Thread: Bellydance-o-rama 2 & 3 - watching now!

Well, my instructor brought videos 2 & 3 of IAMED's new Bellydance-o-rama series to class last night, and since I can never make up my mind when it comes to bellydance DVDs, I ended up buying them both. I haven't watched them both beginning to end, but I've been skimming through them the last two evenings.

So, my first impression is that while all the dancers are obviously talented, and some of the performances are quite beautiful, these IAMED shows seem to be getting more and more experimental. Has anyone else noticed this trend? Picture this - women in sea monkey costumes swaying and undulating to burbling sounds and whale cries. It's weirdly mesmerizing, I'll admit, but is it really Middle Eastern dance? I was just curious if anyone else had seen the live shows or the videos, and what their impressions were.

I can't wait to see that piece!

While it's not belly dance, it was amazing to see them in person; I wish I had been out in the audience instead of watching them on a b&w monitor backstage.

Another thing, I agree with you that there comes a time when "Belly Dance" Troupes who have become so experimental and "outside the box" can no longer truthfully call themselves "belly dance," but I think that Suzy puts unusual acts in her shows because they act as a palate cleanser for the audience during a long evening of belly dance.

And honestly, when the performance is that interesting and well-executed, I don't mind.

I agree, and the main thing that bothers me is that they are all, either implicitly or explicitly, labeled belly dancing. I enjoy alot of it, and I agree that a show with alot of variety can be very entertaining. But much of this fusion stuff is not "belly dancing". Not to mention that somehow the folkdances get implicitly lumped in as just a variant of belly dance, which they are not: Saiidi folk dance is not belly dance. Moroccan Schikaat is not belly dance, Khaleegy women's dance is not belly dancing, Nubian folk dance is not belly dance, Bharanatyam is not belly dance, Tunisian pot dance is not belly dance, Persian classical dance is not belly dance.

I'm all for long but accurate titles: IAMED presents Oriental dance, assorted North African and Middle Eastern folk dances, and Middle Eastern-inspired fusion.

Sedonia

Hi, Tamra Henna. Are you the Tamra Henna who is in DVD #3?

Originally Posted by Zamira

Hi, Tamra Henna. Are you the Tamra Henna who is in DVD #3?

Hi!
No, I'm the Tamra Henna that's on DVD #1 ..l;,

Confusing, idn't it?

Oh, that's the one I don't have.

Oh well, one of these days.

Desert Sin has appeared in IAMED videos before, and certainly one of its founders, Sa Elayssa, has - she's the IAMED girl at the beginning of the tapes (well she is on most, maybe not on these). She also does more traditional BD - she's very talented.

I think IAMED has always shown a range of dancers & styles - oriental, turkish, am cab - so no, I don't think Suzy is being "experimental." Desert Sin is dance theater and they pretty much bill themselves as that IMO.

Originally Posted by danidance

Desert Sin has appeared in IAMED videos before, and certainly one of its founders, Sa Elayssa, has - she's the IAMED girl at the beginning of the tapes (well she is on most, maybe not on these). She also does more traditional BD - she's very talented.

I think IAMED has always shown a range of dancers & styles - oriental, turkish, am cab - so no, I don't think Suzy is being "experimental." Desert Sin is dance theater and they pretty much bill themselves as that IMO.

Sa Elayssa astounds me! She moves like she has no bones in her body!! (just thought I'd throw that in! )

15 dancers/troupes on one dvd & one act was "experimental" & "iamed is getting more experimental" ???

there is usually one non bd piece per iamed dvds.

i have all 3 & will be reviewing them soon. tina

Originally Posted by aazura

Sa Elayssa astounds me! She moves like she has no bones in her body!! (just thought I'd throw that in! )

I <3 Sa Elayssa!!!! I've never seen a performance of hers I Didn't like! And each time has been very different.

Sorry, just love that girl's dancing!

Originally Posted by tattood1

15 dancers/troupes on one dvd & one act was "experimental" & "iamed is getting more experimental" ???

No, I just mentioned that specific one because it was the most dramatic one that stuck in my mind. My initial impression was that there was more tribal fusion overall than I've seen in their other shows. I suppose that's a factor of there just being more tribal fusion dancers out there than there was a few years ago. But of course, there was plenty of traditional stuff too.

darshan "is more tribal fusion"?? iamed has used FCBD twice, ultra gypsy & tribal feat. they also have used solace music. tina

It's probably very good marketing to have a balanced mix really show through and good that you noticed Zamira!

Sounds like a fun show...don't like the name?

As an event organizer I know how diversity is crucial when doing a show, and its always good to have diferent views of the dance or diferent dance acts on it... I liked the desert sin piece on the day of the show...it was very "cirque du soleil" and I enjoyed. It kind brakes a little from the prospective we have of the dance...mind chalenging...

Well the name reflects the amount of dancers in this series. Lots and lots of belly dancing so they did found the perfect name for it. Some people might find strange because its not the usual "art of belly dance" etc but my point of view is that I am just SO happy it doesn't have the word 'exotic" on it, I am kind of tired of the whole the art of "exotic" thing lately..

Yes, "cirque du soleil" is exactly what I thought when I watched it.

Anyway, I had time last weekend to really watch both shows end to end. The #2 dvd was actually mostly traditional. I'd say #3 had more of what I'd consider not exactly belly dance, or belly dance with a different twist. I think what made me have that initial impression of "experimental" is I skipped along until I saw the Desert Sin number, and then I skipped a couple more to the Ava Fleming one because I'm a big Ava fan, and she did a dance where she came out in men's suit and danced in a masculine fashion, then took off her jacket and danced in a more traditional, feminine style, albeit still in trousers. Then at one point, she stopped and flexed her arm muscle. Ok, can someone who was at the show or has the video explain this number to me? What character was she portraying at first - maybe a Greek man or a Spanish man dancing?

I didn't get to see Ava's piece since I was backstage, but I think I recall the masculine portion was based on Persian "Baba Karam", which is the name of a Persian character, a baker who is going out at night to carouse after a hard day's work. It's common for the Baba Karam character to be played by a female dancer. She mentioned backstage that she did some Baba Karam, and then went into a more feminine dance, which I thought sounded like a lot of fun. I have all 3 DVDs but haven't gotten a chance to watch them all yet.

IAMED shows are concert stage productions, and are meant to be opportunities for the dancers to show some artistic innovation and create slightly more theatrical pieces than one might see in an Arabic nightclub or more traditional venue. It's not meant to be limited to nightclub style or folkloric style, etc. The shows are meant to deliver a whole range of "the best of the best" of what is being done in the world of Middle Eastern dance, or at least those performers accessible to come to L.A. be in the shows.

: ) Lilla

(Who did a group piece with some traditional elements and some "creative license" in Belly Dance O'rama #1 )

Thanks Lila. I could see she was dancing as some sort of male character, but I'd never heard of Baba Karam. That makes sense then.

I guess that's one of the great things about belly dancing. You can practice it for years and still pick up something new.

Originally Posted by Lilladancer

I didn't get to see Ava's piece since I was backstage, but I think I recall the masculine portion was based on Persian "Baba Karam", which is the name of a Persian character, a baker who is going out at night to carouse after a hard day's work. It's common for the Baba Karam character to be played by a female dancer. She mentioned backstage that she did some Baba Karam, and then went into a more feminine dance, which I thought sounded like a lot of fun. I have all 3 DVDs but haven't gotten a chance to watch them all yet.
: ) Lilla
(Who did a group piece with some traditional elements and some "creative license" in Belly Dance O'rama #1 )

Ava's number was one of the few I was able to watch since I worked backstage and it was great in person! I've been watching the DVDs and I have to say I loved yours Lilla. I remember how stunning your costumes were and on the DVD they really pop!
Tamrahenna TX, I was blown away by your performance! I loved your Shik Shak Shok. I'm still watching the DVD's but so far I've been delighted with what I've seen.
Patricia/Ra-Chell

Aw, thanks Ra-chell!..g.: I did get to watch vol. 1 all the way through and once again I am in awe of the amazing array of talent on this DVD. I can't wait to get a chance to watch vol. 2 and 3 ASAP. The Desert Sin piece looked really cool in the dress rehearsal, but I believe they were only wearing part of their costumes - I'm sure the full effect was much more dazzling...


edited to add: and no, I still haven't forgotten the pattern!

Originally Posted by Lilladancer

Aw, thanks Ra-chell!..g.: I did get to watch vol. 1 all the way through and once again I am in awe of the amazing array of talent on this DVD. I can't wait to get a chance to watch vol. 2 and 3 ASAP. The Desert Sin piece looked really cool in the dress rehearsal, but I believe they were only wearing part of their costumes - I'm sure the full effect was much more dazzling...


edited to add: and no, I still haven't forgotten the pattern!

Ah yes the pattern, I haven't forgotten either! I even bought some material too. I did watch Desert Sin the other night and wow! Now I'm sorry I didn't sneak out from backstage to watch.

Originally Posted by ra-chell

Ava's number was one of the few I was able to watch since I worked backstage and it was great in person! I've been watching the DVDs and I have to say I loved yours Lilla. I remember how stunning your costumes were and on the DVD they really pop!
Tamrahenna TX, I was blown away by your performance! I loved your Shik Shak Shok. I'm still watching the DVD's but so far I've been delighted with what I've seen.
Patricia/Ra-Chell

Oh wow, thanks Ra-Chell!

You're welcome TamrahennaTX! I'm only sorry I didn't get to see it in person.

Well, I had the opportunity to watch IAMED #1 awards last week. I have to say that, except for Cassandra and Amaya, it ranged from very mediocre and boring to outright wretched.

Except for Cassandra and Jamila al Wahid, none of it had much at all to do with oriental dance.

So I haven't seen the vids mentioned by Zamira, it is difficult to imagine a real downward trend. I have IAMED #6 and wow, Shareen el Safy, Sahra Kent, Bahaia, and Zarah Zohair really rock.

If I like half of the performances on a video, I consider it a good video.

Sedonia

I didn't mean I thought the videos were necessarily on a downward trend. I just thought there were more numbers that weren't quite what I'd consider bellydancing performances.

Speaking of the Awards of Belly Dance DVDs, have there been any out since the Sixth? I have some show DVDs that came out after that like Belly Dance Rocks and Belly Dance Live, but did the annual award videos stop?

Originally Posted by Zamira

Speaking of the Awards of Belly Dance DVDs, have there been any out since the Sixth? I have some show DVDs that came out after that like Belly Dance Rocks and Belly Dance Live, but did the annual award videos stop?

That's a good question. I'd like to know myself.