Thread: Sombati/ Sumbati Ghawazee and Modern Ghawazee?

Sombati/ Sumbati Ghawazee? I think I've posted about this a while back. I'm interested in knowing more about this style. Anyone know about this style?

Also, I'm interested in Aida Nour's style of Ghawazee. I consider her style more of a modern Ghawazee. Anyone have opinion on her style or have been to one of her Ghawazee workshops? I'm a big fan of Aida Nours and like her Ghawazee workshop videos.

Thank you!
Tammy

Anyone? .........
Anyone?

I'm going to Habiba's Total Ghawazee workshop this weekend, so I'll ask her about it.

I was watching Aisha Ali's performance dvd #1, where she has Sombati and Banat Mazin Ghawazee performances. The two look like very different styles to me, although in the notes, she calls the Sombati style "Awalem" style, saying that even though the Awalem were a specific group of performers, eventually the area Ghawazee started calling themselves Awalem, and the terms became interchangeable.

Sombati Ghawazee might do the chair-in-the-teeth dance, but the Banat Mazin don't. Actually Banat Mazin dance seems to consist of about 6 different steps. Sombati seems to use a larger movement vocabulary, and from Aisha's performance, looks MUCH closer to Raqs Sharqi.

Was there not a series on Gilded Serpent being reprinted (Or reissued) about the Sombati Ghawazee?

Here's a link to the first part of Edwina Nearing's articles on the Banat Mazin:
http://www.gildedserpent.com/article...ghawazich1.htm

Originally Posted by aziyade

I'm going to Habiba's Total Ghawazee workshop this weekend, so I'll ask her about it.

I was watching Aisha Ali's performance dvd #1, where she has Sombati and Banat Mazin Ghawazee performances. The two look like very different styles to me, although in the notes, she calls the Sombati style "Awalem" style, saying that even though the Awalem were a specific group of performers, eventually the area Ghawazee started calling themselves Awalem, and the terms became interchangeable.

Sombati Ghawazee might do the chair-in-the-teeth dance, but the Banat Mazin don't. Actually Banat Mazin dance seems to consist of about 6 different steps. Sombati seems to use a larger movement vocabulary, and from Aisha's performance, looks MUCH closer to Raqs Sharqi.

Was there not a series on Gilded Serpent being reprinted (Or reissued) about the Sombati Ghawazee?

Here's a link to the first part of Edwina Nearing's articles on the Banat Mazin:
Sirat Al-Ghawazi by Edwina Nearing for the Gilded Serpent

Ooh! You'll love Habiba's workshop. Please tell her that Latifa says hi!

LOVED IT!!!!!

by the way -- go to her website. All her articles are available there as pdf files.

K, I asked about other styles of Ghawazee and she said when she was there, the Mazin family were the only people actually TEACHING Ghawazee then. While she agrees there were probably lots of regional or family differences, she was only exposed to Banat Mazin style, and so that's all she could comment on.

I suppose the person to ask would be Aisha Ali or Aida Nour herself!

Originally Posted by Tammyraks

Sombati/ Sumbati Ghawazee? I think I've posted about this a while back. I'm interested in knowing more about this style. Anyone know about this style?

Also, I'm interested in Aida Nour's style of Ghawazee. I consider her style more of a modern Ghawazee. Anyone have opinion on her style or have been to one of her Ghawazee workshops? I'm a big fan of Aida Nours and like her Ghawazee workshop videos.

Thank you!
Tammy

The guy you want is Dr Hassan Khalil (Cairo) he studied, and no doubt adapted to a point, the dances of the last Sombati Ghawazee.

As for Aida, who I adore, I would be wary of learning a 'style' simply from a choreography workshop of the same name. I've seen Aida misname workshops before because there is an expectation of a label for the 'dance'.

Thanks everyone for your input..g.: !
Tammy

from my understanding there are a few main gawazee families that are reknown for their dancing - the Mazins' being one and the Sombati being another. The stylistic differences come from family traditions rather than being different styles per say. Reda gawazee is more based on Sombati rather than Mazin style. Correct me if Im wrong.

Originally Posted by david

Reda gawazee is more based on Sombati rather than Mazin style. Correct me if Im wrong.

According to my interview with Mahmoud Reda, he never used Ghawazee at all in any of his dances. I explicitly asked him about that. Maybe you're thinking of Kawmiyya?

It is correct that there is a Mazin family, however, Sombati or Soumbati is named after the city Sombat a bit noth of Cairo.

I just forgot: Some people told me that the style mainly differs because Sombati has more "sexy" moves and also includes things like balancing and floor work. When Mazin Style is more decent (according to Egyptian understanding).

Originally Posted by *Shira*

According to my interview with Mahmoud Reda, he never used Ghawazee at all in any of his dances. I explicitly asked him about that. Maybe you're thinking of Kawmiyya?

And Kawamiya was definitely Mazin

aaah, that helps :D What you learn on Bhuz! :)

Edited to add: Reyhan! I am a huge fan of yours!

Originally Posted by NandaDncer

And Kawamiya was definitely Mazin

When the Firqa Qawmiya performed here a couple of weeks ago, they were using the characteristic Maazin shimmy-with-a-stomp. Except for that, I didn't see much that looked ghawazee in their ghawazee dance.

Originally Posted by bintbeled

When the Firqa Qawmiya performed here a couple of weeks ago, they were using the characteristic Maazin shimmy-with-a-stomp. Except for that, I didn't see much that looked ghawazee in their ghawazee dance.

Thanks for that, could you expand on your review by any chance?.

I doubt that they would have retained the Ghawazee stylings from 40+ years ago and I don't actually know about on-going folk dance input into the Egyptian folkloric troupes... anyone? Are they adapting from their older, existing repertoire or are they faithfully reproducing the same works from decades ago?

Denise Enan remains pretty true to the original material they adapted from and her husband has lots of footage of the folk dances the troupe used to create their choreos when starting up. Have you done any work with her?

Originally Posted by NandaDncer

Thanks for that, could you expand on your review by any chance?.

I doubt that they would have retained the Ghawazee stylings from 40+ years ago and I don't actually know about on-going folk dance input into the Egyptian folkloric troupes... anyone? Are they adapting from their older, existing repertoire or are they faithfully reproducing the same works from decades ago?

Denise Enan remains pretty true to the original material they adapted from and her husband has lots of footage of the folk dances the troupe used to create their choreos when starting up. Have you done any work with her?

Busy preparing for a troupe show tonight, and a press interview tomorrow, but will try to write at least a short blurb about the show and list the dances.

All of my ghawazee experience is with the Maazins and with others (like Habiba of Philly) who have studied with them. When I saw Khairiyya Maazin dance this summer, her style was still the same. So that's where I'm coming from with ghawazee. (And -- brief commercial announcement -- I'll be teaching an intro to it in December as part of my "Egyptian Folkloric Sampler" workshop.)

But I really don't know much about the Qawmiyya troupe, and I haven't encountered Denise Enan. I will say that the stage show was tons better than the old video I have of their dances -- the one done with many props and "artistic" camera angles.

I remember Denise saying that when she was training with the troupe (way way back, obviously) one of the Maazins came and taught them But according to her, the ghawazee today don't do anything like as many "steps" as they did back then. I have no idea whether this is true or not.

Bintbeled, Denise Enan is supercool and if you get a chance to study with her, do! She is simply lovely - a truly sweet pleasant woman - and I enjoyed her teaching and her stories about her dance study back then very much.

Originally Posted by zumarrad

I remember Denise saying that when she was training with the troupe (way way back, obviously) one of the Maazins came and taught them But according to her, the ghawazee today don't do anything like as many "steps" as they did back then. I have no idea whether this is true or not.

Bintbeled, Denise Enan is supercool and if you get a chance to study with her, do! She is simply lovely - a truly sweet pleasant woman - and I enjoyed her teaching and her stories about her dance study back then very much.

I have heard nothing but good things about Denise. Hope our paths cross at some point!

Originally Posted by NandaDncer

As for Aida, who I adore, I would be wary of learning a 'style' simply from a choreography workshop of the same name. I've seen Aida misname workshops before because there is an expectation of a label for the 'dance'.

Ditto - I later found out the "modern ghawazee" she taught us some years back is to a Lebanese number - no wonder she was vague about why this was ghawazee music!! Also, compared to Denise Enan (say) there was little in her choreo that was any type of ghawazee Still, I love her own dance style - I've just learnt not to expect too much folkloric knowledge from her. Just watch and absorb the transitions and flavour.

Originally Posted by NandaDncer

Denise Enan remains pretty true to the original material they adapted from and her husband has lots of footage of the folk dances the troupe used to create their choreos when starting up. Have you done any work with her?

Maria showed Denise some Firqa Qawmiya footage as a "treat" back in 1998 - and I rememmber her shaking her head sadly and pointing out all the "errors" that had crept in over the years.

Denise also commented when she was here in 2004 that the ghawazee that she observed in the 60s had a much wider range of movement than either the Mazin dancers - or what is currently being taught as "ghawazee".

I understand that a lot of the original footage has been "lost" - which is also a great pity...cr.: