![\"hiroglyf\"](\"http:\/\/www.gildedserpent.com\/art48\/graphics48\/hiroglyf.jpg\")
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Egyptian and American Belly Dance: how different can they be? I lean back into my plush red velvet chair and begin to count the ways. Armed with my research, experience, numerous trips to Egypt to study dance and an Egyptian in the seat next to me, I prepare to enjoy and evaluate the American phenomenon known as The Belly Dance Superstars<\/a>, in comparison to superstars on the international level, hailing from Egypt, such as Dina<\/a>,Randa<\/span><\/a>, and Tito<\/a>. <\/p>\n The lights dim and the curtains open, catapulting us into what is clearly\ta backdrop modeled on a pharonic amphitheater\u2014cool! Luxuriously layered shades\tof rich bold colors are projected like a film on the stage backdrop. They oscillate and metamorphose into a number of intriguing designs, curiously, in harmony with the apparent pharonic theme.<\/p>\n I remember the saying "Cairo is the Hollywood of Bellydance" is\tfor a reason, and I think the ancient Egyptian theme takes us back to where the roots are deepest.<\/p>\n Even The Cairo Museum contains a multitude of representations of this ancient dance, from funerary to temple, dancers on the Nile boats, and rites of passage, and other rituals are testament to how deeply this dance is entrenched in the Egyptian Culture. It existed there prominently for thousands of years before the advent of Islam, and the current paradox that exists today is a result of this coming together of two distinct cultures and the importance of religion in the region. <\/p>\n The BellyDance Superstars added many elements unknown in Bellydance to their performance: back handsprings and flips by gymnasts, American Tribal dancers, and ballerinas, which introduced aspects of Indian, African, and European dance. It added an element of impressive and exciting entertainment to attract an audience in the West. However, it did not impress the Egyptian in the seat next to me; in fact, it insulted his sensibilities! <\/p>\n By the time Middle Eastern dance reaches North America, a very small amount of it remains, like the game telephone, meaning is lost in passage, which means a limited creativity within a limited genre.<\/p>\n While in Cairo, I was advised that all Bellydance evolved\u2014most recently\u2014from Folk dancing. Each Folk dance class was extremely illuminating of the style, steps, interpretation of songs and their region, and in the case of Sufism\tand other types of dance, even spirituality, energy control, and distribution.\tIt is interesting when the Egyptian dance teachers, like Dr. Mo Gedawwi<\/a>, show us exactly how the move looks in Folk dancing and how it looks when used in the Oriental style (what, unfortunately, Americans call the \u201cCabaretstyle\u201d). <\/p>\n In some countries, (notably, Brazil, Argentina, or Russia), the dancers do learn a great deal more folkdance and musical theory, and therefore, have a richer repertoire of moves and a deeper understanding of the dance. In my opinion, in North America (the United States in particular), a great interest in, or respect for, the ways of native cultures has never been a priority. However, Capitalism demands that money is a priority. Ironically, in order for art to continue to exist, money matters. <\/p>\n Treating Bellydance with respect, in a classical theater with a polite, audience in attendance was welcome to me. However, I do enjoy seeing Bellydance\tin an Arabic restaurant setting because of the intense debates that can follow\ta performance as well as the interaction and emotion displayed by members\tof the audience as well as the dancers.<\/p>\n The narration at the beginning of the show confronted the hard questions in a correct and straightforward manner and asserted that the time had arrived in which Bellydance has earned the respect it deserves.<\/p>\n Since Arabic Music is built on a natural scale, while European music is on a tempered scale, and media has allowed the West to assert its preference world wide, it is difficult to present natural Arabic music to a western audience, as they tend to find Arabic music unattractive and dissonant. The Belly Dance Superstars produce the music in a hyped-up, westernized version\tin order to appeal to a larger audience.<\/p>\n While Arabic music is hard for westerners to understand, it is equally (or more) true that \u201cAmerican Tribal dancing\u201d doesn\u2019t translate as \u201cBellydancing\u201d to Middle Easterners. It is the antithesis of what Bellydance represents\tin Middle Eastern culture. Since the dance represents a woman\u2019s beauty, joy, and social cohesion, in its native environs, and tattoos and piercing are\tconsidered both unattractive and \u201charam\u201d (forbidden or sinful), it is easy\tto recognize the culture shock that ensues, based on appearance alone. <\/p>\n To\tbe honest, the Egyptian in the seat next to me hissed, \u201cI hope you don\u2019t think this is Bellydance!\u201d more than once. Finally, he confronted his difficulties by closing his eyes and feigning sleep while the American Tribal dancers performed.<\/p>\n Bellydance, especially in Egypt, could be called a cultural objective and could also be compared to a football game in the U.S., in that the game is\tonly part of the picture. Society has created a string of events corresponding\tto football games such as: selling t-shirts, placing bets, and as well as\thaving barbecues and get-togethers, there are team rivalries and debates. <\/p>\n In Egypt, this dance was born to tie communities together. The dancer communicates\tand interacts with her audience. It is the only dance that was conceived as an interactive dance, in which she expresses the words and emotions of the music or song with her hand gestures, facial expressions, and movements. <\/p>\n It was not meant to be simply a performance to watch. The movements all have meanings, which express the music and words of the song. It recreates\tpersonal and patriotic dramas through which people have lived\u2014together\u2014as\ta society. This aspect cannot be over-emphasized! <\/p>\n With this in view, it is easy to see that when Tribal dancing starts with its slow, sustained poses, showcasing the dancers moves vs. movements that\tcommunicate meaning and express the music, it creates a serious sense of \u201cdisconnect\u201d for an Arabic audience. In addition, there is little connection\tto the rhythms, which would, ordinarily, dictate whether the dancer should\tbe traveling or stationary, etc. <\/p>\n Despite the loss of many original elements, some very important and impressive\telements remain: the spinning taken from proper Sufism style was present throughout, as were tastefully added nods to moves and choreography created\tby Egyptian masters such as the Mahmoud Reda Troupe<\/a> or Dina<\/a>. They were never\tcopied, but added sparingly, as a spice, impressing me with the level of\tknowledge obtained by the choreographer especially.<\/p>\n Sonia<\/span>‘s drum solo was stunning! My hat is off to her. Although she was accomplished before, she is even better now! Issam<\/strong> was brilliant and charming, as always, and truly uplifting; in fact, he was positive and gracious. Zo\u00eb<\/strong>\tmanaged to infuse an incredible persona into her drum solo. Ending the show with the traditional ending song, \u201cLayla, Layla, Layla,\u201d was another brilliant and ingenious statement by the choreographer. <\/p>\n While it was true that some of the more experienced dancers weren’t present, and it was clear some of the dancers had more practice than others, I thought the show was a grand success all in all. To some degree, I felt it achieved what Um Kalthum<\/a> did when she collaborated with the innovative Mohamed Ab El Wahab<\/strong>: her classicism and his freshness paid off in terms of some of her greatest work such as "Inta Omri." In like fashion, I have hope that more shows like this one will pay off for all of us who wish Bellydance to become the respected art I believe it can be. <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Have a comment? Use or comment section at the bottom of this page or Send us a letter!<\/a> Ready for more?<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n \t\t\t<\/p>\n![\"Marin](\"http:\/\/www.gildedserpent.com\/art48\/graphics48\/marincivic.jpg\")
Money enabled the costuming and grooming to be exquisite for both the top Egyptian and American dancers. Spectators dressed well to attend this show. In Egypt too, Arabic people come from all over the region to see performers and can do so in an elegant five star restaurant, a cruise ship, or a \u201ccabaret,\u201d which is inelegant. Egypt is the media center, known for its movies and political center throughout the Middle East. Dancers are part of that media milieu. A top Egyptian Dancer can command $15,000 dollars (plus airfare and hotel), for herself and her orchestra, which could be twenty or more people. In Phoenix, Arizona, a dancer with a CD makes $25-$100 dollars plus tips to dance in a restaurant. Dancing at parties or weddings will bring significantly more, but clearly, the way in which Egyptian performers are treated, good, bad, and ugly, is deeply rooted in their culture and not truly comparable to other regions.<\/p>\n![\"Tribal](\"http:\/\/www.gildedserpent.com\/art48\/graphics48\/bdsscabtrib.jpg\")
The choreography was very professional and sumptuously presented with a\tfull cast, emphasizing a sense of sisterhood between the cabaret and tribal\tdancers. I was pleasantly surprised that all dances in the show were correct for the genre of music, i.e., Shaabi was danced in the Shaabia style, clearly, and Classical music with Classical dance, Hip-hop with American Tribal, and\tBellydance, dabka with Lebanese music, etc. Too often, in America, I see\tbeautiful Egyptian moves performed with a Turkish song or Pop\/classical danced to Shaabi. I noted that the American Bellydance style was performed to any range and scope of music, thereby negating the music\/dance connection. So, I concluded that The Belly Dance Superstars were aware, professional, and great fun.<\/p>\n![\"Debke\"](\"http:\/\/www.gildedserpent.com\/art48\/graphics48\/debke3.jpg\")
In sociology, sociologists refer to Egypt as a \u201ccollective society." On the other hand, the U.S. is an \u201cindividualistic society.\u201d Going back to the cultural objective, and keeping in mind that Egypt is a collective society, it makes sense that Egyptians and most Middle Easterners might want to participate in a dancer\u2019s performance. They may want to get up and dance too; they will want to critique and debate. In Egypt especially, most dancers (and their good and bad qualities) are known and debated passionately. In Egyptian markets and stores Bellydance costumes are often in evidence, like t-shirts in the U.S. They have a large industry, luring the foreigner to come and learn their authentic version of this ancient art that has been passed down from pharonic and deity worshipping rituals, to Folk dance, to the performance art that it has become today.<\/p>\n![\"Click](\"http:\/\/www.gildedserpent.com\/art48\/graphics48\/bdsslineup6.jpg\")
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\nCheck the "Letters to the Editor<\/a>" for other possible viewpoints!<\/p>\n\n\n