This article concentrates at looking at belly dance scene in the West at this time. Belly dance here in the West now is predominantly a solo activity. Belly dance enjoys huge loyal followings in all the Western countries so the participants would solo in various capacities, mostly at gatherings called Haflas, and where the scenes are larger for example in America you would have various conferences and festivals devoted over to belly dancing. Belly dance in restaurants is still common but in these settings the scope to explore all the different possibilities is far more limited, the expectation is a short few minutes performance followed by getting people up one at a time to dance with the belly dancer. Belly dance as yet still hasn't yet broken its way into the mainstream of dance proper as yet. So really we have to overview what is going on at the "amateur" level.
With all truth it can be said that the Western Belly dance scene really originated with the post war Egyptian Belly Dancers. It has been this sole source of inspiration that everything else emulated from. Now that the Egyptian Dance has substantially declined, people are looking at broader sources of inspiration and one obvious source are the various traditional folk idioms from the vast number of countries within the Middle East. So we can start looking first at the Egyptian Belly Dance scene.
The Egyptian Belly Dancers
The early 20th Century Egyptian Film industry at its peak far exceeded Hollywood in its scope. The indigenous and informal dancing that took place everywhere was immediately pounced upon by the film makers and used in the many films made at the time. Effectively the film industry became a sort of Patron of the dance form. Gradually though the film industry declined and eventually being taken over by Hollywood.
In its wake emerged the Egyptian Belly Dance Cabaret Scene. Conservatively costumed and enjoying a huge following in Egypt the greats included Naime Akif, Fifi Abou, Mona Said, Dina Nagua Fouad and many others. Wonderfully poetic and subtle, they would grip and fascinate millions with their interpretations and using their bodies to truly communicate with their audiences. Egyptian through and through, one can't really convey easily what they were really all about, you will have to look at film footage and it was a wonderfully ecclectric mix of Middle Eastern artistic values and mixing in Western influences that only these Egyptian ladies managed to pull off successfully. As time went on many Westerners came over to Egypt and in varying degrees of success emulated their styles. Some managed extremely well and in fact one in particular seemed to get it off so well that she could not be differentiated from the real Egyptians.
Classical Raqs Sharqui
This term can be applied to the arrangements where a truly Theatre form was developed by Westerners using the Egyptian dancers as primary sources of inspiration. The intention was to create a form that would hold an audience in a more theatre type of setting rather than the smaller and more intimate Egyptian Cabaret settings. This necessitated building on the dramatical aspects and visual effects more suitable for the stage such as use of veils, and a costuming that was conservative and conveyed a very cultural but not necessarily a strong Ethnic feel. Within this gentre, the word Baladi would come up, where the style would be more "earthy" and downward, and costumes would err on the folkier side. But being a Solo Art, there was no clear divisions between this and what may be termed "folk dance turned into a stage presentation."
Turkish Belly Dance
Primarily a tourist driven thing, the belly dance being one component of what may be termed as a Turkish Show, this being a feature consisting of various folk dances and displays. Clearly this was the strongest element as with any country the Folk Ideom is so vast and rich and the belly dance was just pocked into there as a sort of afterthought. Turkey being a seculist state and Westernising herself rapidly since the ending of the Ottoman Empire obviously took on board many Western values. The belly dancers themselves were rarely Turkish and wore very skimpy costumes and would generally draw on as inspiration the rhythical aspects of the folk dance music and ideas from the Egyptian Dancers. Their failure to take root and establish a unique identity for themselves then made the skimpy costumes look cheap and tarty. I have yet to see what I regard as a good Turkish Belly Dancer, I have seen many dreadful ones, but don't let my personal experience put you off. Each dancer is an entity to herself, one bad one does not mean that the next one, and the next one will be likewise. Keep searching if your experiences have been like mine!
National Influences
The Middle East consists of a very wide range of fascinating countries and Westerners would look to these countries for sources of inspiration for their dancing.
I have listed the countries below and a bit about their dance. I will start off from the Western end with Morocco and take a bit of a magic carpet ride and take a look at what we can learn.
- North Africa
The division of boundaries to create the various countries of North Africa were far more influenced by Western colonial forces rather than long standing ethnic groupings. So we could make a start by examining the 2 largest groupings the Berbers and the Beduins.
A- The Berbers
The Berbers are the descendants of the pre-Arab inhabitants of North Africa. The Berbers are scattered in tribes across Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya, and Egypt and tend to be concentrated in the mountain and desert regions of those countries. Smaller numbers of Berbers live in the northern portions of Mauritania, Mali, and Niger. The Beduins were a nomadic people who were scattered throughout the Middle East. Among the Bedouin almost any pretext suffices for dancing, although since the mid-20th century dancing has been practiced most often at weddings and similar festivities. Usually two male dancers, or two rows of male dancers, repeatedly advance toward each other or the audience and retire. To this basic figure, there are numerous variations that give the different dances their names.
In the villages favourites are the dablah. The dabkah is danced mainly by men and is quite common in festivities in the area between northern Syria and southern Israel; for instance, the Druzes (sectarian Arab communities located in Lebanon, Syria, and Israel) are very fond of it. The performers dance in a straight line, holding handkerchiefs high in the air, while the first dancer in the row gives the sign for stepping or jumping.
B - The Beduins
The Beduins are the Nomadic peoples of the desert regions of Arabia, Iraq, Syria and Jordan. Although they constitute a small part of the total population of the Middle East they inhabit a large part of the land area. These people would have had celebrations of all sorts but records of these would not have been created so unfortunately we can only quess what sort of dancing would have taken place.
But from the above 2 major groupings we can identify some forms of dance that have emerged in one way or the other and that we are now aware of. These are as follows:
Tunisian Dance
The dances of Tunisia are characterized by forward & backward twists of the hips, emphasized by the simple tassel belt and the "apron" on the back of the melia (a wrapped tunic of striped fabric.
This is often accompanied by rapid steps and in order to maintain balance the
knee would lift up of the leading leg. To achieve bold twists it would be
necessary to go on the balls of the feet. Other forms would emulate everyday
activities of living.
Moroccan Dance
The Marrakesh folk Dance festival held annually contains splendid examples of Berber folk dance. The style involves simple but powerful moves to create a unifying effect. Hip tilts and up and down pulsating moves done in tight rows that would swirl around to create a strong and magical effect. It is this style that my group the Urban Gypsies is most inspired by. A well known dance is called the Schikhatt Dance where the dancers borrow footwork resembling flamenco from their Spanish neighbours. The traditional dress consists of a lace coat worn over a full underdress. Arab Berbers and Muslims believe in Jnum (spirits). A trance-like state seems to be a common goal in most Berber dances, even when not specifically a trance dance. The dance most pertinent to this discussion is the Guedra. Like other Moroccan dances, the use of repetition and the constant crescendo of both music and movements create a hypnotic effect on the dancer and spectator.
Bedouin Dance
Bedouin music had a pronounced collective character, with well-defined functions and usages, and dance occupied an important place in Bedouin life. Most common was a simple communal dance that emphasized common, or social, rather than individual
movement. The folk dances of the nomadic Bedouin tribes incorporate debke, or line dance, combinations, along with strong shoulder movements. A highly embroidered caftan is traditionally worn.
Egyptian Village Dance (Fellahin Dance)
The village dances of Egypt are many and varied, Although the details of the yoke, sleeve, and ruffle will change from area to area, the traditional fellahin dress is brightly
coloured.
Ghawazee Dance (Egyptian Romany or Gypsy Dance)
The ghawazee tribe of Egypt have been entertainers since the arrival of the Romany people in Egypt. The traditional costume of a fitted coat and voluminous trousers emphasized the strong hip movements.
Romany Dance (Gypsy Dance)
The dances of the Romany people are many and varied throughout the Middle East and Europe. The voluminous skirt is traditional, and is used frequently in the Romany dances of Spain, Morocco, Turkey, and Russia.
In these dances the European influences are obviously far more stronger than in
the other dance forms mentioned. Also the distant Indian influence can also be
felt there by way of the expressive and delicate arm movements.
Saudi Arabian Women's Dance (Gulf States Dance)
Rarely seen in public, the dance of the women of Saudi Arabia and the Gulf States is designed to emphasize the fabric and embroidery of the Thobe Nashal (a loose overdress with embellished center panel) and also the women's hair and heavy gold jewelry.
Persian Dance
Art dancing embellished events in the courts of the Sasanians, the pre-Islamic rulers of Persia. In the Islamic period, solo and ensemble forms of dance were an integral part of the intense musical activity in the palaces of the caliphs and in wealthy houses. Iran is perhaps the only Muslim country with a tradition of dance regarded as an art form. When revived after World War II, folk dancing was encouraged and adapted for the foundation of a national ballet. In Iran a national dance company was formed with government support after World War II, and ancient customs were revived. Until it was closed in 1979, the Iranian ballet company was outstanding in the Muslim world, drawing on ancient war dances, fire-priest dances, dervish dances, and tribal folklore, as well as on scenes and decor from painting, sculpture, and the rich imagery of classical Persian poetry. Various folk dances are likewise performed all over Iran; they are accompanied by music and reflect local traditions and customs. Some are mimetic, others erotic, others, again, war dances (chiefly in the mountain areas) and comic dances (usually with masks). Many of these are dying out as new tastes and customs evolve, and Iranian dance companies have tried to preserve some of these dying forms.
We can then safely say that besides the Egyptian post war cabaret dancers, another source of inspiration would be Persian Dance. Persians do not consider themselves as Arabs, and the emphasis is on the upper body. As a dance form it is very "expressive" using hand and face gestures extensively. Hip movements do not play a really big part if at all.
Religious Dancing
I have already hinted about the spiritual aspects and the Zar and Sufi being the best known ones in the Middle East. I have talked about these in depth on 9 - Religious Dances, the Zar, Sufi click Although different when taken in isolation, in more ancient times the spiritual aspects were integrated far more with all the other aspects than they are now.
Western Do your Own Thing!
If we now talk about what Westerners do on the stage regarding belly dance, the truth is "they can do whatever they want." Clearly they will take their influence from combinations of the above things. Divorced from the original settings, the dance now has become a spectacle for entertainment. The reliable Shira has suggested 3 main groupings for belly dance activities in America, namely American Nightclub, Egyptian Raqs Sharqi, and Tribal Fusion. America is a vast place so scale wise enough is going on to be able to create rough groupings and these terms and descriptions I don't think can be bettered. See links page for Shira's web site address.
America is so vast that there are even people who specialise in Pharaonic Dance. This is a dance form that is inspired by Artwork from Ancient Egypt. Careful and diligent research into the vast amount of material available has been used as the source. More on this on Shira's site.
In the West there are no real traditions of customs to follow any longer. You take whatever you want from whichever country and whichever period you want. In the end we are still Humans with the same feelings and needs as people from long ago. So whatever we now create will then become new "traditions" IF THEY WORK in the same way as the ancient dance forms worked in the past. Already new hybrids have now become established, Yoga, Tai Chi, meditation in various guises, these will become "Traditions" because they work. So only time will tell as to which of all the numerous hybrids and combinations now coming out will become a new Western "Tradition."