Thread: Struggling with Dance Name

I originally started dancing under my own name, which is reasonably exotic, though not exactly middle eastern. Once I adopted a stage name, I felt much more secure in my private life. When someone called and asked for Shanazel, I knew right away the person was looking for a dancer, and it gave me some advance warning of how to deal with the call.

I chose mine, Mahisti, because it sounded the most like my real name, Misty. I figured it would make my life easier if it sounded familiar to my ear.

Later I discovered that it meant either "poet" or "daughter of the moon" (depending on which culture's language I chose to say it comes from) and those were both lovely, so I was doubly happy.

[QUOTE=bul_bul_ksa;9591]Outi is absolutely spot on, in the Gulf the women go by 'Om <insert name of first boy>' and it would be rare to hear the name of a man's wife...very, very rare...it just isn't done at all. Even say you were in a shop and a husband wanted to get his wife's attention you'd never hear him calling out 'hey, Miriam!' or even 'Om <name>'.

I know quite a few men by 'Abu <name>' but these were not men I knew from a business sense...they are men that I know in a friendly manner.

...........

Om (or Umm) means mother, and Ab means father. Abu means father of...
This is the reason why you won't meet any Abus, but you will meat Abu Mohammed, etc. That man is simply named Mohammed's Father after the boy is born, etc.

Marianna

Originally Posted by ChristinaRizkallah

Your middle name Eva is beautiful and unusual. I have a cousin whose first name is Eva. If you want a dance name, incorporate that name into it. If you want to use "Amar" use "Amara" instead as that is more grammatically correct.

"Amar" is the masculine form; "Amara" is the feminine form. I know there are dancers out there like Amar Gamal, but they are using their names incorrectly (no one has told them that!). Her correct name would be Amara Gamila which is the feminine form.

So your stage name can be Eva Amara. That sounds pretty.

Amar/amara means moon in Arabic. In the Egyptian culture if you want to complete someone you tell them they look like the moon. Amaraine (like the song by Amr Diab) means two moons which is like basically telling someone they are really, really pretty!

The only reason why I know this is because I am Egyptian, if you have any questions, let me know.

Take some other dancers, Fahteim, for example, her name should be "Fahteima/Fatima," she is calling herself by a man's name!

Hi, Christina! :)

So, a male would have the surname (last name) "Amar" and a female in the same family would have the surname "Amara"?

Also, how would "Eva" be pronounced phonetically in Egypt? Is the "E" a short vowel like in "ever" or a long vowel like in "erase"?

Thanks!
Paula

No, this has nothing to do with last names and first names. This example is just about the feminine form of a word and the masculine form of the same word. Its confusing becuase in America, we don't have the distinction between male and female forms in grammar. Also, regarding "Eva" it would just be pronounced however way you tell them because its not a Middle Eastern name.

Originally Posted by gotraqs

Hi, Christina! :)

So, a male would have the surname (last name) "Amar" and a female in the same family would have the surname "Amara"?

Also, how would "Eva" be pronounced phonetically in Egypt? Is the "E" a short vowel like in "ever" or a long vowel like in "erase"?

Thanks!
Paula

Originally Posted by ChristinaRizkallah

No, this has nothing to do with last names and first names. This example is just about the feminine form of a word and the masculine form of the same word. Its confusing becuase in America, we don't have the distinction between male and female forms in grammar. Also, regarding "Eva" it would just be pronounced however way you tell them because its not a Middle Eastern name.

Thanks for your reply. :)

I'm still confused though. Would a woman have the surname (last name) "Amar" or "Amara"? Or does it matter?

the middle eastern version of Eva is Havva (turkish) and 7awa in arabic... if that helps.

In the middle East, you will have whatever family name as the last name. But if you creating an "artifical" name, you would use amara. So for your purposes, if you would be Eva Amara. I hope this helps clarify!

Originally Posted by gotraqs

Thanks for your reply. :)

I'm still confused though. Would a woman have the surname (last name) "Amar" or "Amara"? Or does it matter?

I had a Persian student named Ava (pronounced Ahvah)...

Just a thought... a little twist on Eva. ;)