WHERE IN THE WORLD DOES "BELLYDANCE" COME FROM?

LEGACY AND LEGENDS

With a little study, the origins of what we call "Bellydance" are not hard to trace. There are many historical reasons and misconceptions why the dance has been merged with exoticism, myth, and lurid sexual connotations- but this is only a myth.

"Bellydance" as we know it is actually a modern form of regional dance forms from the Middle East and North Africa. The dance tradition in these parts of the world is very old. This area of the world has many regions, and in each region the style and cultural background of dance varies along with the spiritual practices, languages, ways of life, and other customs indigenous to the area.

"The Middle East" is comprised of countries that are located northeast of the continent of Africa, east of Europe, and bordering the countries of western Asia. Some of these countries are Iran, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Yemen, Lebanon, Israel, and Iraq. North African countries are today politically Arab nations, including Egypt. Other North African countries are Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, and Libya.

There are other influences on dance that came from Greece, Spain, India, and Northeast Africa (the Sudan/Nubia, just below Egypt).  

Despite its wide geographic expanse, most people around the world who practice and study Bellydance sometimes use the term "Middle Eastern" or "Oriental" (meaning Eastern), dance in more formal references to the art form. This may be because most of the countries influencing modern Bellydance are in the Middle East. But modern Egypt, which has had the greatest impact on its study and performance, while culturally and politically Arab-Islamic, is technically a North African land.

Oriental or Middle Eastern dance are actually the appropriate terms. "Bellydance" is a misnomer that does not describe its ethnic origins.

The art of Middle Eastern dance is rooted in cultures and traditions that are too rich and complex for a series of encyclopedias. Dance traditions in these areas have been traced back to pre-Islamic periods and were centered in aspects of culture ranging from secluded spiritual practices to family celebrations.

FOLKLORIC STYLES IN THE MIDDLE EAST AND NORTH AFRICA

Today the folkloric styles of Middle Eastern dance are performed on stages and shows along with the more recognizable, modern version, but most people in the West have never seen this type of dancing. Folk dances come from villages and tribes, and reflect the regional, traditional culture.

In general, Folk Dances are done in communal settings, homes, or in honor of cultural celebrations, and are accompanied by traditional instrumentation. Middle Eastern/North African music has a varied, complex, and rich history. The dance cannot be separated from the musical technology.

From Egypt, the most popular folk dance performed by Middle Eastern dancers is "Raks al-Asaya" or the Cane Dance. It is also known as Saidi (meaning countryside; the music is called by the same name.) The cane dance is based on a male martial art called "Tahtiyb". In the tahtiyb men used a long cane to practice hand-to-hand battle skills. The women mimicked this exercise, developing it into a playful, earthy aerobic dance while wearing their traditional long heavy dresses. The stage version of Cane is performed in either more traditional clothing or a long one-piece sequined and beaded dress called a "beledi" dress.

"Beledi" is an Arabic word that means "my people" or "my town". It is a colloquial term referring to social dancing. Egyptian dancer Sohair Zaki in the 1960's was known for her way of performing beledi dance. More urban than Saidi, the loose, earthy Beledi style preceded the more formal Egyptian style of stage dancing that emerged in cosmopolitan cities like Cairo.

In Saudi Arabia, dance is not permitted in public. Women, who by Islamic custom, live in separate quarters from men for daily activities, dance for each other in the privacy of their own homes or at family celebrations like weddings. The Khaleegi dance has been adapted to the stage and incorporates largely freestyle movements utilizing the long colorful robe that Saudi women wear called a thobe. Violins strumming over a strong percussive drumbeat is

characteristic of Khaleegi music. Traditionally the women dance in a circle. Other beautiful movements characteristically seen in this dance are tossing the hair from side to side and contained shoulder movements like shoulder-shimmies.

The Tunisian Womens' Dance, (Choufou El Arbiya), which has been performed by famous dance instructors like Hadia of Canada and Morocco of the Casbah Dance Experience for stage, is taken from a rural dance done by women dressed in billowing yards of fabric with a scarf tied at the hips. According to Morocco, "the Tunisian women have a solidarity stronger than most others. In this dance, they mime putting on makeup and lift their skirts to show their ankles - to demonstrate that they are not wearing khul-khaal (metal anklets) and are therefore, not married. They show off their hip-work & agility."

They're almost as many folk dances from the Middle East/North Africa as there are regions, and there are too many to list here. Men and women perform folk dances, individually or in groups. These dances are vehicles for history, values, and stories of the people. Although they may be fading today, folk dances are inextricably linked to our modern heritage. Other folk dances from this area of the world are:

Guedra: A trance/spiritual dance from "The Blue People", a Saharan tribe. Has symbolic spiritual gestures blessing and thanking the forces of the earth.

Debke: A dance performed by men to show bravery and honor.

Bedouin: Nomadic tribes. Incorporates line dancing/debke movements with strong shoulder movements. Worn with a highly embroidered caftan.

Nubian: Lighthearted and joyous, from the desert area between Egypt and Sudan.

Turkish: Folkoric dance is popular in Turkey, especially the 'Karsilama' with a special 9/8 rhythm.

HOW DID the "BELLY" GET IN BELLYDANCE?

The modern concept of Middle Eastern dance owes both its fame and infamy to the advent of tourism to Egypt in the 1920's. During this time, as an effect of European colonialism and historical events like the discovery of King Tutankhamun's tomb, the Mid-East opened its borders to tourism from the U.S. and Europe. In this climate, cities like Cairo and Casablanca become very sophisticated modern tourist centers. It was then that what we now as "Bellydance" became a stage-oriented form of dance.

The performance style of Middle Eastern dance and its accompanying music developed in this time. Before then, dancing for performance was relegated to private solo and group (mostly family groups) performances in homes of the wealthy, or at weddings and celebrations in tents or outdoors at some Moulids (celebration of the Saints).

Performing at a public "show" venue and dancing outside the home or communal environment was and largely still is a culturally strange concept, especially when it pertains to women. Women usually danced in their homes and around family, for themselves or at celebrations. Men were also adept at dance and there are various masculine forms of Middle Eastern dance.

The stage version first developed in cosmopolitan clubs and restaurants where dancing became associated with chic nightlife. Gradually a complex style of staged dance came about, developed over the years through tradition and innovation, by many talented dancers who were trained and hired to perform. For the first time the sole female performer was highlighted, and many Egyptian dance stars came out of this era. Choreography was designed to cover a stage space and the music became increasingly elaborate, mixing Mid-eastern and orchestral instruments. The costume became less traditional and more elaborate for stage, and borrowing from the American bra-style top, the recognizable sequined and beaded two-piece bra-and-skirt style costume was born.

Other events further served to Westernize the concept of Middle Eastern dance. Hollywood movies exploited the concept and many American and European films from the 1930's and beyond perpetuated the concept of "Orientalism", a fantasy notion of an exotic, over-sexualized Middle East coined by European explorers/colonists to these countries. The image of the exotic dancer seducing men or temple Odalisques languishing in harems is a Hollywood concept borne out of Westernized notions, condescension, and fantasy.

(Please note: Hollywood movies and other myths are also responsible for perpetuating the idea that there were sexily dressed "Bellydancers" in Biblical times, and there were women that danced seductively in ancient temple rituals, etc. The costumes that we know of now were only invented in the last 70 years and were part of stage and screen productions.

I am sure that any type of dance in Biblical times was probably more folkloric or related to Hebraic customs, and obviously there were no modern costumes 2,000 years ago.

There is also no historic truth in the "Dance of Salome/Dance of the Seven Veils".   This myth is based on a play written by Oscar Wilde in 1891.   The harem is a real historic phenomenon. But contrary to European stories, the harem (which means forbidden by law in Arabic) was a place where women family members lived in inter-generational groups separate from men, and into which only men of that family could enter.)

A sideshow promoter named Sol Bloom was said to have popularized the term "Belly" when in the 1893 Chicago World's Fair he harked the traditionally-dressed dancers brought to the venue as girls who danced undulating their bellies. In the Victorian period, this was quite scandalous. Anything exotic or Eastern was surely misunderstood.

The modern idea of Middle Eastern dance is more accurately described when associated with the evolution of village and urban folk dance into stage and theater. The term "Bellydance" is actually not indigenous to its homelands. In the Arab world it is known as "Raqs Sharki", "Raqs" simply meaning "Dance" and "sharki" meaning "East". Performed in its original and respected contexts, it is a national treasure in its countries of origin.

STARS OLD AND NEW

Badia Masbny was a pioneering businesswoman.   Born in Lebanon, she was an actress and dancer before opening a club in Cairo in 1926, the Badia Masbny Casino Opera . At that time, Egypt was the capital of the tourist and entertainment industry in the Middle East.   Modeled after European clubs to appeal to tourists, her casino/club did indeed become well known among politicians and members of the wealthy ruling class

Under her tutelage Tahia Cariocca and Samia Gamal became two of Egypt's most famous dancers and later, film stars. Badia coached her artists to become impeccable at Oriental dance, which at this time was becoming more and more sophisticated. The complex musical compositions, which blended traditional rhythms with orchestral instruments, were a new development- as was the introduction of jazz, Latin dance, and ballet into regional dance movement. This was the birthplace of the most dramatic, complex choreographed form of Middle Eastern dance today, Egyptian Raks Sharki.

Samia Gamal is the most recognized legend of Egyptian dance from this time. In 1949, Egypt's King Farouk proclaimed Samia Gamal "The National Dancer of Egypt". In the 1950's Samia began to appear in film, becoming as much a sex symbol as Marilyn Monroe. In black-and-white features she was a sumptuous classic beauty, often appearing as the muse to her boyfriend, Lebanese singer and actor Farid el-Atrache.

Samia's dedication to developing her sensational improvisational style and musical sensitivity, developed throughout the years at Badia's show venue, added to the charisma she brought to the screen. She appeared in Arabic films throughout the 1950's.

After a lifetime of lifting the dance to its professional level, Ms. Gamal died in 1994 in Cairo.

Tahia Carioca was born Abla bint-Muhammed Karim in Cairo. She was dubbed "Carioca" after the Brazilian samba step she incorporated into her style while becoming the best dancer at Badia's cabaret along with Samia in the 30's. Tahia's film "Le femme et le Pantin" in 1935 launched a movie career that spanned 120 films.

Acclaimed American dancer Jasmin Jahal describes Tahia's style as sweet, sensuous, earthy, and more traditional than her counterpart Samia Gamal.   In films, whether dancing or acting, she had a fiery and passionate delivery with a cocky femme-fatale quality that exuded a presence of skill, knowledge and experience.

She appeared on over 200 stages and danced for King Farouk of Egypt's estate more than 500 times. Ms. Carioca died in 1994 a legend to many. Both Samia Gamal and Tahia Carioca inspired dancers of the next generations.

The direct descendant of Tahia Carioca is Sohair Zaki. She was one of the most famous dancers of the 1960's and 70's and appeared on many of the popular music covers that appeared in proliferation at this time. Commercial success was incidental, as Sohair's famed talent lay in her meticulous ear for music. In the sixties Sohair received accolades and medals from the Shah of Iran, the Tunisian president, and Gamal Abdel Nasser, the second president of Egypt.

Many modern dancers find continual inspiration from Sohair. Jasmin Jahal says of her: "During my travels to Egypt, I have witnessed Sohair Zaki several times in live performance, and I must admit she is my absolute favorite performer. Her style was not as razzle-dazzle as Nagwa Fouad's. Her stage productions were simple as was her costuming. Sohair usually wore a baladi dress, rather than a two-piece costume. She was precise in her hip-work, very feminine, graceful, and rather reserved, but with an emotional impact that was breathtaking. No frills were necessary because her dance technique and artistry alone left her audiences awed. Sohair is now retired, after a very successful career."

One of the last living legends, Nagwa Fouad's presence on the horizon of Egyptian dance has impacted famous Egyptian composer Hossam Ramzy in such a way that he has compiled a special documentary of her career in his "Stars of Egypt" video documentary series. Mr. Ramzy notes: "She really understood her Baladi (folk) and her Egyptian classical as well as ALL of the Egyptian, Arabian and North African Styles of folklore and regular dance. She also studied Western Classical Ballet, Jazz and Tap, and in some of her tableaux performances, I do recall her doing some Flamenco and even Argentinean Tango".

Nagwa's career was very long, and spanned a period from the 50's to the present. She had come to Cairo with the love and gift of dance fostered in her childhood environment and immediately began to train with great choreographers and musicians, in fact cross-training among several styles. She became known and respected for assembling the best instrumentalists in Egypt, and she used this innovative stellar assembly of musicians to develop a musical, rhythmic brand of performance and choreography.

This list is just a few of the great dancers who, either here or gone, were the pioneers of a now world-class art form. Other great dancers emerged during the same era as Nagwa Fouad and Sohair Zaki. These include Mona Said, Fifi Abdou, Nadia Gamal, and Asa Sharif. Naima Akef from the early days, also featured in The Stars of Egypt series, is known for her many talents, high standards and rigorous work ethic. She also starred in the first full-color Egyptian film, "Baba Aaris" (My father is the bride's groom) directed by her first husband Hessein Fawzy in 1951.

Today's stars shine bright, as many dancers all over the world on every continent continue the true Oriental dance tradition. We have the master teacher Raqia Hassan, and Zhara Zuhair, Cassandra, Jasmin Jahal, Fahtiem, Morocco, Dina of Cairo, and many others. Other great choreographers of our time are Mahmoud Reda (The Reda Folkloric Troupe of Egypt) and the late Ibrahim Farrah (The Ibrahim Farrah School of Near Eastern Dance).

Illustrious instructors, teachers, performers, intellectuals, and choreographers, they are those continuing to raise the standards of the Oriental dance art and forging the way for innovation. Countless students and professionals take the dance into this new century with imagination and new ideas.

"The dancer is the one that makes the music come alive, gives the sound a physical, three-dimensional existence. Interacting with her musicians, inspiring them as she is inspired by their virtuoso performances and taking all of that by the scruff of the neck and portraying it to the audience in her aesthetic seduction".
---Hossam Ramzy, http://www.hossamramzy.com

THE DANCE TODAY

The United States is home to more Middle Eastern/Oriental dance professionals and students than1 any other part of the world. Cairo, Egypt remains the capital of professional dance in the Mid-east. Many dancers there come from the U.S. and Europe to perform in establishments such as 5-star hotels and restaurants. Today as many Mid-eastern and Arab countries, and Egypt in particular, are becoming more religiously fundamentalist, the popularity of dance as entertainment is waning. There are, however, professionals who still earn high incomes from top-level performances.

In the U.S. and all over the world, students are flocking to learn Middle Eastern dance as it becomes more and more commercially popular, and its cultural origins are appealing to those looking for a mode of exercise, artistic expression, cultural study, or a deeper spiritual connection within. From here on, I will use the term "Bellydance" because that is the familiar term for those outside the profession, but remember that it is a Western, generalized term that can convey many erroneous things.

Many women are attracted to the enduring quality of joy and feminine power that remains in the dance from its centuries of evolution among women who danced in gatherings and for each other. It also contains vestiges of some forms of exercises that were used to strengthen the specific muscles used for childbirth. Thus, the folk wisdom of the ages underlies its obvious healthful aspects and artistic quality.

Let's not forget that Middle Eastern dance is also performed by men in masculine, traditional styles,1 such as the Moroccan Tea Tray dance which combines balance and dexterity.

Practicing Bellydance is a good exercise providing aerobic and isometric benefits because it involves grounded, internal, and muscular movements. A diligent student will find that muscles involved in "core strength", like those in the abdomen, back, and upper legs tone quickly. Many people find that Bellydance complements their fitness repertoire and relieves stress. Still others find that it helps chronic health conditions and aids in the relief of physical illnesses. And all students enjoy the music, cultural information, camaraderie and costuming that the Bellydance hobby provides!

We have discussed the classical folk style that is more oriented to Egypt and that has influenced dance performance in other parts of the Middle East and the world. As a testament to its difficulty one must study for a long time before mastering the highly choreographed Egyptian style, but it is easy to benefit from studying dance as a fan or as an amateur performer. A dancer may also choose to study many styles, such as any of the various folk styles, or use the timeless, basic vocabulary of movements to create a new interpretation.

Many of today's top professional Middle Eastern dancers like Cassandra, Jasmin Jahal and Jillina adopted Oriental dance after studying professional ballet and American Modern dance, fusing it with the strength and skill acquired from the practice of other dance disciplines. Their innovations, exemplified in their individual performance and professional troupes, are often fused with jazz dance and other international dance styles in elaborate stage choreographies.

Other dancers have merged traditional Bellydance movements with cutting-edge modernity, fusing it with New Age music, club music, poetry, and contemporary music- including current hits from Arabic singers like the world-famous Hakim. In fact, a modern "pop" choreography to an Arabic song is often included in a full-length performance.

The best example of an amalgamation of Middle Eastern and North African and other ethnic dance1 styles is The American Tribal Style. Jamila Salimpour created this style in the late 1960's with her troupe Bal Anat for the Renaissance Faires. Fat Chance Bellydance on the West Coast later patented it over 15 years ago. "Tribal" Bellydance is highly stylized and synchronized. It is performed in groups. The colorful tribal costume borrows from many ethnic sources, usually consisting of a turban wrapped around the head, gypsy skirts, an Indian choli blouse, heavy tribal jewelry, and body and facial tattooing. The musical accompaniment may be ultra-modern synthesized recordings or very earthy heavy percussion.