Stand (and shimmy) by your Man!

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!

Here is a treasure with Aida Ryad dancing!
Read the rest of this entry »

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 »

 Do we have confusion about fusion?

I thought it was very interesting that recently a Belly Dancer was in the Semi-Finals of Britain’s Got Talent! Actually she is from Latvia, Julia Naidenko..a beautiful girl and she can move.  When I saw it I was not inspired because she was dancing to a western pop song, Moulin Rouge. I just couldn’t ‘feel’ her dance.  

 After a bit of research I discovered that the song was selected by the Britain’s Got Talent people, behind the scenes. Julia wanted to dance to a drum solo yet, the usual ‘talent management brokers’ were once again deciding what would be appealing to the public.
You Decide!
Here is a short clip..(the only one that would allow me to embed…embedding suspended at YouTube for Julia!!)

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Oriental Dance, from the Middle East, is expressed in ‘Regional’ Styles as well as the individual ‘style’ of the dancer. There is Ice Cream and there are Many Flavors.

I Love the Lebanese Flavor….

When I think of the essence of Lebanon, I think of BEAUTY!

The country is beautiful. The cliffs of the coast and offshore rocks stand firm with the warm shimmering Mediterranean Sea gently splashing and foaming on shore … Downtown Beirut always glowing pink with the light playing on the rose-colored stones of the revitalized old buildings… The crisp air mountains with rushing pure rivers and falls…. the rich warm agricultural fields of the Bekka Valley…the heady fragrances of Roses, Gardenia, Jasmine and Fil…waft about in country gardens and on city verandas.

All of these flavors and more are the Lebanese style.

The people are of extraordinary beauty …many with black hair,blue or green eyes. ..yet, no matter the color , one always sees beautiful powerful eyes!

The Lebanese Love to Play Music… Dance, Sing, and Dine on delicious dishes that look like works of art .

The Art of Living is beautifully expressed in the Lebanese style of life. It is from this milieu that the Oriental Dancer of Lebanon graces us with her dance.

Lebanese Belly Dance is first of all, glamorous…very feminine costumes..rich, ornate, elegant bead-work with soft flowing fabrics and almost always accessorized with high heels. The Dancer’s make-up, as is also true with Lebanese women in general, is Artistic, Exotic and Flawless.

 Lebanese Oriental Dancing style is spirited and coquette.. athletic yet soft..strong yet feminine…it is playful, sassy and demure all at once!

So…since  ’a picture is worth a thousand words’….here is the late Great Lebanese Superstar Nadia Gamal in an Egyptian movie..circa 1960′s.  Read the rest of this entry »

…Why Dancing Keeps us Sane!

If there is one aspect of Belly Dancing that everyone, who has experienced this dance agrees upon, it is it’s ‘Theraputic Value’.

In my personal experience of teaching many women in and from different cultures, the responses are the same. Although expressed in various ways, the acknowledgement of the joyful, liberating ,physically freeing, meditative and self-acceptance qualities of Oriental Dance are unanimous.  It is this fundamental core that ‘keeps us coming back for more!’

We can explore this subject of Belly Dance as Therapy intellectually while knowing that the actual experience is the ‘Holy Grail’. Nonetheless, we are creatures of intellect and it is fun to dissect, analyze, validate and confirm ‘why’ we do the things we do.

There is certainly a long list of the benefits of Belly Dance as Mind, Body, Heart,Spirit integration to be found in many sources.

My Heart Has Wings!

But ,today I ran across an interesting source from the Dance Therapy domain. Read the rest of this entry »

Ahlan Wa Sahlan

Baalbeck Lebanon

Welcome to Belly Dance Adventures and Belly Dancer’s Blog!

If you are new and exploring or if you have been dancing for awhile, you are cetrainly having an adventure!

Why are we doing this dance?

What is it that just takes a hold of your heart and whirls you? You are drawn in and consumed and you are passionate because it feels sooo GOOD!

There are so many aspects of Belly Dancing that we are exploring.

We are on this adventure together. We are a festival of beauty and color, music and movement, a collective joy and sisterhood.

We dance around the Globe and share this ancient movement of Middle Eastern Dance. We call it different names…Belly Dance, Raqs Sharqi, Fusion.American Tribal and more. Yet, it is one collective sisterhood of women that Love to Dance.

Our travels take us to many places within and without. Through the experience of this dance we connect with our timeless eternal selves.

We are beautiful, strong, soft, sensuous, and VERY colorful.

Wherever and whenever we dance we participate in an experience of Joy.

The adventure of Belly Dance is never ending. It is always morphing and changing yet it is rooted in the exotic, rich and fragrant music and culture of the Middle East. Read the rest of this entry »