Thread: A Lament? Trying Not to Whine...

The following is based on excerpts from (and has additions to) an email I recently shared with a couple of dancing friends. As usual, it's long.

I've been mulling over belly dancing in general for quite awhile and I've been, shall we say, unable to figure out the source of the vague -- and sometimes not so vague -- feelings of disappointment I've been having from attending belly dance events. This morning it finally became clear and I wanted to write to you about it.

My feelings of disappointment/disenchantment/however-I-can-describe-them seem to stem from the fact that I've been seeing very little "belly dancing" at belly dance events for quite some time.

For example, in my experiences over the past few years, fewer and fewer troupes actually belly dance to ME music. It's not the costuming; it's the music and how the "BD" movements are executed and presented.

Many of the Egyptian-style dancers seem to lack that "essence" that is so peculiar to Egyptian style. No beauty. Lots of tricky little locks, pops and other amazing hipwork and body stuff, but not so much dancing to the music. Has belly dancing really degenerated from a unique and beautiful dance into something more akin to acrobatics?

This is just stuff I've been contemplating for months now . . . maybe even years. I guess I just wanted to share my thoughts with you for some reason . . . maybe because I thought you'd understand.

And as I shared my thoughts with these friends, so I wanted to share these thoughts with you.

Belly dance, like all dance, evolves over time. It's not so much that I want BD to remain completely unchanged from a particular moment in time, I'm just concerned that even the Egyptian "essence" could be lost. Egyptian dancers, like dancers everywhere, can be (and have been) captivated by other dance forms and want to add some of that flair to their dance. My understanding is that a lot of Brazilian influence is coming into Egypt with such "oooooo, cool!" stuff that the Egyptians are becoming more and more "Latin," which isn't particularly beautiful (though fun) and completely lacks emotional attachment to music.

Maybe the good ol' "American Oriental" style with it's lively Turkish influence will make a comeback . . .

(continued)

Another "evolution" I see in BD is that many of the top dancers in the US are much more athletic, stronger and better trained than they ever were in the past. This is a wonderful thing -- it shows a serious commitment to dance that is often reserved for the more classic forms.

With this increased athleticism, I'm noticing more of something that I label acrobatics. Now, I'm not talking about the splits or backbends or that kind of thing. What I mean is the popping and locking and amazing hit-every-beat hip work and head circling and so on . . . It's all perfectly legitimate stuff for BD, but sometimes I wonder where the *dancing* is. A bit of swanning about, then pop-pop-pop-tick-tick-tick-tock-tock-tock-lock-lock-lock-shake-shake-shake-belly-belly-belly-run-to-the-next-spot-on-the-stage; repeat. Sure, I see a few hip drops here, a step-lift there, a figure 8 or two. And I see wonderful transitions, arm patterns and positioning, hand placement and all that stuff that makes for a wonderful presentation.

But I miss the dancing.

Deborah

But I miss the dancing.

WORD

Thanks...

Yep - is it a sport, or an art form?

Originally Posted by casbahdance

Another "evolution" I see in BD is that many of the top dancers in the US are much more athletic, stronger and better trained than they ever were in the past. This is a wonderful thing -- it shows a serious commitment to dance that is often reserved for the more classic forms.

With this increased athleticism, I'm noticing more of something that I label acrobatics. Now, I'm not talking about the splits or backbends or that kind of thing. What I mean is the popping and locking and amazing hit-every-beat hip work and head circling and so on . . . It's all perfectly legitimate stuff for BD, but sometimes I wonder where the *dancing* is. A bit of swanning about, then pop-pop-pop-tick-tick-tick-tock-tock-tock-lock-lock-lock-shake-shake-shake-belly-belly-belly-run-to-the-next-spot-on-the-stage; repeat. Sure, I see a few hip drops here, a step-lift there, a figure 8 or two. And I see wonderful transitions, arm patterns and positioning, hand placement and all that stuff that makes for a wonderful presentation.

But I miss the dancing.

Deborah

Don't miss the dancing, DO the dancing. I do it, several times a week. :)

Originally Posted by tamrahennatx

Don't miss the dancing, DO the dancing. I do it, several times a week. :)

You smart girl, you. Yes, I'll actually be dancing this Sunday at a hafla. And I'm doin' Old Skool Amurrican, to boot.

Thanks . . .

Deborah

Originally Posted by tamrahennatx

Don't miss the dancing, DO the dancing. I do it, several times a week. :)

I do it a few times a month! I recently saw a performance by 20-something Maia Alexandra in the "old-skool" American cabaret style. She nailed it! She had the look, the energy, the floor work, the zills. Very cool. And she taught a workshop in the style.

American cabaret still lives, and so does juicy Egyptian style and hot Spanish-Arabic fusion in our neck of the woods.

But I know what you mean. It seems like there is something lost and something gained in the high-technique, wham-bam style that is fostered by some of the big competitions, the BDSS, on DVDs, etc. People want to stand out from the crowd, so they push things.

I heard something great and I am going to take it to heart for my performances: Make it your mission to connect with the people, and to inspire them. I like that. Sometimes I feel like that connection and emotional expression are missing from some of the modern styles.

My studio director certainly keeps the dancing alive as best as she can. She came up dancing through the 70s and 80s. She trains us not only in M.E. dance style, but with a foundation in ballet. She laments the belly rolls and flutters as "parlor tricks". I can't say that I disagree.

This drives me crazy as well - the tricks and the gimmicks are fine, but when they become the entirety of the dance, not only is the dance lost, but the gimmicks lose their effect as well!

Originally Posted by dunyah

is something lost and something gained in the high-technique, wham-bam style that is fostered by some of the big competitions, the BDSS, on DVDs, etc. People want to stand out from the crowd, so they push things.

Seriously, when I think of standout performances I've seen recently, they've all involved solo artists doing their thing, enjoying themselves, and feeling the music. No circus tricks, no mega-troupes, no choreography or props - just elegantly beautiful simplicity. And this holds true of Egyptian, cabaret, tribal...any style.

Sometimes, I wonder if we're finally reaching Superstars Burnout. For me, it couldn't come soon enough!

Originally Posted by RiaLucia

She laments the belly rolls and flutters as "parlor tricks". I can't say that I disagree.

See, I'd have to agree to disagree with this, as long as abdominal work is used as an accent rather than a "main feature." Delilah's a great example of a dancer who uses abdominal articulations tastefully and expressively, rather than rolling quarters or any of that stuff.

But too much of a good thing never looks attractive!

....

I totally completely 100% agree with the OP email in question.
In fact I dread dancing at cairo caravan this year because it will all be fusion and very little ME music at all.
Since I will be one of the few egyptian style dancers I will do a beledi number just like I always do. That sad thing is that I am usually the only one. Where are all the other belly dancers?!

Originally Posted by eshtabellydance

I totally completely 100% agree with the OP email in question.
In fact I dread dancing at cairo caravan this year because it will all be fusion and very little ME music at all.
Since I will be one of the few egyptian style dancers I will do a beledi number just like I always do. That sad thing is that I am usually the only one. Where are all the other belly dancers?!

I'm with ya, Eshta!

I'll be rockin' (I hope I'm rockin'!) old-timey "American" style with music, zills, veil and retro-feel costuming at Cairo Caravan this year.

Belly dancers unite!

We don't have to unite behind a particular style, we just need to unite behind belly dancing.

Deborah

Originally Posted by SatinWorship19

See, I'd have to agree to disagree with this, as long as abdominal work is used as an accent rather than a "main feature."

I'm with you, too, Satin. The pops and locks and ticks and tocks and belly and all that are legitimate to modern BD, it just seems to have come to dominate so many dancers' stage performances that the dancing gets lost.

Deborah

[quote=dollydaydream;610520]

Originally Posted by casbahdance

Many of the Egyptian-style dancers seem to lack that "essence" that is so peculiar to Egyptian style. No beauty. Lots of tricky little locks, pops and other amazing hipwork and body stuff, but not so much dancing to the music. Has belly dancing really degenerated from a unique and beautiful dance into something more akin to acrobatics?

Interesting topic!

Do you think dancers lack that 'essense' because maybe dancers are not taught it from thier teachers? Maybe not enough teachers really understand how to interpret the dance musicaly (and emotionally?) So therefore it makes it easier to dance to non ME music rather than an Egyptian/ME classic?
Maybe it plays a part? Thats my thoughts!

I really don't have an answer for you, Dolly. I do the Egyptian style, but it certainly is very "americanized" in it's presentation. The movement vocabulary is there -- along with good musical interpretation -- which is, of course, part of the "essence," but it's so much more than that: it's how the movement is done, the posture, the arm and hand carriage . . . it is very difficult to describe, but I know it when I see it!

I'm not so sure that the "essence" of the Egyptian style can be really taught; I think it has to be felt in the music. I think people can learn to understand music better and be shown good interpretation, but I really think that "certain something" must ultimately come from somewhere inside.

Re teachers using non-ME music in classes: I think using music other than ME music can play a part in students not knowing how to dance to ME music. If you don't hear it, how are you ever going to know what it sounds like and how to anticipate what happens next? If you don't see dance to ME music, how can you know how to dance to it?

I'm kind of wondering if we're shooting ourselves in our own collective foot when we don't emphasize ME music in classes, especially beginner classes and choreographies.

Deborah

I don't shoot myself in the foot! I quiz my students on classical ME songs.

Originally Posted by eshtabellydance

I don't shoot myself in the foot! I quiz my students on classical ME songs.

Of course you don't!

Quizzing your students . . . man, you are a stinker (in the best way possible, of course)! I'd probably flunk. ..c:: Most songs I know by sound, not by title; and that's true across all genres of music, not just ME. .w.:

Deborah

Norma just posted a fabulous link in a thread on this board entitled: Tarab and the Importance of the Audience in Arabic Music. (Sorry I couldn't put the link here; I'm a complete ignoramus when it comes to this kind of stuff)

Written from a musicians point of view, it is extremely valuble for dancers of ME music and very germane to our discussion here.

Check it out.

Deborah

Originally Posted by casbahdance

Re teachers using non-ME music in classes: I think using music other than ME music can play a part in students not knowing how to dance to ME music. If you don't hear it, how are you ever going to know what it sounds like and how to anticipate what happens next? If you don't see dance to ME music, how can you know how to dance to it?

I'm kind of wondering if we're shooting ourselves in our own collective foot when we don't emphasize ME music in classes, especially beginner classes and choreographies.

My impression is that teachers who don't use ME music don't tend to particularly like or understand it themselves. It's quite reasonable to say that a newbie student is not going to be able to assimilate the full artistic impact of the high Tarab style, but a teacher who avoids using ME music as a habit is indicative of a more serious problem--either she's missing some critical tool in her own arsenal, or she's failing to recruit students who are capable of comprehending that ME dancing is supposed to be done to ME music.

I get it. Not everybody has the time or inclination to spend hundreds and hundreds of hours listening to classical Arabic music in an effort to train their ears to understand and appreciate it. Even when they do, there's no guarantee that they'll enjoy it. Not every Italian opera fan loves Verdi, and personal taste is still a valid reason to not like a song/singer/composer.

Still, I don't see why more teachers don't opt for the obvious alternative, ME pop music. Their contemporary pop music is performed in a manner that is clearly reminiscent of traditional singing styles, and it uses the same rhythmic structures in more simplistic, repetitive patterns. In other words, it is exotic without being overwhelming to foreign ears. ME pop gives you the training wheels for learning to appreciate more complex music, so why not use that instead of unrelated Western music?

I just play ME music all the time, discuss the styles, quiz them on the classics, hand then lists of youtube videos to watch and songs to download. We have a video night where we watch old stars and new stuff and basically that weeds out all the shakira wannabes and leaves me with a strong core of good students who respect what's going on.
I think what makes the difference is talking about the good as well as the bad. Sometimes I show them videos of a dancer I think is bad or some messy fusion disaster and then follow it by some awesome dancer and I don't say anything I just ask them what they think. You'd be surprised what they pick up on. They often go to shows and festivals on their own and boy do they have opinions! I think if you push them in the right direction to start and then encourage discussion your students with create their own styles and opinions while having a solid base to draw from. Make sense? Cause in my class after a year or so you had better know the difference between beledi and classical and the history of the dance in Egypt as well as being able to tell the difference between aziza and daret el ayam. Otherwise what the hell am I doing teaching class?

Sometimes, I wonder if part of the problem is teachers who rely too heavily on choreography and neglect improvisational skills. I'm not a teacher, myself, but I wonder how students can truly become expressive, intuitive and original if all they're learning is another person's choreography.

Don't get me wrong, we all have to learn how to string together the basics somewhere, and choreo can be an awesome learning tool at all stages in a dancer's education. But at some point, we all have to cultivate our own performance style and our own internal relationship to the music. Otherwise, it all boils down to a series of "tricks" and "moves," rather than dancing.

I think part of the problem with the lack of appreciation of Middle Eastern music is that there are second- and third-generation dancers now who have learned from teachers who use only non-M.E. music. I mean "generations" of teachers, i.e. so-and-so learned from Dancer A, who learned from Dancer B, who was a protege of Dancer C. This happens mostly in the world of Tribal and Tribal Fusion.

I try to keep an open mind and view the performances to non-Middle Eastern music fairly, and to appreciate the skill that goes into some of it, but I seem to be hard-wired to love actual belly dancing and to be bored with non-belly-dance "belly dancing," if you know what I mean. I can't seem to help it, that's just how I respond to it.

But even dancers using M.E. music leave me cold if they seem to be all about "look at me, look what I can do" rather than aiming to connect with and inspire their audience. I am a connoisseur of the quality of the energy and the emotion that is being projected, I guess. It can mean much more to me than an expensive costume and technical skill.

I completely agree with everything you said in your original post.

Originally Posted by casbahdance

Many of the Egyptian-style dancers seem to lack that "essence" that is so peculiar to Egyptian style. No beauty. Lots of tricky little locks, pops and other amazing hipwork and body stuff, but not so much dancing to the music. Has belly dancing really degenerated from a unique and beautiful dance into something more akin to acrobatics?

I think one of the problems here is Suhaila and her certification program - she puts a lot of emphasis on stuff that isn't Middle Eastern at all, such as doing snake arms with undulations with pas de bourree, or such as doing much more layering than you'd see a dancer doing in the Middle East, etc. Her glute stuff isn't Middle Eastern. She requires being able to do the splits in order to pass one of her level exams, which are more of a "novelty" move rather than an essential one among dancers in the Middle East. And so on.

Another issue is the popularity of hiphop with its popping and locking. Hip hop is in fashion right now, which makes people want to stick it into belly dancing. But hiphop is an aggressive in-your-face dance, where you throw all your energy SPLAT at the audience, whereas the energy of belly dancing is much more controlled.

Originally Posted by SatinWorship19

Sometimes, I wonder if part of the problem is teachers who rely too heavily on choreography and neglect improvisational skills. I'm not a teacher, myself, but I wonder how students can truly become expressive, intuitive and original if all they're learning is another person's choreography.

Don't get me wrong, we all have to learn how to string together the basics somewhere, and choreo can be an awesome learning tool at all stages in a dancer's education. But at some point, we all have to cultivate our own performance style and our own internal relationship to the music. Otherwise, it all boils down to a series of "tricks" and "moves," rather than dancing.

Totally completely agree.
I make my girls do improv sessions also. It really drives them crazy. It is the most nerve wracking thing for them to do. They each get 1 minute and they all get the same song and have to improv using a specific style.
Last year I was asked to teach a workshop and perform as the featured guest at the show that evening. I was the ONLY dancer that used ME music and the only one in a pro costume. They looked at me like I was nuts.
Some of these "belly dancers" who had supposedly been "dancing for years" had never encountered a drum solo or taxim. They seemed really uncomfortable with my performance. I was lost in tribal fusion gypsy hip hop land with no lifeboat. It was really strange.
There were over 10 performers at this event. Very very weird for me.

I still dance, too! ..g.: And I teach my students rhythms, improv, all of that. However, I sometimes worry that my lack of doing the described pop-lock-etc is making me seem too old fashioned.

Originally Posted by BreaMorgiane

I still dance, too! ..g.: And I teach my students rhythms, improv, all of that. However, I sometimes worry that my lack of doing the described pop-lock-etc is making me seem too old fashioned.

I refuse to make myself feel old-fashioned for not popping and locking to robots farting. I do, however, wonder if prospects view me as less-than-marketable because I don't do hula, eat fire, or perform in any sort of flashy, tightly choreographed BDSS-style mega-troupe or duo...,f::

I guess I've gotten a few too many calls from nightclubs to provide a gaggle of poi-spinning, glass-eating, snake charming glamazons....it's just making me wonder.

I think sometimes it gets lost in translation that bellydance is 'just' DANCE. I'm always telling friends of mine who didn't learn improv that it's just like dancing to anything else, just with different movements. You hear the music, you want to move, so you do - simple as that!

I'm going to have a go at this as well. It seems that more dancers today are relying on the drum solo as the main part of their performance (don't get me wrong, I know there are some folks who still do an entire show) and this is why it seems so disconnected from the Egyptian style I think you are refering to. Drum solos take alot of choreography and that leaves little to zero room for personal interpretation.

Also, as mentioned above the over use of choreography in general. I'm not saying it's bad b/c it can be helpful and beautiful BUT there has to be a line for a dancer to see and not cross it. She must no when to let HERSELF take control of the dance and when to inject choreography. With that said, I take into consideration the scene in Egypt right now where everyone is PAYING for choreography by Randa, Raqia, Khaled, etc...... It's the "THING" right now. Hopefully, it will change back to the days when a dancer just got on stage and danced to the music the orchestra played for her. Crosses fingers!!