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When I was contacted by Bellydance Japan magazine<\/span> near the end of 2014, they were looking for dancers to interview for its Spring issue which would feature dances of Iraq, the Gulf region and Iran. I was confident to say there was no better person than Assala<\/span> to talk about Iraqi dance.<\/em><\/p>\n My first encounter with her was in her Kawliya and Iraqi Zar workshops at Amani’s Oriental Festival in July 2014. I was excited by this rare opportunity to learn the dance from a native Iraqi dancer because dance for me is not a fantasy but a way to understand the culture behind it and to make a spiritual connection with the people of the dance.<\/em><\/p>\n Her workshops exceeded my expectations. She taught us not only the movements and techniques but also put more importance on explanations of the history, the culture and the spirit of the dance. The way she introduced us to the various theories on those topics made me believe she was truly an intelligent person. She did not deny any of the theories while clearly explaining her opinions on them.<\/em><\/p>\n We continued chatting and exchanging mails after the interview for the magazine, and the information I collected from her expanded to the point that we both felt it should be shared with a broader community. That was how I came to contact Gilded Serpent<\/span>.<\/em><\/p>\n Unfortunately, now Iraq is one of the most difficult places to visit. Unless one has a friend in or from Iraq, it is not easy for us outsiders to have a correct understanding of the culture. There are myths and misconceptions around and we see Iraqi dance has been transformed into something different from its origin. As Assala says, while understanding and accepting such natural change, we should have knowledge to understand the differences. I am pleased to share the precious information from Assala on Iraqi dance particularly on Kawliya with all the readers.<\/em><\/p>\n Could you first tell us your background as well as your original encounter with dance?<\/p>\n I was born and raised up in Basrah City in South of Iraq. Basrah is the Persian-Gulf-side gate of Iraq, a port city with a special heritage of Iraq and Khalij mixed culture. A wedding business?<\/p>\n Since weddings are very important occasions in the lives of Iraqi women, my mother had a special status among the women who needed her skills of making wedding dresses and applying makeup. Our house used to be full of women, mainly young ladies with their female relatives and friends who came for their wedding dresses or Henna night dresses. Henna night is the night before the wedding night. After a bride got her dress, my mother used to go to her house on the wedding night to apply makeup to her, which was the final process of my mother’s work.<\/p>\n My mother was engaged in this small business using a big room in our house. There were some Christian women working with her who had great embroidery skills, and a daughter of one of them was my childhood best friend. My mother sometimes went to church with them when there were special occasions. From these experiences, I remembered great harmony among religions in my childhood in Iraq. I feel very sad about today’s situation in Iraq that so many Christians and other minorities have to leave their home due to the violence and the wars.<\/p>\n In fact, my mother’s work influenced me a lot during my childhood. I grew up among beautiful colours, beautiful fabrics and women dancing during henna nights and weddings. I was always keen to help my mother carrying her things when she went to apply makeup. I was a very dreamy little girl who was very fascinated with the world surrounding me. So I was always the one who stood up and danced in my relatives’ weddings, but of course only among women and not in the presence of men.<\/p>\n Was your decision to become a dancer accepted by your family?<\/span> Is dancing popular in Basrah like it is in Egypt?<\/p>\n Yes. Traditional dances and music are very important in Basrah too. As it is a port city where the cultures of various countries flow in, a rich culture of many types of dance flourished. We have Samri<\/em> dance which originated in Khalij, as well as Hajaa<\/em> and Chobi<\/em> dances, and of course Khashaba<\/em> dance and music. Movements of Zaar<\/a> dance from Africa are now very well integrated in the Sufi and Ritual dance in Basrah. As well, Hewa\/Lewa<\/em> dance is a unique mixture of Afro and Samri dances, which can be considered a local specialty dance.<\/p>\n Could you tell us about Kawliya which is typically considered by belly dancers to represent Iraqi dance?<\/p>\n The term, “Iraqi dance,” covers the whole dance of the country and not only the Iraqi gypsy dance.<\/p>\n To belly dancers, Kawliya is generally known as a name of a dance but actually it is a name of a people. General information we find in research and the media support a theory that the Kawliya are gypsies of Indian origin. However there are other theories that claim they are the indigenous people of old Iraq (Mesopotamia). There are no proven theories of their origin and we Iraqis call them the “Puzzle of Iraq”.<\/p>\n I’m planning to soon publish the results of my own research on these theories. Please refer to it to find out more about the origin of the Kawliya people and the meaning of the name. It will also contain findings about an interesting relationship between Kawliya dance moves and the ancient ritual dance of Ishtar and Innana worshipping which is aimed to affect and influence the universe and life on earth through its dance moves.<\/p>\n What is the situation of the Kawliya people in Iraqi society?<\/p>\n
\n As I used to tag around my mother who had a wedding business, I was always surrounded by festive dance when I was little. Just like you start speaking without recognizing from what point, in the same way I naturally started dancing.<\/p>\n![\"Iraq\"](\"http:\/\/www.gildedserpent.com\/art60\/graphics60\/iraqmap.jpg\")
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\n Well, dancing on stages as a performer is totally different from dancing among female relatives and friends. Even though my family were not very conservative, it was still hard for them to accept my decision to be a dancer. It is still something they cannot be proud of.<\/p>\n