Thread: Floor work

I'm thinking floor work is becoming a lost art. Back in the day, especially, in the Greek nightclubs, floor work was mandatory. We did everything from candles, swords, coffee trays, to amazing acrobatic tricks. I"m sure you have all heard of the dancer who used to roll coins on her belly. Nothing to do with belly dance, but that was her floor routine. In the Arabic clubs, at least in most locales, floorwork was forbidden until the late 90's, 2000's. But in Greektown if you didn't play zills, do veil work and do floor work you couldn't get a job.

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vc5QsgWlFHw]YouTube - Belly Dancing Floorwork Compilation: IV[/ame]

I think alot dancers still use floorwork for sword routines. Maybe not alot of floor work, but some.

Hi Norma!

Floorwork (although not done in Egypt after 1952 I think) is still done by the Lebanese. Although they don't stay at the floor for too long they still do floorwork and it is an important part of the show for many dancers who do it.

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lAezz-tRpaU]YouTube - Maya Abi Saad (Lebanese Belly Dance)[/ame]

Here's Maya Abi Sa3d doing splits and a backbend for her floorwork (to a baladi taqsim no less).

I remember those days... fondly actually!
I don't do it anymore, tho. Hm, don't know why. I think it mainly became a venue issue. Nowhere on that nasty floor to do floorwork.

Originally Posted by Azhia

I remember those days... fondly actually!
I don't do it anymore, tho. Hm, don't know why. I think it mainly became a venue issue. Nowhere on that nasty floor to do floorwork.

Very GOOD point. Doing floorwork on a restaurant floor is...uh...not advisable. However, I sometimes throw it in when I'm on a stage :)

we teach and perform floor ...all the time!
it is just part of the "total package"....a well rounded dancer.
we teach floor with sword, shamadon, tray, fire tray etc.....no big deal, floor, like 9/8 and zills are just part of it all.
yes! still , here in fresno calif, floor is alive and well.

Originally Posted by zamora

we teach and perform floor ...all the time!
it is just part of the "total package"....a well rounded dancer.
we teach floor with sword, shamadon, tray, fire tray etc.....no big deal, floor, like 9/8 and zills are just part of it all.
yes! still , here in fresno calif, floor is alive and well.

Yeah! I guess the stage would have something to do with it. Also, floor work isn't easy to accomplish in today's fashion of tight skirts.

I'm so into "bringing back" floorwork. I do it in my little stage show. I'm ordering up Zamora's DVD though -- to get better at it. My friend does it with double swords-- it's great!
Love the clip - thanks!

tight skirts?????
ah, what are you reffering to?

I like floor-work, and like to incorporate it into my dancing. It's really beautiful when done tastefully. Maybe some dancers avoid doing floor because it got a bad rap? I'm sure all of us have been witness at some point to writhing or floor-humping type of movements. Trends come and go, but perhaps that's one reason it became less fashionable. Restaurant owners who discourage it probably do so from wanting to stay in the margin of safety and not take the risk of offending customers. Souhail Kaspar told me a story once of a dancer who did a sudden Turkish drop...and that her 'lady parts' weren't very well-concealed. After that, no one was really thinking of her dancing!

i have a floor on youtube
just type in cory zamora
do not know how it imbed here

Hey, does anyone know the song in the second clip -- has whistling? Is it Turkish? The dancer is wearing a gold bedleh and dark turquoise chiffon skirt.

floor work is very spirtual.we have a zar workshop this june..that is a big part of what the floor is about!

ooo. Post the info about the Zar workshop. I bet the women who were in Sahra Saeeda's workshop recently would be interested in this.

Originally Posted by zamora

tight skirts?????
ah, what are you reffering to?

The modern Egyptian and Turkish costumes with straight, mermaid, or trumpet skirts as opposed to circle skirts. Like all the current Egyptian dancers wear and most American vendors are selling. They are not roomy in the thigh area and would make some/most floorwork moves impossible to do in them.

The modern Egyptian and Turkish costumes with straight, mermaid, or trumpet skirts as opposed to circle skirts. Like all the current Egyptian dancers wear and most American vendors are selling. They are not roomy in the thigh area and would make some/most floorwork moves impossible to do in them.
******************* oh, never worn one*************

zar work shop with ely buffin
june 14th
2pm
zamoras studio, fresno calif.
please e mail for more info/registration
ZamorasBD@aol.com

Originally Posted by ssipes

The modern Egyptian and Turkish costumes with straight, mermaid, or trumpet skirts as opposed to circle skirts. Like all the current Egyptian dancers wear and most American vendors are selling. They are not roomy in the thigh area and would make some/most floorwork moves impossible to do in them.

I noticed that several of the women are wearing cute pants. Melodias!

2 things:
the zar workshop is $25.00
AND I HATE PANTS! dont even own a pair of any kind...(oh, except 3 silk panties, black, white, nude...i do not wear short skirts very often)

Floor work's alive and well in my dancing!
I proudly do floor in taqsims...also with tray, sword, shamedan...
Gia

Originally Posted by jetgirl

Hey, does anyone know the song in the second clip -- has whistling? Is it Turkish? The dancer is wearing a gold bedleh and dark turquoise chiffon skirt.

That's a John Bilezikjian song, "Sallasana Mendillini", from the Magic of John Bilezikjian.

Oh yeah. I love floorwork. I don't do it that often, or very well, for that matter. I think I'm guilty of "writhing". :) Loved that video clip!

Originally Posted by zamora

2 things:
the zar workshop is $25.00
AND I HATE PANTS! dont even own a pair of any kind...(oh, except 3 silk panties, black, white, nude...i do not wear short skirts very often)

let me get this right, you HATE PANTS ..l;,

even harem pants? hmmm.
Your skirts always look so nice because they are so full, but it is easy for me to feel exposed on the floor. I'll have to work with a skirt.

thanks for the song title!

Thanks, I really enjoyed seeing the YouTube clip on floorwork. I agree, it is awesome, but there aren't just senough good venues to see it. I saw Jillina one time, and she did floorwork, but everyone was getting up out of their seats because no one could see her.

Originally Posted by zamora

tight skirts?????
ah, what are you reffering to?

Body skimming, mermaid style skirts, with no leg openings vs. full circle skirts and/or harem pants.

Originally Posted by jetgirl

let me get this right, you HATE PANTS ..l;,

even harem pants? hmmm.
Your skirts always look so nice because they are so full, but it is easy for me to feel exposed on the floor. I'll have to work with a skirt.

Helpful to also wear slippery harem pants underneath. When I did floorwork I wore the roundy skirt and harem pants made with slippery fabric so that I wasn't giving myself rug burn or exposing my patooty. ..l;,

Originally Posted by jetgirl

Hey, does anyone know the song in the second clip -- has whistling? Is it Turkish? The dancer is wearing a gold bedleh and dark turquoise chiffon skirt.

What am I missing? I don't know clip is being referred to here. I think I know the song, though, because Marisa had a song which included whistling in one of her Radio Bastet programs. Very little belly dance music has whistling in it.

Oopsy.....I got a floorwork vid on youtube too!

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Eobg5RbuBRY]YouTube - mark Balahadia[/ame]

Not to mention with the straight/form-fitting/mermaid skirts most of them (at least my "liquid skirt is) are heavily ornamented *and* on the expensive side. Even though I have done floor work in the past (and will likely be doing it again in the future), I have no desire to hurt myself on my skirt's ornamentation (nor destroy a relatively expensive article of costuming). When I do floor work again, it will be in an un-ornamented, circular style skirt, thank you kindly. Bad enough to step on beads on the floor and embed them in my foot. I do *not* want to embed any glass beads in my soft and pliant tushy (aka bum).