Whatever has been said or will be said about Michael Jackson,one thing is for certain, he had a powerful gift and he gave it! He was a Bright Star amongst a ‘world of planets’!
What is the difference between a Planet and a Star?
“Stars are huge balls of hot gas that emit their own light . Stars burn hydrogen in their cores and have nuclear fusion going on inside. A planet does not have nuclear fusion. A planet is a world like the Earth. Unlike stars, planets get their light from the Sun.”
Stars emit their own light…Planets only reflect light!
Michael Jackson gave his light through every possible aspect of Music and Dance! From a Dancer’s perspective his movement was truly ‘Stellar’ ….the visual he created with his ‘moonwalk’ and all of his dancing, expanded our perception of the human body, movement and gravity!
Michael was truly a ‘Cosmic Dancer’!
Here is a montage of Michael’s Best Dance Moves! (if your time is limited..don’t miss ’3:34′ time on the vid…Wow!) Read the rest of this entry »
The Arabic Drum is the heartbeat…the sounds of the fingers on the Drum skin stirs the Dancer’s soul..makes it quiver…the body responds…movement is born!
If the elements of Oriental Dance are a metaphor for Life…then the Drum Solo is ‘Elemental Fire’!
Here is a famous clip of Egyptian Dance Legend Najwa Fouad ‘On Fire”!
Najwa, in pure abandon with the drum is a demonstration of the ‘primal’ quality of the relationship of Dancer and Drum.
Notice how she opens with the spin and then becomes almost rooted to the spot where she stands. The shimmy and vibration originates from the hips as it moves up into the abdomen and is then fueled by the chest shimmies and lifts! Her beautiful arm movements create a lifting and dropping momentum that enhances the crescendo of chest and hip pops and shimmies! The ‘fire’ builds with the crashing cymbals and drums and leaps up to powerful head movements as she lets loose in a finale of wild abandon! A classic Najwa piece!
In addition to the ‘Drum Solo’ there is another wonderful Dancer and Drummer show in Lebanon that Howaida Hachem is famous for… Read the rest of this entry »
Often Americans and Europeans think of Oriental Dance as only a performance dance. In the Middle East, the dance is the cultural dance of the people. All women do this dance…little girls learn to dance watching their mothers, sisters, aunts and other women in parties (haflas) weddings and just family gatherings. Women of all ages dance..as in any country. The movement is the natural movement of the culture to the music of the culture.
I thought it would be fun, from a learning perspective,in terms of natural movement and style, to see some classic representations of Egyptian women ‘ Dancing for their Man’ from Egyptian movies.Watching from this personal and intimate perspective illuminates many aspects of the dance!
Here is Sahar Hamdi in an Egyptian film..’Dancing for her Man’.. Oops! or is that someone else’s man?..Oh Well..It’s cute and fun!!!
This clip shows the light hearted entertainment quality of the dance in the Middle East. Whether it is on stage or in the privacy of an intimate setting, the nature of this dance is ‘Fun’ seduction.
There is just something about seeing an Egyptian actress dancing in their nightie, gallabaya, or home dress…with a scarf tied around their hips that emphasizes the pure joy of this dance!
To Understand Baladi is to feel the heart of Oriental Dance!
I have often been asked over the years to explain Baladi ….
The word Baladi…also transliterated as..Beledi..Balady..etc…literally means ‘My Country’ yet refers to not only the country but also the village or region of origin. As people left their villages to go to cities for economic reasons, they still held ’baladi’ in their heart.
Baladi is also a ‘Style’ of dance. It is the dance of the people. In Egypt, Baladi is the type of dancing you will find in village and urban weddings and parties. It is also classically part of the Raks Sharki show.
The costume is usually a ‘dressy’ form of ‘Thobe’ or Gallabiyah’ which is the long straight robe with sleeves and often slits on both sides. A scarf or belt is worn over it at the hips. The variations on this theme are limitless and each one is beautiful and expressive of the ‘regional culture’ of the music and dancer.
Here is a short clip of Egyptian Superstar FiFi Abdou doing a ‘Baladi’ section of her show in an outdoor venue in Ismallia Egypt. Fifi was known in the beginning of her career as a ‘Baladi’ Dancer or as often quoted, ” a dancer for the people”. In this show she comes out with the ‘malaya’ a heavy,usually black, wrap that is a prop used in ‘Malaya Leff ’ a “street dance ‘ of Iskandaria ( Alexandria) Egypt….( you will see it on her exit) and then she picks up the cane (Assaya)…Just a taste of Baladi, Fifi style… Read the rest of this entry »
