Thread: Gestures: Favourites, Meanings, Offensiveness Quotient

I checked the threads and didn't come up with this in the search so here goes...

1) What are some of your favourite dance gestures and their meanings (if any). Example: I learned the "grinding pepper" one at a Mahmoud Reda workshop. I forgot its meaning...

2) Also, I'd like to know what are considered offensive. Example: not having anything to do with dance, I heard somewhere that the "A-OK" hand gesture in the U.S. means flaming A**hole in Latin American countries?? Please dispel or confirm this translation, anybody...

Somebody had also asked me if dancing with palms out was rude in Arab cultures. I wasn't sure.

It's collection time! I might get rid of costumes, but I want a library of gestures!

One of my favourite is the cutesy girl holding her face in her hands...

OH MY GOD! i had this long, helpful post about Turkish dancing and the gestures that depicted their homelife (where the Pepper Grind came from) and Bhuz ate it! How frustrating! I'm at work and don't have time to rethink and retype it. What is going on with Bhuz lately? It's seems to be sick this week.

Originally Posted by Azhia

Example: not having anything to do with dance, I heard somewhere that the "A-OK" hand gesture in the U.S. means flaming A**hole in Latin American countries?? Please dispel or confirm this translation, anybody...

Somebody had also asked me if dancing with palms out was rude in Arab cultures. I wasn't sure.

I never heard that about the A-Ok gesture - but that's good to know!
I've heard that the palms outward is rude.
Also, showing the sole of your foot is rude. When I was in Turkey I knelt down on one knee to write a travelers check and then I realized I was showing the sole of my foot to one of the shopkeepers. I apologized and re-arranged myself. He said don't worry, most Americans don't know it's rude and most Turks know most Americans don't know that.
So, it's good to know what gestures mean!

grinding fist into palm - you're dust
circle over head - blessing
palm down fingers beckoning - come here
flick hand under chin - not here, there isn't any
tilting head up - No
salute - a greeting in Egypt (salam alaikoum) - but in Gulf they put palm to chest
throwing your meleya on the ground - time to fight

Yes, showing the palms of the hand - and more so the soles of feet is rude

Pointing at something with your foot is considered very rude, too.

More dance ones....

Holding the spot below your left breast is your heart, no?

Originally Posted by Azhia

More dance ones....

Holding the spot below your left breast is your heart, no?

The liver I believe, the seat of all passion...

The fist grinding into the palm was explained to me as a bit of a flirty "eat your heart out." The hand at the temple - oh woe is me. The hand flick towards the audience - c'mon get clapping.

Originally Posted by Azhia

1) What are some of your favourite dance gestures and their meanings (if any). Example: I learned the "grinding pepper" one at a Mahmoud Reda workshop. I forgot its meaning...

Wasn't that Faten Salama? She had shown us that hand gesture (one palm open, the other hand in a fist making a circular motion in the open palm) - her explanation, from what I recall, was something like "eat your heart out" - something about how when you are with someone, everyone else better keep away.

Tiny little verticle hip circle, Right side - I'm a woman. I'll take care of this.

{{{HUGS}}}

Originally Posted by CFerhat

The liver I believe, the seat of all passion...

I believe I've heard the same thing...

...because the heart can lie and be fickle, but the liver is true/more visceral. (bleh! ,r:; )

Oh, okay so it is actually the liver/spleen that they're gesturing towards, not the heart. MMhm!

Shadowing hand over eyes("from the sun")and looking at someone:
"You´re so small I can hardly see you."
On stage,the same(from stage lights:
"Who is out there?"
Pursing your mouth on the side:
"You´re telling me lies"-or too high price-false compliments-crap talk-
(baladi,like taking off your shoe and hitting someone when angry)

Side note because this is often confusing to foreigners,and Sicilians and Turks do this as well as in Albania(and some parts of Greece?)
Shaking head=Yes
Nodding upwards=No

Waving with palm upwards=Go away!(insulting)
Waving downwards towards oneself(clawing)=Come!

I learned a gesture once where you point the tip of your index finger into your cheek, but I can't remember what it means -- I think it was supposed to be kind of an "isn't she cute" thing, but I'm not sure. Anybody know this one?

Originally Posted by CFerhat

The liver I believe, the seat of all passion...

I Love this one... my favourite!

The liver because the heart is so fickle. And really with the sort of passion Egyptian people live their lives with I can see why. They will give their hearts away freely and completely... but when it's true love it's well intrenched in the liver ..l;,

Originally Posted by JeanneLF

I learned a gesture once where you point the tip of your index finger into your cheek, but I can't remember what it means -- I think it was supposed to be kind of an "isn't she cute" thing, but I'm not sure. Anybody know this one?

The fat on the cheek is good - definitely a positive gesture. Something like I'm like a nice plump cheek - really nice.

I have this reference, taken on Kharis's site:
Pretty good informations....
arabic gestures

Originally Posted by carolabrie

I have this reference, taken on Kharis's site:
Pretty good informations....
arabic gestures

Merci de l'information!

Ooh, handy. *bookmarks*

The gesture of placing the right hand or its forefinger on the tip of the nose ... has the meaning of "it’s in front of me, I see it or it’s on my head to accomplish." Another meaning is "it’s my obligation."

Is that what Dina's doing when she does that thing, do you think?

the gesture "no" may often be done by tilting the head backward, raising eyebrows, jutting out the chin

LOL whereas in my family that essentially means "yes, can I help you?" We're all heinous pointers as well.

Flicking the right thumbnail on front teeth can be translated to mean "I have no money" or "I have only a little."

In Maori culture that basically means "my ancestors ate your ancestors, har har har loser".

De rien Azhia!

Holding up your hair vertically is considered seductive. In Egypt, holding it up too long implies you want to have sexual relations, or something to that extent! I learned this from one of my dance instructors a long time ago. One of the first ones I learned. Not sure what it means in other cultures, but if it has to do with hair, most likely seductive.

The supposedly overtly-sexual message (in contrast to mere sexiness) of hands-in-the-hair always cracks me up because the Egyptians I know, and particularly Faten, mess with their hair all the time in performance. Pile it up, play with it, swoosh it across their faces, cover their faces with both hair and hands -- anything for the big dramatic effect. So I'd argue that perhaps this one isn't quite as hard and fast a rule as some teachers make it out to be.

Same goes for the "Lebanese headache," actually. I know some people insist that putting your hand to your forehead means you're for rent or looking for sex, but I don't buy it. What you're doing with your face while you're gesturing with your hand (or any other body part) makes a huge difference, doesn't it?

Obviously I'm not talking about the unambiguously rude gestures like showing the soles of your feet or raising your middle finger toward your palm -- just the more subjective "good girls don't" rules that are so often cited as absolutes.

It's interesting too because perhaps when you play with your hair and it signifies "want to have sex", it doesn't necessarily also signify "with you, personally, Abdul". I mean, lots of BDers in the ME are married, aren't they? Feeling lusty is no big deal over there, just so long as it's for your spouse.

I always remember my supervisor telling me that a BDer might get asked out by men, but you never hear of one being attacked and raped. This despite her flagrant sexual display in a culture where women are supposed to be responsible for male sexual response (and therefore, the poor boys cannot be blamed if they become inflaaaamed with desire and attack). Of course you probably have tons of examples of date rape, but then again, perhaps not. It seems that belly dancers can sometimes get away with a LOT.

Originally Posted by Zana

Same goes for the "Lebanese headache," actually. I know some people insist that putting your hand to your forehead means you're for rent or looking for sex, but I don't buy it.

If it's Egyptian it could also be just a greeting.

Here is a post on this subject from the old Bhuz:
Bhuz Forum - Hand gestures?

:)

But isn't the liver on the right side of the ribcage, and the stomach on the left?

Originally Posted by Lauren_

But isn't the liver on the right side of the ribcage, and the stomach on the left?

One of my students who was a nurse had determined that it was actually the spleen on the left if my memory serves me correctly...

Unsure of anatomy...

Thing is, it doesn't actually matter whether it's really the spleen or the stomach or the brain for that matter. People still wear wedding rings on the third finger of their left hand EVEN THOUGH there isn't actually a direct connection with the heart. It's cultural.

*smashes the Clinic*

Originally Posted by zumarrad

Thing is, it doesn't actually matter whether it's really the spleen or the stomach or the brain for that matter. People still wear wedding rings on the third finger of their left hand EVEN THOUGH there isn't actually a direct connection with the heart. It's cultural.

*smashes the Clinic*

While we're talking about cultural differences: in Germany and Austria, the wedding ring is worn on the right hand, and the way I know it, the same ring is worn as the engagement ring on the left hand and then switched to the right. And, of course, I should know why that is, and I don't!

Originally Posted by Lauren_

But isn't the liver on the right side of the ribcage, and the stomach on the left?

You would be correct. I take medical classes, and that what the book told me. ..l;, So I'm a little confused... ..c::