Didem of Turkey

[kahire]

Um, is it just me, or is there something a little odd about the relationship she describes with Ibo in the article -- "he is a boss who possesses and protects"???

That article/interview is from Turkish magazine couple of years back (same from where I have got my information) and the English translation is not necessarily very good... however I think that Ibo´s role really is to possess and protect as he does not allow *his* dancers to appear much outside of his show - Asena was well educated and smart girl who managed to struggle out of that possession but Didem´s situation does not seem to be that good as she has no education and comes from poor background

[ejaghana]

i actually enjoyed these clips too. As Shaunte said, I was not much of a fan of Turkish style either. These clips are very nice.

[asimatiyat]

I don't like her arm work myself, but not because her arms are skinny -- after all, Rachel Brice hasn't got an ounce of fat on her, and her arm work is gorgeous. To me it doesn't seem like Didem carries enough tension in her arms; I like it better when the arms look like they're moving through water rather than air. But I have seen arm movements like hers on a few other young Turkish dancers, so that might just be the style there.

[Lauren_]

These are wonderful clips!

Here's another Didem Roman Havasi clip that I don't think has been posted here yet, one of my favorites!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WzktPAbf8us

[Gwoofer]

I don't like her arm work myself, but not because her arms are skinny -- after all, Rachel Brice hasn't got an ounce of fat on her, and her arm work is gorgeous. To me it doesn't seem like Didem carries enough tension in her arms; I like it better when the arms look like they're moving through water rather than air. But I have seen arm movements like hers on a few other young Turkish dancers, so that might just be the style there.

I find her body type to be almost opposite of Rachel in that Rachel is very muscular and Didem is well, very not ..l;,

Love them both though but I find them very different.

[Gwoofer]

These are wonderful clips!

Here's another Didem Roman Havasi clip that I don't think has been posted here yet, one of my favorites!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WzktPAbf8us

Ooo, thanks for posting - I really like that one too, she's very relaxed in it

[vivi]

OMG some people really think skinny girls can't belly dance??? where that came from?
its ok not to like a dancer because she has not quality in her techinque but because of her weight?
Its a shame to say that, if you are a Belly Dancer..everybody can dance, if a man can belly dance why can't a skinny girl.. or if she does why does she needs to be only in tribal, why that?
I am not a big fan of Didem, not sure if I like her and lack of emotion maybe is her personality in the dance, (I love emotion in dance), but she is a beautiful dancer, she has her techinque, and I appreciate that in every dancer I see, big or small.
ANY Prejudice is awful!
And guys thanks for posting such a different style of dancer here in BHUZ~
Love

[LauraLevana]

There, there, Viviane! (*hands her a bon bon and a frothy, whole milk latte* ).
As a bit of a hipless wonder, I think it's the fact that Didem can make her tiny little self achieve a sharpness and clarity to her movements that seems to come much more easily to more voluptuous dancers that makes me admire her so much. It seems like so many bellydance movements really are more flattering to fuller figures; skinny girls like Didem have to work harder for anything to show!

What is it, though, that makes people feel like she's unemotional or not relaxed?

[Gwoofer]

I'm with Vivi and Laura. I swear you see quite fat gals dancing and no one makes a comment (and rightly so) but get an even remotely thin one out there and the comments get very nasty pretty quick.

It is much harder for skinny women to get the fabulous shimmy vibration that Didem does, or the drop kick undulations of Rachel Brice. Both of these women have been criticised for lack of emotion but I don't think you have to pull faces to have emotion, nor does emotion have to be outward.

[Lauren_]

I had the same reaction.

Why is it that people who would never say 'oh, I don't usually like watching fat girls dance' think nothing of commenting on a skinny girl's body? I don't see any need to comment on body shape either way, or height, or skin color.

You may very well have a preference, of course, but let's leave those prejuduces out of the discussion.

[vivi]

Thanks girls!
I feel better about this issue, now, I really need to know what is going on the heads of our BD community, this is serious, for some time I have been thinking in actually starting a thread about body image and belly dance...when I started to teaching classes in the US a student from another local dance instructor came to take some classes, and she mention that the other instructor had asked her to gain some weight so she could dance better...I tought that was the end of the world! Ins't Belly dance to improove your image and make you happy with what you have? God gave us a perfect body in which you can even dance with it, but no, we need to keep finding imperfections..
Short, Tall, big, small, who cares? if you can dance, you can dance!
People: look for the beauty in the dance and in the dancer, for me a dancer's attitude is more important than her looks...well except when her costume is a disaster, or she does someone elses choreography and say its hers, can't forgive that!
Love

[Lauren_]

Vivi, I think sometimes we go overboard trying to help our heavier students feel comfortable with their bodies and the really thin ones (who we wrongly assume don't have issues with their bodies) get hurt in the process.

Also, I've had a situation where I felt sure a heavy student was just so durned happy to have found an accepting environment that she wanted to play revenge games -- turn the tables, so to speak -- and take every opportunity to criticize dancers like the BDSS for being 'too skinny' to dance well. I had to set her straight that we're not here to criticize ANYONE'S body type, or exclude ANYONE. She stopped coming to my classes shortly thereafter, but I don't know if that was the reason.

Personally, I think we can all work with what we've been given. Juicier women often have powerful shimmies & stage presence. Very lean bodies really show off muscular undulations and flutters. *shrugs*

[kahire]

I have all the shows that she has ever done, from the first on his program to the last on dvd.

Is there a DVD of Didem???? Where????

[amorylutz]

Hooray for the previous threads on "skinny girls"! I am one of those "skinny girls"...always have been and always will (heredity and metabolism). I've weathered lots of nasty comments inside and outside the BD world and, let me tell you, negative comments about one's physical appearance hurt regardless of body type! I just ignore them now.

In fact, I've just recently fully embraced my petite frame and I'm much happier for it! I am who I am and I can't very well change much of that...believe me, I have tried...tried to be "fuller figured" and "darker skinned". Oh well...I'm a porcelain-skinned petite person and that's that :)

Come on, ladies, let's help hold each other up...not tear each other down. "Kumbah Ya, My Lord...Kumbah Ya..." :P

On another note....does anyone know of any YouTubes of Didem (or other Turkish dancers) dancing with veil???

[kahire]

I have not noticed Didem dancing with veil (with Isis wings she does a copy of Amar Gamal though) but here are couple of clips of Tanyeli dancing with veil - unfortunately last clip does not have sound:
Tanyeli & Ebru Gündez (short entrance with veil)
Tanyeli at Seda Sayan show
and one more lovely clip featuring Hale Sultan:
Hale Sultan in Singapore (also short entrance with veil)

[amorylutz]

Thanks for the clips. I see from your profile you are a big fan of Turkey. I also LOVE Turkey. Unfortunately, I've been only once to visit a dear Turkish friend of mine who lives in Istanbul. I had such a GREAT time and I can't wait to go back!

[gotraqs]

Here's a lovely clip of Didem taken last month on one the variety shows: [ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LFaAe4YZMvs]YouTube - DiDEM 16[/ame].

She is a very graceful dancer, with great isolation. I just can't believe how bored the other people on stage look. Couldn't they at least feign some interest? Geez!

BTW, she is dancing with a veil in this clip. :)

[palmier]

the botoxed lady you see behind Didem at 6 minutes isnt bored, she is just not capable of having a facial expression.
botox is bad for you.

I like Didem, thanks for that video

[Lauren_]

LOL, I think you're right about the botox. But the people onstage seems to be deliberately avoiding looking at the dancer most of the time, don't they?

Fun to see her doing the very Western veilwork, isn't it? I've even seen Turkish dancers use Wings of Isis, sword, and use American music. They seem much more open to outside influences than the Egyptians. Is it because the dance has been even more....disreputable.... in Turkey, so there's less pride in the history of the dance there?

[ThespiSis]

I love Didem! It's been interesting to watch her clips over the past couple of years. Yes, she's done quite a bit of copying, but I think it's got a lot to do with learning new dance styles, and I like that she's so open to them. The newer clips of her, she seems to be blending them well and creating her own style and seems happier as well.

[aglassandacigarette]

i like didem but the style i like from her is her roman havasi with a little oryantal touch!

[Khalida]

I love Didem, she's a great dancer
And yes, she's been trying out a couple of different styles lately it seems..

Khalida