Thread: Playing with hair while dancing

elishatanzt (21 hours ago) Show Hide 0 Marked as spam Reply | Spam
| Remove | Block User Thank you she´s got fun dancing and is fun to watch!
i have heard that dancers in egypt are not allowed to touch their hair because it´s too flirty. is that true and since when? cause she´s playing with her hair and i also saw Mona Said flirting with her hair, wich was of course wonderful!
Dina doesn´t seenm to touch her hair though, or am I wrong?

This comment was posted to one of my videos and it made me curious.Not to sound stupid but Does anyone know? I have always thought of the act of playing with hair while dancing as flaunting my beauty and displaying a certain "wealth" but I could be wrong. I have never thought of it as "flirty".
Andrea

Not true. Fifi is all about playing with her, she even made us pick up our hair and blow tendrils of it.

ETA: I don't think I even understand the question. As Taj says below, it can very 'come-hither,' but a LOT of Egyptian dancers are flirty and come-hither... there's no rule forbidding them from being flirty. I think whoever posted the question above has been exposed to some kind of misinformation...

I think it boils down to intention. If you play with your hair in a come-hither fashion, it can be construed as, well, come hither.

Inher workshops the dancer morocco explains that a SMALL amount of hair touching is ok but very flirtatious. Too much and you look like a prostitute doing a public comeon. Think of it this way - in Egypt the overwhelming majority of women cover their hair completely when they go out in public, so what message does it sned to not only fully expose your hair but openly play with it and call attention to it?

Playing with your hair is like using hot spice in your food. A little goes a long way.

Originally Posted by Taj

I think it boils down to intention. If you play with your hair in a come-hither fashion, it can be construed as, well, come hither.

<snort!>

Originally Posted by baadrobot

elishatanzt (21 hours ago) Show Hide 0 Marked as spam Reply | Spam
| Remove | Block User Thank you she´s got fun dancing and is fun to watch!
i have heard that dancers in egypt are not allowed to touch their hair because it´s too flirty. is that true and since when? cause she´s playing with her hair and i also saw Mona Said flirting with her hair, wich was of course wonderful!
Dina doesn´t seenm to touch her hair though, or am I wrong?

This comment was posted to one of my videos and it made me curious.Not to sound stupid but Does anyone know? I have always thought of the act of playing with hair while dancing as flaunting my beauty and displaying a certain "wealth" but I could be wrong. I have never thought of it as "flirty".
Andrea

Of course it's flirty; that in itself is not a bad thing. I think it looks bad when dancers do it as a 'move' and not a spontaneous gesture. It can look very contrived if over-done, especially those 'shampooing' motions.

I had a class with a dancer from Kuwait who would occasionally take a chunk of hair and draw it across her face, mimicking a veil. I don't see a lot of Western dancers doing this move, but I have seen other native dancers do it in videos.

It would feel strange for me--I wear a wig for performance. :D

Originally Posted by mysterywoman

Inher workshops the dancer morocco explains that a SMALL amount of hair touching is ok but very flirtatious. Too much and you look like a prostitute doing a public comeon. Think of it this way - in Egypt the overwhelming majority of women cover their hair completely when they go out in public, so what message does it sned to not only fully expose your hair but openly play with it and call attention to it?

Playing with your hair is like using hot spice in your food. A little goes a long way.

This is close to my recollection of Morocco's take on it as well. I asked her in a workshop once if *any* hair-touching was forbidden, and she essentially said that if you stand there stroking it lasciviously you could expect to be taken as a 'ho.

I think Aunt Rocky was giving her personal opinion about hair touching, not quoting Egyptian rules.

Egyptian dancers definitely do touch their hair. Not all of them, but enough that I don't think there's any kind of rule. I haven't seen the Suhaila-style shampooing sort of gestures, though. Like American dancers, some seem to enjoy hairplay more than others.

It's certainly true that hair is considered an asset of feminine beauty and is usually covered -- but then, so are shoulders, arms, legs, cleavage and bellies. Bellydancers draw attention to their feminine beauty -- that's why a lot of conservative Muslims believe bellydancing is equatable with prostitution, even if the dancer doesn't offer any other services.

Consider, too, that moves that showcase the hair are a HUGE part of Khaleegy dancing, from Saudi Arabia which is a WAY more conservative country than Egypt. It's perfectly legal for a woman in Egypt to leave her hair uncovered.

I wish I could find the clip I saw recently of Fifi playing with her hair. This dancer is Lebanese, but her hairplay is very similar to Fifi's -- especially that tendril-blow around 1:00 & 3:14!! That's signature Fifi and looks like a direct impersonation to me. I've also seen Fifi pick up the ends of her hair and just hold it all in the air over her head.

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9K3tOXG7Gos]YouTube - Lebanese Belly Dance - Dina Jamal[/ame]

I was wondering about this. I had an instructor tell me that touching your hair meant that you were available after the show. She seemed to work a lot of ME parties, so I believed her. But then I saw everyone touching her hair and was completely confused.

Originally Posted by Lauren_

Consider, too, that moves that showcase the hair are a HUGE part of Khaleegy dancing, from Saudi Arabia which is a WAY more conservative country than Egypt.

Yes, but they do these moves in the privacy of parties with only other women present. Also, the head-bobbing of Khaleegy dance is quite different from using your hands to fuss with your hair.

Originally Posted by Lauren_

It's perfectly legal for a woman in Egypt to leave her hair uncovered.

True, but you've been there. What % of the locals would you say actually do so?

This is my WORST habit -- and it stems from not putting my hair up in a bun when I practice. I get hot, and I lift it up on top of my head, but I find myself doing this many many times during one song. I know it probably looks like I'm deliberately messing with it, but I'm not. It's a habit I'm trying hard to break because personally I think it does look a bit too "come hither" and that's certainly not the image I want to foster.

Originally Posted by SuhaDeeb

Of course it's flirty; that in itself is not a bad thing. I think it looks bad when dancers do it as a 'move' and not a spontaneous gesture. It can look very contrived if over-done, especially those 'shampooing' motions.

Shampooing ..l;,..l;,

Thanks everyone! That has pretty much been my belief. I like the "shampooing" bit Thats hysterical!!!! I personally don't because my hair sticks to itself and then I have Bedhead for the rest of my show, not very attractive. I will relay this info to the poor unfortunate girl just to spread the love and all.
Andrea

Originally Posted by *Shira*

Yes, but they do these moves in the privacy of parties with only other women present. Also, the head-bobbing of Khaleegy dance is quite different from using your hands to fuss with your hair.

This is true.

True, but you've been there. What % of the locals would you say actually do so?

Good point -- its definitely the majority.

To be clear, I'm disagreeing that it's some kind of 'rule,' or not 'allowed' (like bellycovers and floorwork). I also don't believe that it's an actual signal of prostitution -- if it were, i don't believe Fifi and Mona would be doing it in televised shows or movies.

I don't disagree that it's a very sexy move, and probably even sexier to Arabs than it is to us. I don't disagree that doing it constantly might be a bit 'much.'

I think this is a case of the 'telephone' game. A famous teacher, maybe Morocco, states her opinion with a grain of humor (if it ain't for sale, don't touch it) not realizing that her earnest students might take note of the words but not the humor and those students carry back a slightly distorted message to their own students.

Sexy, yes. Too sexy when done a lot -- in most people's opinions yes (though I think Suhaila would disagree with us). Forbidden by Egyptian law or a deliberate signal of prostition? I suspect that's a misconception and would need evidence to be confinced otherwise.

I'm editing this post to take out the two Fifi clips with a tiny bit of hair lifting because I just found a great one! Watch the very end of this clip, after tehe 7:00 mark (although she does a little bit earlier, around 5:45, too).

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ne2k2AR9fg8"]YouTube - Fifi Abdo Egyptian Bellydancer[/ame]

Originally Posted by baadrobot

I personally don't because my hair sticks to itself and then I have Bedhead for the rest of my show, not very attractive.

Bingo! I think the fact that they're doing long shows rather than short numbers, combined with the importance of having lovely locks in Arab culture, accounts for why there's very little hairplay in Egyptian dance. (not to mention wiglets, weaves, and other bonus 'stage hair')

Um, Faten Salama does this All The Time. I don't mean she plays with her hair non-stop, but I've never seen her do a raqs sharqi set in which she did NOT pile it on top of her head or pull some side locks in front of her face at least a few times. This is generally done with eyes closed and an expression of sheer bliss. I can't imagine her messing with her hair while looking at one particular person -- that's what I would avoid in most situations, because I think that's what gives the gesture the look of an overt come-on. The touching itself isn't what's sending that message.

Faten is not a dancer who shies away from the sexy in performance. She brings to the stage all the elements of a life fully lived, and that absolutely includes sensuality. But I can't imagine anyone suggesting she's not eminently respectable, and she's certainly 100% Egyptian. She both considers our dance "art" AND sees no reason to sterilize it. I think sometimes we try to make it be one thing or the other, either artistic or passionate, but ideally it's both, isn't it? In any case, I trust her not to steer her students wrong.

Bingo to Lauren on the "telephone game!" It happens over and over again, doesn't it? In the rest of life too, of course, but particularly (it seems) in bellydance.

I was in a workshop with Sahra Saeeda a few years ago and someone asked her about hair-play and whether it would be considered "too sexy." She said something along the lines of if it's considered sexy in Western culture, then it would probably be considered sexy for most ME audiences and therefore something to be very careful about. I didn't interpret what she said as "don't do it," but rather "be mindful if you do when you're dancing for a particular audience."

I think that touching your hair is like a lot of other gestures--it can have the right effect if you do it at the right time, but too much and people are going to think you have lice or excema something.

<<oops>> double post. don't know how that happened.

i think it can be flirty and not flirty, i know my ex boyfriend thought it was sure as hell flirty, lol. but i've seen people do it, and they turn the flirt right on! and others do without so much intention. i think it can be both. but ill agree that when people do it most of the time it has a tendency to flirty

just noticed AmandaRose and I are both holding our hair in our profile photos. LOL!

Originally Posted by Tourbeau

I had a class with a dancer from Kuwait who would occasionally take a chunk of hair and draw it across her face, mimicking a veil. I don't see a lot of Western dancers doing this move, but I have seen other native dancers do it in videos.

This is one of my fave moves - combined with a shoulder roll (shoulder towards audience)! Always good for a chuckle!

I have to admit one thing that drives me crazy is when a dancer has a hunk of hair stuck to her face. I understand the importance of not breaking character during a performance, but it's distracting to the audience to know you can only see out of one eye after the last time you flipped your hair. Sometimes I think a little utilitarian hair touching improves the performance, particularly if it involves uncoupling your hairdo from your mascara!

Originally Posted by Lauren_

I don't disagree that doing it constantly might be a bit 'much.'

This was morocco's point. Ok in small doses but dont overdo it. As i said in my earlier message, it's like hot spice, a little goes a long way.

My native Egyptian instructor plays with her all the time in a performance or in class, but it's never excessive and does not seem "flirty" to me. Hey, sometimes I think her hair is just in her way! I really like it, but I think there's a way to overdo it to the point it could look sexual. Flirtatiousness isn't bad. Sensuality isn't bad. Everything in moderation...


BDF/KJ

Originally Posted by mysterywoman

This was morocco's point. Ok in small doses but dont overdo it. As i said in my earlier message, it's like hot spice, a little goes a long way.

Yes, that's what I was agreeing with.

Originally Posted by Zana

Um, Faten Salama does this All The Time. I don't mean she plays with her hair non-stop, but I've never seen her do a raqs sharqi set in which she did NOT pile it on top of her head or pull some side locks in front of her face at least a few times. This is generally done with eyes closed and an expression of sheer bliss. I can't imagine her messing with her hair while looking at one particular person -- that's what I would avoid in most situations, because I think that's what gives the gesture the look of an overt come-on. The touching itself isn't what's sending that message.

Faten is not a dancer who shies away from the sexy in performance. She brings to the stage all the elements of a life fully lived, and that absolutely includes sensuality. But I can't imagine anyone suggesting she's not eminently respectable, and she's certainly 100% Egyptian. She both considers our dance "art" AND sees no reason to sterilize it. I think sometimes we try to make it be one thing or the other, either artistic or passionate, but ideally it's both, isn't it? In any case, I trust her not to steer her students wrong.

Very well said, Zana! I feel the exact same way.


(Faten Salama was who I was speaking of in my previous post).



BDF/KJ

My first teacher told me, "If it's not for sale, don't touch it!". I have since found out that she was probably being a bit overly cautious on the subject.

The "shampooing" thing really bothers me when it's combined with a facial expression that suggests the dancer is having a Big O at the same time. ..l;,