed, 12 Sep 2007 08:42:00 GMT

Maybe this is old news, in that case I am sorry to bother you.
Two years ago Lydia Tzigane started with the idea to create a special day for Bellydance: World Bellydanceday. Last year the date was set on the 2nd Saturday in May every year.
Lots of dancers don't know about its existence yet, so please spread the word in your communities.
More info at www.worldbellydanceday.com Let us make this dream come true together!

posted in Ethnology & History of Mid-Eastern Dance - 0 replies

Looking for a Quote x-post

thespisis — Tue, 04 Sep 2007 21:10:02 GMT

I'm looking for a quote from a female dancer. I can't remember who, but she says something about a woman not really having anything to express until she's older. I can't remember enough of the quote to Google for it. Anybody know what I'm talking about, who said it, etc?

posted in Ethnology & History of Mid-Eastern Dance - 6 replies

Dancing Fear and Desire

thespisis — Wed, 20 Jun 2007 04:13:36 GMT

http://www.amazon.com/Dancing-Desire-Stavros-Stavrou-Karayanni/dp/0889204543

Anyone read this? I had some points through MyPoints, and this was one of the items I ordered from Overstock.com with them. It looked fascinating. I'm curious to know if anyone has read it and, if so, what they thought of it.

There's a preview on google books: http://books.google.com/books?id=InjIw3lWQTUC&dq=dancing+fear+and+desire&printsec=frontcover&source=web&ots=OUcXzOWFSI&sig=duZakbAoovz7Ymq9sVYRQq4U6MQ#PPA123,M1

posted in Ethnology & History of Mid-Eastern Dance - 5 replies

The Greek Connection Xpstd

Keyna — Wed, 31 Jan 2007 20:44:30 GMT

Hello All! I've just been invited to join by the lovely Diana. So here I am. :D
This is xposted, so I'm sorry if you are reading it in two places.

Yesturday I was sitting in one of my India History classes and the prof made a comment about bellydancers in Greek restaurants. His wife is Greek and he claims there is no connection. So I got to thinking...

What connection does bellydancing have to Greece? Are they culturally connected? Why do we dance in Greek restaurants?

If you have insight, links, or sources, I would welcome them.

Thank you and nice to meet you :)

posted in Ethnology & History of Mid-Eastern Dance - 11 replies

Hello, i just joined this tribe....

Ashley — Wed, 23 May 2007 06:12:49 GMT

And i am very fascinated by the topics discussed here and i hope to be able to contribute well to them! My expertise is not in middle eastern dance, (but i am trying to learn so please forgive me if i make errors, just correct me please!) but in Polynesian dance styles. I love dances of all cultures. I find movement beautiful and encompassing, one does not have to be of the culture of a certain style of dance to be moved by it and to appreciate it!

I know i just joined, but i am going to put a personal plug here! I just created a new tribe for performers and appreciators of multicultural dance. Like i said i just created it the other day, but i hope to be able to have some really interesting intellectual discussions like I see on this tribe! Just let me know if you are interested and i will send you an invite.

-Ashley

posted in Ethnology & History of Mid-Eastern Dance - 2 replies

In Search of Orientalist Dance

shanmonster — Sun, 18 Feb 2007 14:53:47 GMT

I received an email from a mailing list I'm on with the following quip:

"New book: Orientalist dance
The album "Orientalist dance. Paintings and travellers' accounts" has just been published. A 236 page full-colour album 28 x 20 cm, including 58 plates and 43 accounts by travellers from the 12th to the 19th century. It contains rare documents and pictures revealing for the first time the real history of dance in the Middle East."

There's no mention of author, publisher, publication date, or anything else that might help me locate this book. Amazon doesn't have it, and doing a general online search hasn't helped, either. And alas, but the mailing list isn't one I can send a query to.

Do you know anything about this book? Enquiring minds want to know!

posted in Ethnology & History of Mid-Eastern Dance - 15 replies

X - Essay help/sources, prostitution and dance in British India

Keyna — Mon, 19 Feb 2007 06:04:47 GMT

Hello!

I am writing yet another essay for yet another Indian history class. :)
My chosen topic is prostitution in British colonial India and the effect that legislation had on women. I read today about how dance was outlawed because the British associated it with prostitution. I know this happened to Bharata natyam, and others sooo....
I know the topic's a little convoluted at the moment, but I'm just in the starting stages. Does anyone know of any scholarly (important) sources regarding prostituion in India, prostitution and dance, etc.. that might help? I welcome all suggestions and thank you in advance.

Keyna

posted in Ethnology & History of Mid-Eastern Dance - 3 replies

Great Article by Artemis

bellydancingchef — Mon, 01 Jan 2007 00:51:46 GMT

www.serpentine.org/artemis/...ance.html

posted in Ethnology & History of Mid-Eastern Dance - 5 replies

being seen as the ethnic police

Taaj — Thu, 30 Nov 2006 11:45:41 GMT

Okay, so it seems that we all believe in learning and teaching culture, but does that make you appear like the ethnic police to others? If so, how do you deal with that? I don't feel AT ALL like I am ethnic police, but I know that I appear that way to people who are more slack about history, culture, and ethics. I am not interested in giving up my beliefs, but am curious as to how some of you balance that in your presentation of what you do. Or do you ever care about that at all?

Taaj
http://www.taaj.org

posted in Ethnology & History of Mid-Eastern Dance - 13 replies

Wikiuniversity

bellydancingchef — Sat, 02 Dec 2006 04:46:32 GMT

So I'm browsing stuff on Wiki last night, looking for intresting articles when I come across one of their sister sites, Wikiuniversity. I thought it would be really cool all the more informered persons on the history of middle eastern dance could bring together all their resourses and article to share in a cyber classroom setting. I know it would most likey be very time consuming, but it was just a thought to share. I know myself and many others and just itching to learn all we can about MED and it history....

posted in Ethnology & History of Mid-Eastern Dance - 0 replies

Responsibility to Culture

thespisis — Wed, 29 Nov 2006 04:13:55 GMT

How much responsiblity do we have as dancers to learn the history and culture behind this dance? To preserve at least parts of it? What about as teachers? Does artistic license trump cultural preservation or vice versa?

I've seen read some dancers who don't care about the history and the culture of the dance and just want to enjoy it on their own terms. That bugs me a bit. More than a bit. It's like when we used to draw portraits in art class from magazine photos just to get used to drawing faces. It was pretty, but was it art? Not really. I feel to grow even as artists, you must know your subject to protray it or at least know about it. Not only do I think it's the responsible thing to do when performig an art from a culture other than your own, it can also be a wellspring of new ideas (or old ones in a new light--retro, if you will).

It bugs me when people put forth theory as fact and also when they focus so much on their pet theories of origins, they leave entire segments of dancers out. One example--the old "by women, for women" line which completely ignores the (many) men who dance as well.

I think dancers (especially teachers) should do their research and learn as much as they can for cultural awareness and historical accuracy. I think they need to know the difference between theory and fact and to take the former a grain of salt (hell, a salt lick, in fact) and certainly to only teach theory as just that--theory. I think if they're doing fusion, they need to know what they're fusing and explain to their students (if they're teaching) where it came from and if it has a specific meaning in the culture they took it from and why it fit in with their fusion if it does. Again, I think this is not only responsible but artistically sound--more meaningful (a Picasso vs. a Mr Potato Head with his ears where his eyes should be).

posted in Ethnology & History of Mid-Eastern Dance - 18 replies

The Chicken or the Egg?

thespisis — Wed, 08 Nov 2006 15:59:10 GMT

I want to find out about you! :)

So, was it being involved in middle eastern dance and wanting to immerse yourself in all of it or learn more to improve yourself as a dancer what interested you in the history and culture of the dance or was the history and culture of the dance what interested you in pursuing it?

For me it's a bit of a combination, though more so because I am interested in history and culture period and found this dance to be very fascinating culturally.

posted in Ethnology & History of Mid-Eastern Dance - 11 replies

East Meets West--the development of a performance art from a folkloric art

thespisis — Sun, 05 Nov 2006 22:14:01 GMT

Okay, fair warning: This is going to be a long post, linking to and including some other items, but bear with me. I'll get to the point eventually and ask the question to kick off this discussion.

First, a video clip from Tarik Sultan, talking about the dance as a social dance, how it is taught and how it came to be that mainly women perform in public when the dance is done by all in social situations:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wAB3ZLxkfJE

Second, this article by Morocco called "The Ethics of Ethnic" (posted with permission) for historical and cultural background. You can find this article and more on her website:
http://casbahdance.org

********** The Ethics of Ethnic **********
To be considered folk or ethnic does not mean being swathed in black from head to foot or being in lines and circle formations only. Nor does fitting into any of the above make a performance or performer valid, talented or in good taste.

A good point is raised when dancers are questioned about doing "Arabic" dances to Israeli music, bare midriffs, et al. But to refer in any way to Mideastern Oriental dance as "hootchy-kootchy" is, of course, insulting and ignorant.

Likewise, any person professing to be knowledgeable about this dance form who uses the misnomer coined by Sol Bloom in 1893: "belly" dance, is perpetuating racism, colonialism, and mid-Victorian Orientalist misconceptions. The translation of "Raks Sharki" (what it is called in Arabic) is Oriental Dance, but since that term in America has become narrowed by common usage to designate just the Far East, Mideastern Oriental can be used to more clearly designate a geographic area.

There is no term in Arabic ever used for the dance that would translate as "belly" dance, nor is there any other dance form anywhere in the world that is named for a body part, especially since only two of the myriad movements involved are done with the aforementioned muscle, whose proper name is "abdominal" to begin with.

Mr Bloom vulgarized the translation of the French description of some of the movements of the Ouled Nail: "Danse du Ventre", knowing full well it would titillate the hypocritical mid-Victorian mentality that considered the words "arm" and "leg" socially unacceptable. Let’s face it, Solly was in business to make money.

Pictures exist of all the North African, Mediterranean, Near and Mideastern performers at the Colombian Trade Fair & Exposition of 1893 -- all of whom were fully clad: more so even than the Hungarian and English performers at the Moorish Palace thereafter.

Captions under thoses photos indicate that although "the movements were not graceful dance as we know it, they are not vulgar". Sol Bloom couldn’t make money on that, so he "banned" women from his Egyptian theater at the "Streets of Cairo" exhibit. They had to sit in his coffee house, paying high rates for pastries (and smoking hookahs -- water-pipes), while the men -- all the more attracted to something so "forbidden" -- paid premium rates to see it. The theater was packed and Sol made a mint: enough to later finance his Congressional campaign for the 65th Election District in New York City.

His clever publicity campaign gave a legitimate ethnic dance form an undeserved and still perpetuated salacious reputation.Then again, in that day and age, any dancer -- and especially a Third World female -- was considered beyond the pale of "civilized" Christian morality."

Point of fact: you should see what they’re wearing in Egyptian night clubs, theaters, movies, even for their folkloric dances. In Morocco, I have seen Schikhat done by someone in pseudo - Guedra dress, but the Moroccans in the audience laughed and she didn’t do it again.

The fabulous and legendary Tahia Carioca was called "Carioca" because she used a step from that then - popular Latin social dance in her Oriental routine. Samia Gamal was the first to enter with a veil in her hands, flowing behind her, to be discarded shortly after the entrance. "Veilwork", per se, is an American invention. So what!!

Since they are Egyptians, and they were in Egypt, did that then make it authentic, innovative, de rigeur, or what? The National Folklore Troupe of Egypt (Firqua Kawmiyya), the Reda Troupe, and all their various offshoots are definitely "Moscow-on-the-Nile", since under Nasser, not only were many Russian ballet teachers imported, but some of the best and most talented young Egyptians were sent to study in Russia. The choreography of even the folklore was supervised and influenced by Soviet pseudo - "Ethnic" styling and all the young dancers were trained by Soviet dance teachers.

A prime example is what happened to the "Haggala". When done in Libya (where it is from), Mersa Matruh or anywhere else where it was/is indigenous, one woman dances, her face and head covered, in front of a group of men, who stand in a line behind her, singing and clapping. The step is a vigorous, rapid up two side, side hip articulation. The Kawmiyya and Reda troupes have made it into quite a production, wherein several women dance (Kawmiyya version - Reda uses one woman), then the men dance; what they do is purely the choreographer's imagination: Ukrainian Hopak for the Kawmiyya and athletic acrobatics for the Reda troupe.

Now picture this: young American dance freak (or not so young) goes to Egypt, sees one of the above or sees them in the U.S. on videotape. I mean, I’m in Egypt, or they’re real Egyptians, therefore what I’m seeing is real, right? Wrong! So how is a poor dancer to know? Even Egyptians who haven’t been near Matruh (who couldn’t care less) accept it as real. You have to know what you are watching to know what you are seeing!!!

Syrians, Palestinians, Lebanese, Jordanians can pass judgement on various regional Debkes. Moroccans, Algerians, Iranians, Tunisians and Egyptians can’t. Tunisian folklore is completely different from Moroccan, both from Algerian and all from Egyptian, and so on. Unless s/he had been in Morocco and had spent time in Goulimine or TanTan, no Palestinian could tell you if a Guedra or T’bal were done "properly", whereas he or she could certainly tell you if it were done gracefully, respectfully, if the choreography were varied and interesting enough to hold attention, as could any cultured member of any audience.

A Palestinian probably can tell you if the music, costuming, and steps of any dance you choose to call Palestinian are correct -- if his family or village did that particular variation or wore that particular pattern of embroidery. Get the idea?

Being born in the Middle East, North Africa, wherever, doesn’t mean a damned thing other than that that person might have been exposed to the music and/or certain dances, might have had a chance to do them in the home or at haflas, moulids, weddings, etc.

Being of Mideastern descent? Being married to a Mideasterner? Come on! I’m a full blooded Gypsy. My mother happened to be in Transylvania the day I was born. (Honest.) I don’t live in an empty store, sell horses, tell fortunes, or bite people on the neck at night (OK: maybe sometimes I might bite ...). My granduncle was the phenomenal violinist Grigorash Dinicu. Can I play the violin? Hell , no!

The very term "Cabaret style" is American and of very recent origin. It is used to distinguish the artificial dividing lines between shiny flash (for "commercial" performances), the fantasy form "Tribal" and real (albeit, probably theatricalized) ethnic.

Oriental dance is just one of the many different dances indigenous to those areas of the world. Because nowadays it is usually a solo performance by a female and the general styling of modern costuming is bare - midriffed and glamorous, it is the most well-known and ofttimes "notorious" of the dances of those regions. Also because of the misnomer "belly" dance and resulting misconceptions, truly talented, studied dancers have had problems in being taken seriously as artists.

They have often run into far fewer problems and misinterpretations if and when they dress in drab colors, dance in twos, threes or more and say: "It’s NOT 'belly' dance, it’s 'ethnic'." Ergo, the very interesting and often beautiful fantasies of "tribal" stylings that have never seen a real tribe. I see nothing wrong with that if it is presented as such, i.e. this is our conception of. . ., and providing it is not racist or condescending. I have seen some fantastic "Tribal" - it's wonderful theater.

A few examples of dancers imparting serious misinformation that I have personally seen are:

1. "When women of the . . . tribe meet each other on the street, they greet each other by shaking their coin bras," - or -
2. "A woman is dancing her prayer to Allah in the mosque so that her lover will be victorious in battle" (this in Oriental costume!) - or -
3. An entire group turning their backs to the audience and flipping up the skirts of their "ethnic" dresses to expose their backsides, a la can-can. EGAD! Not only real ethnics but anybody who’s been there is ready to scream -or-
4. Wearing Turkish hat covers - tepeleks - as bra cups, or coming out in boys' circumcision caps....

Coin bras are Hollywood. In the first place, it was good old Howard Hughes who invented the uplift bra (for Jane Russell in the film "The Outlaw"] -- and caused quite a scandal, my dear! Nowhere in that climate is anyone masochistic enough to run around in metal coins over a bare midriff. No part of the body is exposed except the hands and the face.

Dance in a Mosque? In Oriental costume? Not only wouldn’t she get her prayers answered, she’d probably be stoned to death. The last two don’t need additional explanation.

For centuries, Oriental dance was done by women for women in the privacy of their quarters in whatever they wore around the house / harem at the time; and you bet your bippy it varied greatly from area to area, era to era, economic class and temperature. When, for whatever reason, it was done as a spectacle by paid performers, they were sure to dress up in the best available to them geographically, technically, and economically.

Romanian and Balkan folk dancers didn’t perform at festivals and weddings in their everyday ratty workclothes. They hauled out the painstakingly embroidered and appliqued goodies. That was/is their glitz. Their state ensembles aren’t above using sequins for performance - when and if they can get them.

The various Berber tribes get into full regalia and special (!) makeup for their festivals -- they don’t run around the Atlas mountains herding sheep in those outfits every day. I know. I’ve been there.

As far as pasties being part of an Oriental costume is concerned: there are two album covers, one with Nejla Atesh: "Port Said" (Mohamed el Bakkar), the other Boubouka: "Dances of Port Said" (those photos have been used on other album covers too.) Those pictures were taken when the dancers in question were working at the Latin Quarter night club in New York in the mid - fifties, where it was a club requirement that all female performers wear pasties, no matter what dance form.

In the mid-sixties I was offered a headlining spot there, with the same proviso. I refused. That was a unique requirement of various specific clubs from time to time and at NO time a usual part of the costume "over there".

I think we should also consider that for many centuries Oriental dance has been done in the home by women for women for their own enjoyment, and it is only the public display of the same that became associated with prostitution, in a society where any public appearance of any female - most especially on stage, in front of strange men, was and still is met with hostility, suspicion, and disapproval.

Of course, prostitutes did it, just as in the Spanish brothels you can find a corrupted version of Flamenco, or jazz in New Orleans whorehouses. Sleaze is sleaze and an artist is an artist, the main criteria should be taste, ability, class and talent.

A fine Oriental dance belongs in any performance of Near and Mideastern, North African, Central Asian, Mediterranean or any other generalized folk dances or just beautiful dances in general, but it certainly is not the only dance indigenous to those areas. We are in a world where just about any information is available for study and assimilation if effort is put forth. We are in a country where, theoretically, there is nothing wrong in a woman being a performer if that performance is tasteful, graceful.

Misinterpretations of Islam have been very responsible for the repression of every form of dance and especially any dancing in public by women. I could turn this into a doctoral thesis by giving only a portion of the examples, but it will suffice to say that at the Bahariyya Oasis in Egypt, dance parts that were originally done by women are now done by young boys dressed as women, and several times in the history of Turkey, Persia and Central Asia, dancing boys dressed as girls had to substitute for the outlawed dancing girls.

They don’t have a monopoly on sexism: in Shakespeare’s time women were banned from the stage. Juliet was first played by a boy. We can’t call it Arabic dance either because many dance forms still exist in those areas today that were done before Arabification and conversion to Islam, and they continue best and strongest where the Arabs penetrated least.

Just as hypocritical, filthy - minded, body - fearing missionaries misunderstood the strictly religious Hulas of Hawaii and outlawed them so effectively that the barest minimum remain, the puritanical "Socialist" government of Algeria outlawed not only prostitution by the Ouled Nail, but their beautiful dancing too. Nasser’s early government tried to outlaw public dancing by women but reinstated it by popular and tourist dollar demand. Sultan Mohamed Ali exiled all dancing girls (and boys) to Esna, Edfu and Sumbat in an attempt to curry favor with the British colonials; I could go on ad infinitum.

I think it was more than high time that the question was raised and answered, and while I agreed basically with the complaints put forth by many, I felt that there were important points that weren’t sufficiently clarified or explained. There is definitely room for all kinds of creativity and artistry, but things should be called by their rightful names.

Everyone seems to've forgotten that because of an interest in Oriental dance, however it may have occured, thousands of people -- probably hundreds of thousands, maybe even millions, now that I think of it -- have been made aware of a music and dance tradition from another area of the world. If the performance was a good one, if the lessons made the student happy, they probably probed deeper into the cultures to which it belongs, thus achieving a far better or more positive understanding than they could have gotten from news events or in the course of their ordinary lives.

That is definitely for the good of all concerned, don’t you think?
*************************

An excellent clip and an excellent article. Okay, digging a little more here, I'll offer a bit about folklore in general. There are many definitions of folklore and what it is, but when I took it in college, my professor laid out some of the characteristics of folklore for us:
1) It is traditional.
2) It is passed on informally. This meaning, in its true folkloric form, it is not taught in classes but is passed on from one to another.
3) Its origins cannot be traced.

The social form of this dance as is discussed by Tarik in his video clip and of which he also has clips of on his YouTube profile fits this description quite well. It is a traditional dance form danced not just by women but by all, even the children. It is passed on informally, the children learning from the adults rather than in classes, and though there are many theories about its origins, there is no one point in time or one performance that anyone can point to and say "This is when it began."

While the folkloric form of this dance is still being danced today, there is this parallel form of it that we all know, love, and study ourselves. It is the theatricalized version of it, the performance art that has developed over the years alongside the folk art.

So, now that I've posted this exceptionally long post, here (finally) is my question for discussion: To what extent is the influence of Western society, its expectations, and its sensationalism responsible for the development of this dance from the East from a folk art into a performance art?

posted in Ethnology & History of Mid-Eastern Dance - 20 replies

Mahmoud Reda interview articles to appear in Zaghareet magazine

ShiraDotNet — Tue, 17 Oct 2006 05:56:37 GMT

Beginning with the November/December 2006 issue, Zaghareet Magazine will be running a series of articles that I wrote based on a 3-hour interview that I did with Mahmoud Reda at the end of July. When I originally approached Reda to request the interview, I said that there's a lot of conflicting information in the dance community regarding the dances and where they came from, and my purpose in doing the interview was to seek assistance in replacing the confusion with facts. That is what the interviewed centered around.

The total series, from beginning to end, consists of the following (word counts are what my rough drafts show; final word count may change due to editing and polishing):

Part 1: Introduction 2,138 words
Part 2: Melaya Leff 1,543 words
Part 3: Saidi Dance 905 words
Part 4: Hagalla 1,256 words
Part 5: Nubian 961 words
Part 6: Fellahin 978 words
Part 7: El Robabekkia Albi 955 words
Part 8: Reda Troupe Movies 1,137 words
Part 9: Other Dance Topics 1,155 words

posted in Ethnology & History of Mid-Eastern Dance - 1 reply

Costuming and "Authenticity"

thespisis — Tue, 14 Nov 2006 02:59:47 GMT

Much is made sometimes of costuming and wearing the "appropriate" costuming for your style. But what does this actually mean when there are clips of some dancesr "over there" wearing clothes some here would wear to a club and even the bedleh is not a traditional form of attire?

posted in Ethnology & History of Mid-Eastern Dance - 10 replies

Enjoyable tribe

Nahni — Tue, 14 Nov 2006 15:01:27 GMT

Just wanted to tell you Diana, this is the most enjoyable tribe I've joined in a long time! I've learned a lot and it's very interesting. thanks for starting it!

posted in Ethnology & History of Mid-Eastern Dance - 2 replies

Most Valuable Workshops

thespisis — Fri, 17 Nov 2006 06:39:28 GMT

What have been the most valuable workshops you have attended in terms of cultural and historical information?

1. Lecture by Morocco while she was here in Nashville last year. I wish I'd brought a notebook (as some did), but I retained more than I usually do. She was interesting enough to cut through the fog of my ADD and actually plant some information in this jumbled-up mind.
2. Workshop from Alexandra King on Classical Persian dance and Khaleegi. I've still got the handouts and refer to them from time to time. Great info on history and meanings of the poses. She also took us through them moving from one to the next slowly enough for us to view ourselves, view her, and correct our positions before she moved on to the next. She had a videotape available to go with the Khaleegi portion, and a DVD that was a nice compliment (but not a repeat) of what she covered in the class.
3. Turkish Rom workshop with Artemis Mourat. Fabulous!!! She gave history, video, and excellent instruction that was easy to understand. She passed out handouts with the info on them she covered (hardly had to take any additional notes) and had many other articles and guides on hand as well.

posted in Ethnology & History of Mid-Eastern Dance - 2 replies

Rauquas

Sayari — Tue, 14 Nov 2006 15:37:35 GMT

what does the word Rauquas mean?

posted in Ethnology & History of Mid-Eastern Dance - 1 reply

Were you taught history?

thespisis — Sat, 14 Oct 2006 22:20:58 GMT

Were you taught history in your classes or did you learn through workshops or on your own? If you were taught in class, what were you taught?

I wasn't really taught history in class. What I have learned, I have learned through workshops and resources online.

posted in Ethnology & History of Mid-Eastern Dance - 11 replies

What bit of cultural information/experience had the most impact on your dancing?

ariel — Fri, 20 Oct 2006 18:09:03 GMT

The first time I was really impacted by cultural info was at a weeklong with Morocco. I was a baby dancer and although I just knew somehow that what i was learning wasnt enough - there was a lot missing. Morocco really left me with the impression of grace - that real dancers have grace and not just tricky moves, as well as endurance - and that dancers in Egypt arent beating the music to death, but expressing it. That instead of competing with the music (which is what I was doing) they feel the music.

I dont think I fully appreciated the impact of that until years later on a trip to Egypt. I was at the Ahlan Wa Sahlan festival, and one of the Egyptian girls in the audience decided to get up and "show us foreigners how its done" or some such. I remember that she did about 3 moves, and most of the time she was just doing what we would call a kick drop (or some similar name). At the time, I just didnt quite get it. I was kind of put off by it actually. It was after I thought about it for a while, that I understood - she was really feeling the music in a way that was very new to me. All of her feeling was coming from the inside out - the whole experience radiated from a place that was very internal as opposed to external. I really try to remember that as I create choreographies now - over time I have found it less challenging to make that happen when improvising, but when choreographing I have to walk that line of not overthinking.

posted in Ethnology & History of Mid-Eastern Dance - 9 replies

Wishtory

thespisis — Tue, 07 Nov 2006 17:15:33 GMT

There seems to be a lot of romantacism in the relation of the history of this dance. Some people like to state certain theories on the origin of the dance as fact rather than theory. They may give as evidence items that are vague, at best.

What do you think of this practice and why do you think we feel compelled to even find an origin for the dance?

posted in Ethnology & History of Mid-Eastern Dance - 5 replies

Founts of Knowledge

thespisis — Wed, 11 Oct 2006 20:34:16 GMT

There are some wonderful instructors out there who are doing fabulous research on Middle Eastern dance and sharing it in their workshops. Morocco was here last year, and I attended her lecture the night before the workshops began. I wish I had taken a notebook with me at the time, but a lot of it actually stuck (who knew my brain would actually choose the right moment to retain information put into it?). I've also attended workshops from Alexandra King and Artemis Mourat this year, and they both had great information on the history and culture of the dances they were teaching (Alexandra was teaching Classical Persian and Khaleegi, Artemis Turkish Rom)--especially Artemis (I couldn't write fast enough!).

Who are some other workshop instructors who share more than technique when they teach?

posted in Ethnology & History of Mid-Eastern Dance - 12 replies

Gestures & Poses

thespisis — Sat, 14 Oct 2006 22:28:24 GMT

What are some more traditional gestures and poses used in Middle Eastern dance and their meanings? I am referring to those with specific meanings and not just "this is a pretty pose" type movements. Are there any gestures in particular to avoid or to avoid within specific contexts but okay in others? Why?

posted in Ethnology & History of Mid-Eastern Dance - 8 replies

Question

Morgana — Thu, 12 Oct 2006 09:44:26 GMT

I have a question about the meaning of the tattoos moroccan women make in her faces. Somebody knows the meaning of that make-up?

posted in Ethnology & History of Mid-Eastern Dance - 3 replies