Thread: Am Cab Veil?

So Bhuzzer Kahaz has given me the duty of representing Am Cab Veil work in her upcoming show on BD through the years.

I have my ideas and I have my Abdo nearby. Just curious what others would describe the 70's & 80's Am Cab veil work? I think it's totally different than the veilwork of AmCab of today...

We didn't use the "veil entrance," where you enter with the veil behind you. The veil was draped around your body, there were many ways to drape it. Then you danced it off, smoothly, gracefully, and unobtrusively, until you were doing "veil work" with it. I don't know that the actual veil moves were that different, although Aziza has upped the bar with some of her innovative veil moves.

Oh, that sounds fun!

Come out in a complicated veil wrap (we used to have whole classes on wrap varieties!). Your first song (if you do one for this show) will be a fast intro, and your veil will come second. Use the first 1/4 of the song or so to remove the veil, while dancing and spinning, and perhaps stopping and using the partially tucked veil as a frame while you interpret the music. I think a song with a chiftitelli or a rhumba rhythm is the way to go.

I don't think movements are totally different, but I freely admit I may still be a product of my own American-Egyptian-pan-Arabic hybrid dance upbringing! Depending on the music, I see lots of spins, airplanes, tents, poses, frames...use a lot of space, and alternate between letting the veil get 'away' from you, then hug you close and frame the area you want to highlight.

Oh, and keep your finger cymbals on while working the veil!

Cory Zamora's veilwork seems ultra classic AmCab to me. The dancing out of the veil aspect is really "it".

Originally Posted by zumarrad

Cory Zamora's veilwork seems ultra classic AmCab to me. The dancing out of the veil aspect is really "it".

I agree! I don't do as much classic AmCab veilwork as I used to, but I believe it's an art that needs to be kept alive and well.

Excellent examples here:
[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fndHx9LCXPU]YouTube - Cory Zamora Famous Belly Dancer Teacher[/ame]

and here
[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FTuppJ9XhTs]YouTube - Cory Zamora dances on Hafla[/ame]

That's how I always do my veil work! (wrap up like a straight jacket and dance it off). Didn't realize I was so retro...

A lot of encasements, too. Wrap back up and come out. Hold the veil closed over you like a taco and dance inside of it.

Yes to all the above. Veil wrap, finger cymbals, dance in and out of the veil, undulations, poses, spinning....

Another example:
[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Wb3jbKNMl8]YouTube - USS Saratoga CV-60 1984-87 Cruise-Athens Greece Port Call 03[/ame]

WOW, good morning to ME...this is better than my birthday!
i have 3 veil ties on dvd.
yep, we still use 6 diff veil ties....
abdo classic ?
lilah my love!.....on "bd w/ g abdo"..i think.

OT...hey laura 2...how do you post a youtube?
there is a clip of a dancer coming outta a box, w/ men and canes....
i want to post it so SOMEONE can tell me where to get the song.

Originally Posted by zamora

OT...hey laura 2...how do you post a youtube?
there is a clip of a dancer coming outta a box, w/ men and canes....
i want to post it so SOMEONE can tell me where to get the song.

You just copy the YouTube URL of the video into your Bhuz message and it automatically embeds the video.

thanks
i think i "get it"
lol

...i suck, ...oh well, someone told me the song was "ya bouy ya bouy"

Originally Posted by zamora

...i suck, ...oh well, someone told me the song was "ya bouy ya bouy"

What is the YouTube title or URL for this clip?

Cory, what was the second song? I recognize the musician as George Abdo but I dont know the song itself.

Originally Posted by dunyah

We didn't use the "veil entrance," where you enter with the veil behind you.

We did. My teacher in 1980 would fasten the long edge of the veil either to the back of her bra or to the top of her head and with the ends in each hand make a grand entrance while shimmying/gliding across the stage as the veil floated out behind her.

Originally Posted by zamora

WOW, good morning to ME...this is better than my birthday!
i have 3 veil ties on dvd.
yep, we still use 6 diff veil ties....
abdo classic ?
lilah my love!.....on "bd w/ g abdo"..i think.

That was the first song I ever performed to...love it!!! And it was using the above-mentioned "veil floating along behind" entrance.

veil on the world dance/hafla clip ?
5 section routene, raks abdo, ...i think it is off "the art of"bd, abdo,
the first clip posted here is with jim karagozian, mirage..."effem" off "eastern gatherings"
i sell that on my site.

dunyah....the you tube clip just says bellydance
it is a lebonese dancer coming out of a box, men do cane around her
i love the song!

oops, RAKS ABDO is on "the joy of" bd..track 2
the cd's do not relate to the "records"

dunyah, ..it is belly dance
2 words

Originally Posted by zamora

dunyah, ..it is belly dance
2 words

Is it this one?

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IcHm9ZpRs0Q]YouTube - arab arabic belly dance from lebanon[/ame]

YES yes YES
LOOOOOVE THIS WHOLE THING!
love the men
but the song!!!!!!
what is it ?
been through 96 pages of comments
alot asking, but no answer!

Originally Posted by zamora

abdo classic ? lilah my love!.....on "bd w/ g abdo"..i think.

Such a blast from the past!

My mom used that for her warmups and for her dancing decades ago, so I grew up with it; whenever I think "veil work," I still think of that song first . . .

Deborah

Originally Posted by anala

Cory, what was the second song? I recognize the musician as George Abdo but I dont know the song itself.

It's "Raks Abdo" -- can't remember the album name and don't have time to look it up . . .

Deborah

Thanks!! ~!~

And here's Kahaz, herself!

I loooooove Geroge's "Lilah, my Love". It was my AmCab veil song for many years.

Kitty

Originally Posted by zamora

YES yes YES
LOOOOOVE THIS WHOLE THING!
love the men
but the song!!!!!!
what is it ?
been through 96 pages of comments
alot asking, but no answer!

Sorry, I don't know either. There's a website address on the video, you could try there, maybe?

Originally Posted by dunyah

Is it this one?

YouTube - arab arabic belly dance from lebanon

I would like to know both the name of the song, where to get it and the name of the dancer. This is a clip from one of the al bab shabob video series. I love this dancer, she appears several times in the series and is by far and away, the best one, and I love this song.

How ironic-I chose Leila (solace I think is the real name?) My Love as my Am Cab Veil song!