Belly Dance Traditions & StylesFrom traditional folk to modern performance, there is a lot ot discuss regarding the characteristics of Middle Eastern dances.
The first time I saw a Melaya Leff performance was in the 90's when Amina Goodyear sponsored Nadia Hamdi in a series of workshops in San Francisco.The first time the audience at the show saw Nadia dance with a melaya, many were horrified. They'd never seen such a thing! (Although I must admit that I think they found her gum-chewing the most upsetting.)
Now it seems like lots of people are doing melaya dances. Was it a specific workshop? Performances on YouTube? That the costumes got a lot cuter?
Mahmoud Reda created a character dance back in the 1960/70s (shira can probably give you a more specific timing) and that's where Melaya Leff started out as a dance.
We at times are on a severe time lag when it comes to certain traits, fashions and trends - even styles of dance - coming over the pond to the US.
Of course Mahmoud Reda would never approve of gum chewing when performing this dance. He got on Sahra for doing that.
I think the more we go to Egypt and the more the Egyptians come here to teach, the more we have learned some of the folkoric dances of Egypt and those created by Mahmoud Reda and that is why we see more these days.
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Re: When did Melaya Leff get so popular?
Reda's dance was created in the late 50s I think.
It's my understanding that interest in modern Egyptian belly dancing really kicked off in the US during the 1990s, after Shareen el Safy (and others) came back from Cairo. Since Shareen was publishing Habibi I imagine she got to promote the style pretty hard. So as interest in modern Egyptian dance grew, more and more dancers would have been keen to attend any workshop with an Egyptian star dancer and to present dances they thought of as particularly authentic.
I get the impression that belly dancers picked up the idea of dancing with the melaya and ran with it (to borrow an expression from rugby) which is why things like the gum chewing and more "earthy" personality were added by individual dancers. THere's quite possibly an element of snobbery in some of their presentations of a beledi woman.
I get the impression that belly dancers picked up the idea of dancing with the melaya and ran with it (to borrow an expression from rugby) which is why things like the gum chewing and more "earthy" personality were added by individual dancers. THere's quite possibly an element of snobbery in some of their presentations of a beledi woman.
And they are still running!! You will see modern props added in such as a mobile (cell) phone. I am waiting to see a performance with a dancer having an ipod.
I think that it's more popular now because more dancers are aware it exists. Even if you live in a tiny BD community with little Egyptian influence, online communities like Bhuz, Tribe and Oriental Dancer - as well as YouTube - are able to expose people to a more obscure style like Meleya Leff.
1. The transition of Reda style (and Firqa Kaoumia) folkloric dance into Raqs Sharqi via folkloric trained dancers becoming choreogrpahers (ie: Raqia) or moving into a career as a sharqi dancer and popularising folkloric* traditions.
2. The onset of the big dance festivals in Cairo in the last decade, Ahlan Wa Sahlan first then Nile Group later, that have a strong folkloric base.
3. Because of 1. and 2. we import Egyptian teachers to teach us said folkloric traditions
* by 'folkloric' I mean the dances presented by Egyptian folk troupes ie: 'like folk' not actual folk dances of the folk of Egypt.
The first time I saw a Melaya Leff performance was in the 90's when Amina Goodyear sponsored Nadia Hamdi in a series of workshops in San Francisco.The first time the audience at the show saw Nadia dance with a melaya, many were horrified. They'd never seen such a thing! (Although I must admit that I think they found her gum-chewing the most upsetting.)
Now it seems like lots of people are doing melaya dances. Was it a specific workshop? Performances on YouTube? That the costumes got a lot cuter?
Just curious...
Hehe, I saw Nadia Hamdi's performance of the Melaya and Shamadan on Amina's video "Nadia in America" . . . I thought she was so cute and fresh that I went to the next workshop in SF that Amina sponsored then on to MPLS when Cassandra sponsored her. I adored her presentations of the dances and sometimes it is hard to see all the imitators.
After that I saw Beata do a darn cute Melaya too when she was in Austin, then Khadeja in Gainesville, FLA . . . and on and on and on . . .
Don't forget Raqia Hassan's 1996 US tour. One of her workshops was milaya (it was the first time I saw it). A lot of the people in her Minneapolis workshop at least were horrified with it - but maybe it helped spread the idea about.
Not to mention, Melaya is fun to do! Or rather, having never danced it myself, it looks like fun. You get to add character and sass to your dance in a 'legitimate' way.
It's my understanding that interest in modern Egyptian belly dancing really kicked off in the US during the 1990s, after Shareen el Safy (and others) came back from Cairo. Since Shareen was publishing Habibi I imagine she got to promote the style pretty hard. So as interest in modern Egyptian dance grew, more and more dancers would have been keen to attend any workshop with an Egyptian star dancer and to present dances they thought of as particularly authentic.
I get the impression that belly dancers picked up the idea of dancing with the melaya and ran with it (to borrow an expression from rugby) which is why things like the gum chewing and more "earthy" personality were added by individual dancers. THere's quite possibly an element of snobbery in some of their presentations of a beledi woman.
Cool, actually, Egyptian had a nice little congregation in Los Angeles through Feyrouz Aram since the 1970s (one of Shaeen el Safy's teachers before Shareen went to Egypt). Feyrouz is considered one of the pioneers in establishing Egyptian dance in Southern California and was one of the first "converts". Sabrina Bellydancer here on Bhuz is one of Feyrouz's main representatives today along with Shareen El Safy, may I add.
Modern Egyptian as done by the Egyptians surely grew as the festivals and instructor-tours increased, but prior to this - there was a typical trend among , at least among Californian dancers, that the movements would be executed in American Cabaret Bellydance postures, technique and intent (so the movement didnt always end up looking identical with the Egyptians' movement). I know for a fact that Mona El Said has been a huge idol for many dancers that started their professional careers in the 70s and 80s. Of course, along with some Turkish dancers and some Greek dancers and some Lebanese dancers and some Hollywood reenditions of Bellydance and so forth.
I would say that Egyptian technical execution got a boost in the 1990s - and through that the Egyptian specific posture and intent in movement as well - but that there was an Egyptian stylistic following since the 1970s.
Chellcy of Chicago did a melaya dance here in Madison at a recent show... but I bet only 10% of the audience had any idea what it was! I've never seen one performed here before outside of the small section in the BDSS show. I really wished she'd had them add an explanatory note to the program to lessen confusion.
Mahmoud Reda created a character dance back in the 1960/70s (shira can probably give you a more specific timing) and that's where Melaya Leff started out as a dance.
The very first Reda Troupe show was in 1959, and it included a dance with a melaya.
going back to the original post - yeah, it does seem that more people are doing it these days. and the costumes are super easy to find (hello, there are like 30 of them at the bellydance store!).
the reason I do it:
in seattle, I saw it once ten+ years ago when sahra saida was in town with her band. and I was at the 96 raqia tour when she taught it. at the time, I had NO IDEA what this was all about. what is this big black veil thing and what's up with the goofy dress? a couple years ago leila taught a melaya leff workshop here and I became determined to get a routine going - *because I wanted to do something different that nobody else was doing.* I wanted to move into the niche. I've only ever seen one dancer in town do melaya leff (she copied the routine from sahra's video). right now I'm the only one. it's nice to be able to offer that if somebody is looking for a folkloric routine for their show instead of the same-old cane or khaleegy.
and I have to say, melaya leff is hella fun. I love it. you get to wear something different and sassy and use a new prop and get into the character and be all binty fresh. :) when I perform it, I have a little blurb for the announcer or the program that explains why it looks so different from the rest of the show, what with the costuming, music and attitude. I'd never spring melaya leff on the unsuspecting, out of the blue. ;)
Chellcy of Chicago did a melaya dance here in Madison at a recent show... but I bet only 10% of the audience had any idea what it was! I've never seen one performed here before outside of the small section in the BDSS show. I really wished she'd had them add an explanatory note to the program to lessen confusion.
Last time I performed my Meleya Leff, I accidentally give the organizer my generic introduction as opposed to one that explains a little bit about the style. I normally get a really good audience response to my Meleya Leff, even when there's a lot of non-dancers in the crowd, but that time? Hoo boy, I could feel the "WTF????" vibes coming off the audience in waves almost the minute I hit the stage. I'm still kicking myself for the oversight.
Hoo boy, I could feel the "WTF????" vibes coming off the audience in waves almost the minute I hit the stage. I'm still kicking myself for the oversight.
hee hee hee! WTF vibes! I love it! Gonna steal that one.
(My husband asked me afterwards: what was with the costume with the cat toys on her head?)
The one time I did Melaya leff everyone were looking at me as if I was an alien because of my big feet and hands compared to the girls I was dancing with. The face veils kept us from giving it away until someone figured out it was me because my feet and hands are manly :P
(thats what you get when one of your troupe members dont show up and the rest of the troupe members refuse to go on unless you as the teacher dont step in to dance with them).
That's AS close to drag I'm ever going to get, I think. It was an akward moment lol. TG I did a solo afterwards without the melaya and the face veil and the flowers on my head...
...weird things we go through as dancers... huh...
The one time I did Melaya leff everyone were looking at me as if I was an alien because of my big feet and hands compared to the girls I was dancing with. The face veils kept us from giving it away until someone figured out it was me because my feet and hands are manly :P
(thats what you get when one of your troupe members dont show up and the rest of the troupe members refuse to go on unless you as the teacher dont step in to dance with them).
That's AS close to drag I'm ever going to get, I think. It was an akward moment lol. TG I did a solo afterwards without the melaya and the face veil and the flowers on my head...
...weird things we go through as dancers... huh...
i like it!!!!!
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Egyptian Bellydancer Of The Universe 2008, Champion Midwest Bellydance Challange 2008
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