ABOUT BELLYDANCE
Bellydance is one of the worlds oldest dances and originates in what is, today,
considered the Arabic world. Although the movement language used in bellydance
is consistent throughout the Middle East, variations of characteristic stylings
are equated with specific regions. Most U.S. dancers do not dance any pure form
of the dance, but a fusion of stylings, known as "American Style belly dance."Bellydance
(sometimes referred to as the original sacred women's dance) was
originally practiced as a social activity among women -a favorite pastime
promoting holistic wellbeing. The movements in belly dance mimic movements,
cycles and patterns found in nature. It is thought that our earliest ancestors
moved their bodies in ways that mimicked mother nature's, as a way of celebrating
their spiritual and physical connection to her. There is an earthiness to
bellydance that is distinctly different from the styles of dance Westerners are
accustom to seeing. In Dances such as ballet, jazz and modern dance, the emphasis
is on the limbs of the body, and there is a distinct effort placed on escaping gravity. In bellydance,
the dance is about the body rather that the limbs, and our gravitational
connection to the earth is celebrated. This is clearly visible in the look of
the dance. Bellydance is rooted in natural movement.
Bellydance has
continued to evolve over a span of literally thousands of years, and continues to
be practiced as a favorite social activity among the women of today all over the
world. The bellydance of today still reflects the reverence our ancestors had
for Mother Earth and her creations. Below is a glimpse of some of the different
styles of bellydance available to study in America today. All of the styles
listed below are taught by Sahlah.
CLASSES
Beginners through
Advanced level classes are held on a regular basis (see schedule). Dance
students are presented with performance opportunities, but performing is not a requirement of the class. We find
that many students enjoy taking the class for the physical, mental, and emotional
fitness and benefits, or just for the fun of it.
Styles of the Dance:
EGYPTIAN CABARET
Controlled, elegant, refined and often includes some ballet. Muscular
control is emphasized and movements are small and internalized, “less is more”
seems to be the basic Philosophy. By law, Egyptian dancers must cover their
stomachs, so many American Egyptian style dancers also wear stomach covers to be
more “authentic.”
BELEDI
This is the music & dance of the Egyptian countryside. The music and dancing has
more of an earthy, folk quality to it, and is sometimes performed with canes. A
Beledi dress is commonly worn for this style, along with a triangular headscarf.
Tahtib is the men’s martial arts dance of Egypt, performed with the long canes
which were historically used in combat.
TURKISH CABARET
Seen as being almost at the opposite end of the spectrum, dancers are often
flamboyant with large earthy moves. “Anything Goes” seems to be the philosophy
here. Leaps and lots of pelvic movements are common. Costuming is often more
skimpy than many other styles, but dressing scantily is not a requirement of
Turkish dancers.
LEBANESE CABARET
Includes Western stylings like Jazzy movements, kicks, head tosses, quirky
poses and lots of turns. Veil is more widely used, and the Lebanese dancers often
wear high heels. Cane is also used with rare use of zills.
GREEK BELLYDANCE
Most like a mixture of Egyptian & Lebanese Cabaret with lots of zill
playing. Greek music is distinctly different from Arabic music, but usually
upbeat and very danceable.
GYPSY DANCE
Depending on the region, Gypsy dance can resemble Beledi or Turkish styles.
Gypsy dancing, in general, involves folkloric style hand gestures, lots of skirt
throws, kicks and spins. The costuming reflects the regions in which the gypsies
have traveled through, and so elements of different countries are often worn.
Very full skirts are usually worn along with cholies or blousy shirts with
cropped vests.
AMERICAN
TRIBAL STYLE
An American take on bellydance that involves techniques for dancing with groups
of dancers in an improvised manor. The dancers learn queues that enable non-verbal communication while dancing, which enables the dancers to dance in unison. Costuming is an eclectic blend of various
cultures and has a strong ethnic look. Music is usually organic, non-synthesized. This is a very popular style of dance in the US today.
PROPS USED IN BELLYDANCE:
Props used in bellydance include sword, cane, zills, fire, veil, double veil, Isis wings, candelabra, goblet glasses, snakes and fans, as well as anything else a really creative dancer may think up. Sahlah teaches all of the above prop use in her advanced-level classes.
