Thread: Shamadan - do you take it off mid dance?

In my research I saw a clip where the performer took her shamadan off and danced about it and put it back on in the middle of her dance. What do y'all think of that, good idea, bad idea, traditional, non-traditional, neither good or bad?

thoughts?

The shamadan dance that Bobby Farrah choreographed for Ghazal was this type. She took the shamadan off, danced for a while, then put it back on. Have you seen that one? It's on "A Journey."

I think it depends mostly on how good you look with 'hat hair.'

Bobby does specifically state that his Shamadan isn't traditional at all, and his primary inspiration was the Bride of Frankenstein, I think! So he was going for more Hollywood than Cairo. I don't think there's anything culturally WRONG with it at all, but I don't think it's traditional or usual.

I've only done a couple of Shamadan performances, and they were all mock zeffas. So I led in the fake bridal party to a zeffa, danced a cut version of the traditional shamadan song w/floorwork, then removed it (had someone with a snuffer standing by) and used a pop song to get 'everyone' (fake bridal party and/or guests) to dance.

But throughout the pop song, I can't ever stop worrying about how crappy my hair must look.

(one other note -- I never EVER do shamadan without a fire extinguisher nearby, usually it's under the chair of a friend who knows they're on call)

Zorba did!
In the Montery Mystique show on live networks t.v.
It's still up, I watched it the other day.
I loved it!!!
:-)

Here's his post:

http://www.bhuz.com/forum/rest-belly...ing-video.html

(Zorba, I hope you don't mind me posting this)

if the functionality of the zeffah was to light the way from one point to the next, it makes sense that it might be removed if the reception was indoors as opposed to out in the street.

off to youtube...

Here it looks like someone is carrying it to go upstairs:

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mz8sEBuqfMQ&feature=related"]YouTube - Egyptian Wedding 3[/ame]

And they put it back on to dance. Check out the related 8-part wedding series, btw. Fun watching them all if you're into that stuff. ;)

I think it is fine; dancer choice if it is appropriate or desired, I suppose. But I have never put the candelabra back on after removing it. Not saying I wouldn't, though to me it would sort of ruin the original *OH MY GOD GIRL WITH CANDELABRA ON HEAD AT FIVE O'CLOCK* aspect.

When I am hired for one set, shamadan leading in the wedding party...boom. It is on my head from start to finish, then I leave. If they have hired me for a dance set after the procession as well, I have to take it off, obviously, and if there is no costume change I have an assistant who removes it and back out I come. Sometimes the removal has to happen in full sight of the guests, sometimes not. Ideally, I wear a veil under the shamadan that cloaks me a bit, can leave, remove it, fluff the hair and reappear sans veil. Helmet hair be damned! (I can fluff well on the spot.)

Side note: After many years of doing gigs and never bringing anyone, I did start bringing a helper/assistant when I started doing shamadan. I just feel better knowing there is someone in the room with a fire extinguisher and a sole focus on the lit metal bits balanced above my head.

On Raqia Hassan technique Vol 9 Do'aa takes the shamadan off to do floorwork which I thought was odd.
I keep mine on when doing a zeffa and when I'm doing at as a tableaux as part of a show I take it off when I've finished the song I do it as an entrance to my second set.
safety thing-always get someone to watch you safely through doors.

Because of the ceilings at the restaurant where I dance, i carry mine in (lit), dance with it off my head, place it on my head, dance, then take it off near the end of the song & finale by blowing the candles out...

Originally Posted by Candi

On Raqia Hassan technique Vol 9 Do'aa takes the shamadan off to do floorwork which I thought was odd.

Magda does this too in her and Atef Farag's Dances of Egypt 2006 choreography DVD. (with her imaginary shamadan, since she doesn't actually have one. In following along, I found it is *much* easier to get an imaginary shamadan back on your head while standing up from the floor than it is to get a real one back on your head while standing up from the floor ) The floorwork was simple enough that I didn't really understand why one would take off the shamadan, especially since I thought part of the point of doing floorwork during a shamadan routine was to show off how you could do floorwork with a shamadan on your head...

I'm glad to see this-I thought this was not done. I figured it was just too labor intensive to put it on and take it off.
I don't think I will ever do it if I don't have to, though.

Originally Posted by Sonja2

Because of the ceilings at the restaurant where I dance, i carry mine in (lit), dance with it off my head, place it on my head, dance, then take it off near the end of the song & finale by blowing the candles out...

I enjoy doing this because it adds to the scariness factor for the audience as I adjust to make sure it is balancing correctly, etc... especially after floorwork when I then take it off & blow it out, they all breathe a sigh of relief!

Originally Posted by gothique

Zorba did!
In the Montery Mystique show on live networks t.v.
It's still up, I watched it the other day.
I loved it!!!
:-)

Here's his post:

http://www.bhuz.com/forum/rest-belly...ing-video.html

(Zorba, I hope you don't mind me posting this)

Great, now they're using my stinky dancing as an example of "how to do it"... .w.: But I don't mind you posting it again - and I thank you for your kind words! ..g.:

Yea, I just took it off, I didn't put it back on. Indeed, I never thought of doing that. I always play Zills with Shemadan - that might make putting it back on "interesting". I haven't done floorwork with one - I kinda suck at floorwork - but my upcoming duette includes it. We'll see how *that* goes. I'll be lucky if I don't dump the whole affair getting back up, although it seems to work so far in rehersal.

Originally Posted by zorba

Great, now they're using my stinky dancing as an example of "how to do it"... .w.: But I don't mind you posting it again - and I thank you for your kind words! ..g.:

Yea, I just took it off, I didn't put it back on. Indeed, I never thought of doing that. I always play Zills with Shemadan - that might make putting it back on "interesting". I haven't done floorwork with one - I kinda suck at floorwork - but my upcoming duette includes it. We'll see how *that* goes. I'll be lucky if I don't dump the whole affair getting back up, although it seems to work so far in rehersal.

Will the duet also be on livetv networks?

I've watched the Montery Mistique, many times now!!!
I love that site too, thank you for posting it!!!
:-)

Originally Posted by gothique

Will the duet also be on livetv networks?

Probably. When I mentioned it to Lana, her eyes gleamed. In the meantime, there'll be another show on Friday, 5 December. I'll be flailing around with a pair of Isis wings - it should be craptastic!

I just love the idea of someone dancing and then, teasingly, tauntingly, removing the OMG GIANT BURNING CANDLABRA from their head, perhaps playing "peek a boo" with it like a big metal wobbly flaming fan. My Japanese friend swears the zeffa rhythm gets used for striptease over there. It adds a thrilling new dimension. Bow chicka wow.

Originally Posted by zumarrad

I just love the idea of someone dancing and then, teasingly, tauntingly, removing the OMG GIANT BURNING CANDLABRA from their head, perhaps playing "peek a boo" with it like a big metal wobbly flaming fan. My Japanese friend swears the zeffa rhythm gets used for striptease over there. It adds a thrilling new dimension. Bow chicka wow.

..l;,..l;,..l;,..l;,

Zum - you owe me a replacement keyboard! This one didn't like the lemonade I just spewed on it... ..l;,

Now I just need to figure out how I can fit "bow chicka wow" into everyday conversation!