Thread: Dancing for Persian Parties

I'm tying to educate myself on how to best perform for different audiences. Does anyone have any tips and advice for dancing for Persian private parties?

Persian Audience Topics for Discussion:
~How to choose music for your set
~What to do and what not to do
~Ways to engage/show respect to the Guest/s of Honor
~Getting people up to dance (Yes, no, how?)
~Ideas for different types of parties (anniversaries, weddings, birthdays, etc.)
~Props that work best or don't work (zills, veil, sword, etc...)
~Costuming

Thanks!
Mellilah

I find most the Persians I dance for enjoy good Arabic music and I just got a specific request for sword for the new years, (I don't know if they like sword in general or just mine in particular). The one's I've danced for love to participate as a general rule as well, so getting people up to dance is great. I haven't attempted to use Persian music at all yet, though I've thought about it. I'd be interest in hearing if others have with positive response.

I've danced at Persian restaurants for 3 years and I don't really do anything differently there than I would at an arabic or greek or turkish restaurant. They're pretty easy going and just enjoy watching a confident and professional dancer!

They DO appreciate my high end costumes. Persians get very dressed up when they go out and they have expensive tastes (and they love showing it!) so when I wear my ornately beaded and blinged out costumes, they always compliment me on how much they like them. Traditional Iranian music is hard to dance to because it has a fast waltzy beat to it, like a 1-2-3, 1-2-3, 1-2-3, which is not like the 4/4 and 4/8's we're used to (I wish I could describe their time signature, but I'm sadly inept at those). So I stick with arabic pop, and as long as it's upbeat and medium to fast tempo, they're fine with it. Nothing too slow. When I first started dancing for them, I thought I had to do slow numbers, but they complained. So just stick with faster stuff and you'll be fine (or keep the slow pieces to a minimum). They usually love to dance, and the women will get up more often than the men when asked. They love when dancers show their tables special attention, so go to the guest of honor's table and get up on the chair (or the table, if you have a good pedicure) and spend of few minutes shimmying and showing off your isolations for them.

Lastly, here are a few pieces of Farsi that I charm them with (they love it!). I've spelled them phonetically so they read just like they sound:

Salaam hawnoo (clearing of the throat sound on the "h" in Hawnoo) means "hello ma'am."
Salaam aha (again, throat sound on the "h" in aha) means "hello sir"
Ja toudie means "how are you?"
Hoo baum (throat sound on "h") means "I'm fine."
Hoo bee? (throat sound on "h") means "Are you fine?"
Ho davas (throat sound on "h") means "goodbye!"
Merci, just like in french, means "thank you!"
Tavalodet mobarak means "happy birthday!"
And if someone is being a jerk, say "haylee hadi" (throat sounds on "h's"), which means "you're an ass."

Good luck!

I've heard that you should try to avoid songs with lyrics unless they're Persian. Do you agree?

Summer gave a lot of really great info (it's been a while since I've actually dealt with an Persians). Back in the early 1980s, those Persians I associated with love anything I did (Arabic, Turkish, etc.). I was big into Saroyan Sings an Oriental Bouquet back then (and still am to a certain extent), and they ate it up. I musically delved into Persian music, but it is a whole different ball of wax than raks sharqi (both musically and the dancing). Most Persian music that I'm familiar with you would never use with orientale (wouldn't be able to translate the movements to fit).

Originally Posted by Mellilahbellydance

I've heard that you should try to avoid songs with lyrics unless they're Persian. Do you agree?

This is not true of any of the Persian parties and restaurants here in LA. They love the big name Arab singers, and will even sing along.

My teacher used to tell us that for Persian parties use Arabic music, and always,always use your best, most sparkly, most expensive looking costume.
I have also noticed that Persian ladies love to get up and dance.
I never used Persian music, although I think some Persian pop songs are suitable at the end.

Originally Posted by melania

This is not true of any of the Persian parties and restaurants here in LA. They love the big name Arab singers, and will even sing along.

It's the same here in the Bay Area, too. Persians know and love the arabic songs I choose for my shows (which all have words)!

The Uk maybe a little different. My friend Venus saleh is a fantastic Persian dancer and dances at all the posh Iranian weddings in London and castles around the country. Very few allow anything Arabic.
I did do one event with her most have a ban on Arabic.
On a one to one, Iranians love the Arabic music etc. but cannot be seen to support it at extravagent events. She does have an Armenian troupe who also dance with her and they are ok with this.

Persian is a very specific style and you cant just pick up a few steps from a workshop.

This is some very interesting information. Thanks for the tips!

I found this article about dancing for Persian audiences: iranian.com: Zari, The belly dance diaries

I've just been asked to find some Persian music for the upcoming New Year's gigs. I've been looking online to find some of the songs suggested in other threads, but so far, no luck. Can anyone help? I have three nights worth of gigs to prep for, starting on Thursday.

Originally Posted by tamrahennatx

I've just been asked to find some Persian music for the upcoming New Year's gigs. I've been looking online to find some of the songs suggested in other threads, but so far, no luck. Can anyone help? I have three nights worth of gigs to prep for, starting on Thursday.

I use an artist named Sheila, she is a pop singer, but uses a classical violinist named Pijan Montezavi, he is fabulous and all Persians know him, she has some 6/8, and 4/4 songs, and a few Bandari pieces for getting them up to dance, Bandari is equivelent to Saidi in Egypt. I would ask the host if they want a Bandari, because some find it working class music, and look down their nose. Also, they like the passing of the black hat, basically a fedora hat, you put it on your head and then they will start grabbing for it and take turns wearing it while they dance.

Originally Posted by Aradia

I use an artist named Sheila, she is a pop singer, but uses a classical violinist named Pijan Montezavi, he is fabulous and all Persians know him, she has some 6/8, and 4/4 songs, and a few Bandari pieces for getting them up to dance, Bandari is equivelent to Saidi in Egypt. I would ask the host if they want a Bandari, because some find it working class music, and look down their nose. Also, they like the passing of the black hat, basically a fedora hat, you put it on your head and then they will start grabbing for it and take turns wearing it while they dance.

The black fedora can only mean one thing: the baba karam dance! This is a classic Persian dance doen by women to make fun of and imitate men (in good humor, of course).
[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Yg6Mcp7taw]YouTube - Nava Aharoni - BABA KARAM persian dance[/ame]
[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u14rPwbeeOk]YouTube - Baba Karam[/ame]

Yep! They love it, and the men get a kick out of it too. Have you ever seen Angelika Nemeth's troupe perform their Baba Karam piece? It is soooo funny. Thanks for posting the video clips!

Try this link for a thread on choosing Persian music:

http://www.bhuz.com/forum/music-trad...ian-music.html

Also, this one: http://www.bhuz.com/forum/music-trad...nce-songs.html

You can always ask me Mellilah! I'll try my best.

And I hope you don't mind but I want people to pronounce it correctly and I studied Farsi in college, so I corrected a few sounds



Salaam hawnoo salam khanum with the m, is proper (not colloquial) and khanum can also be used to describe someone that is a lady(clearing of the throat sound on the "h" in Hawnoo) means Hello ma'am."
Salaam aha ag'a with a gutteral g(again, throat sound on the "h" in aha) means "hello sir"
Ja toudie chitoreh perhaps? proper would be haleh shomah chitoreh (how is your health?)means "how are you?"
Hoo baum (throat sound on "h") means "I'm fine."
Hoo bee? (throat sound on "h") means "Are you fine?"
Ho davas khodofus with an f (throat sound on "h") means "goodbye!"