But an Arab Told me So!

So in my last post I talked about my feelings on the style of dance I am seeing more and more at competitions. That it lacks that "oriental feeling" (I am tempted to say "Arabic feeling" and will actually use it from now on in this post, but since there are other styles, like Turkish for example, I didn't want to discriminate).

This I found puzzling at first, since it seems to me that having that feeling, and dancing "like an Egyptian/Arab" is something oriental dancers strive for.

That's why getting a compliment or a positive reaction from an Arab is so highly valued. And I think that`s correct, since the dance and the culture cannot truly be disconnected, in my opinion (but that`s a topic by itself).

HOWEVER - I am lately seeing many puzzling performances, justified by the fact, that "an Arab said it was ok".  Compliments and critique from (not only) Arabs should always be taken with a grain of salt. Here`s why:

First of all, Arabs don't know everything. Through festivals we are led to believe that the Egyptian Master Teacher is the all-knowing dance genius. Well, no... Look at their khaliji or radah dancing. It`s a far cry from the real deal. Just because they are Arab (and to confuse you even more, this is also subject to discussion among ME populations, but it is not related to dance so let`s just stop here) it does not mean they are familiar with all dances and music types. Khaliji rhythm? It should be Khaliji rhythms, plural. Raqs Arab? Ask an Egyptian what it is, they probably won't know. The same goes in the other direction - Nubian dance? Ask a Syrian, they don`t know. The difference between Nawar (a Gypsy group found in Syria) and Badu (Bedouin)? They're the same. Except they`re not. But to city populations these terms are often interchangeable.

When it comes to theoretical knowledge, a well educated foreign dancer might actually know better than an Arab.

Sometimes, these Egyptian Master Teachers will honestly believe what they teach and say. Back in 2008-2009 I used to work with a smaller private folkloric troupe in Cairo, composed of Reda and Qawmia dancers looking for more revenue, as well as some random girls from shaabi districts just wanting a job. I loved the manager and the choreographer - I was very lucky that they treated me well but that is yet another story. The choreographer, Mr. Hassan, did this pharaonic piece which we used for zaffas - the bride or the groom would be carried in on a gold gilded chair by the male dancers. The costume and the movements were all too much like some orientalistic Hollywood fantasy of what dance might have looked like during the Pharaonic era. Walk like an Egyptian, anyone? This particular piece had been intriguing me until one day I asked Mr. Hassan what his inspiration was. Like, how does he know what the dances looked like? Without hesitating, he simply answered "but we have the drawings on the temples, we know how they danced". And guess what, I am sure he was being 100% honest and believed what he said. Yet, if you saw that piece, you could probably tell that there was a lot of artistic licence in there. 

And sometimes, and I am sorry if I ruin anyone's illusions, the teachers just make things up, or keep teaching something they know is not really true, but it sells. Many times, Arab dancers (and even musicians) don't research. It's something that is so much part of their culture and environment growing up, that they don't analyse the "why", they just DO. So when foreign students keep on asking the meaning of this or that movement, or keep asking why this or why that, some teachers just come up with an answer or a theory. 

Secondly, I don`t think there is one single way or one correct style to dance belly dance the "Arab way". Every dancer develops her own style, and the preferences differ from country to country. What I do think is that there is a correct way to understand the music, the rhythms, the moods of the maqams... For me, that`s what makes someone`s style "Arabic". And you can do spins, backbends, hairflips, front splits... There are not wrong movements per se, but there is a time and mood for them in a performance. For me, without understanding the music correctly - and by this I don`t mean the song lyrics but the structure of oriental music - there cannot be Arabic feeling in the dance. This is very difficult for someone who didn't grow up surrounded by that music and culture and can take years, but I do believe it is doable.

This does not mean that a ME audience cannot enjoy a "foreign dancer" (I use this word here instead of western , because first of all that is a geographically limited term and second, Arabs themselves use the word "ajnabi" to describe non-Arab things). They can actually enjoy them very much! I used to work with a female Lebanese singer who would express her admiration every time she would see a technically strong foreign dancer, saying how much we take the dance seriously and treat it with respect - training regularly, going to class, doing big theatre shows....

And at the same venue there was a drummer who would say that none of these dancers knew how to dance correctly. He would say they were "shatrin" (this could be translated here as a mixture of talented and skilled), having beautiful turns and spins and posture, but that they didn't know how to use the dum and the tak. He wasn't talking about the quality of their movement technique, but the use of it.

So there is a difference between complimenting beautiful technique and complimenting interpretation or authenticity.

This also shows, that there is not one single opinion - Arabs are also individuals, go figure! What one likes the other might not. Some like faster dancers, some like softer choreographies. Lebanese might not like the Egyptian style and vice versa. Some have higher expectations and want to see some serious technique, some want just a good entertainer for their niece's wedding (that's the party where no one even paid attention to your dance and you actually didn't even dance much, because everyone stood up a minute into your mejansé and filled the dance floor), but will still tell you what a fantastic dancer you are because they had a blast.

I used to be devastated by the drummer's critique, feeling I was a horrible dancer. Then I got a booking with a new place (Iraqi) and they loved me so much, they now book only me. Apparently they think I am a wonderful dancer. I worked with the drummer again and he would suddenly compliment me - nothing changed in my style. He might just have been in a better mood, or we did songs I was more comfortable with, who knows.

Just like with Western audiences, the general public and the expert public will not look at your dancing the same way. The latter will probably put higher standards on your technique and musicality than the first. If you get critique from a musician from the band you`re working with, be prepared it will be harsher than that of the customers.

Finally, this leads to me to the last point - who is the compliment coming from? What is the context? If you are a dancer, you have probably been flirted with more than once while on the job. Be aware, that the compliments might just be part of said flirting. I was once dating this guy who would praise my cooking, which actually is horrible, only to later find out that he did that to be nice, because he liked me.....I also had a musician boyfriend who would always tell me I am the best dancer ever, which turned out to mean "best in his eyes" because he loved me. So there you have it. 

I actually think that this last type of compliments is more frequent than one might expect. What with all the Egyptian guys using Facebook like a dating service and watching the dancers' Youtube videos and then showering them with compliments. 

Getting critique and compliments from Arabs (or Turks, or Persians or whatever your target audience is) is vital in my opinion. However, one compliment from one random guy in Hurghada, who compliments your dance and then asks for your mobile number in the same sentence is not something I would take too seriously. 

Do try to please your ME audience and listen to their opinions but don't let it stress you out too much, because you might never fit someone's personal taste. If you make sure to study the music thoroughly though, you will feel comfortable enough to let yourself go and find your own style, while still staying true to the oriental essence of the dance. 

Cheers,

Ranya

Not All That Shines is Gold - on Medals and Competitions

We all want our dance to be a respected art. The how's and why's of this are still making the rounds in discussions and I hope it stays that way as we need this kind of discussions. There are so many things to write about concerning artistry and niveau in the world of oriental dance, or bellydance (I do not shun this word and you will see me use it a lot on this blog), so why should I be writing about competitions first, you might wonder.

First of all because I just came back from a festival where I judged a 9-hour long competition and because, believe it or not, I do think that competitions are often doing more harm than good to bellydance. But let me explain.

Before you say that this is my hurt ego speaking because I am jealous of all the winners, you should know that I myself took part in several competitions and also placed first in most of them (I placed 3rd twice). I am also now a frequent judge at competitions, including the Dutch Championship in 2012, which takes place under the IDO umbrella. I do not hate competitions. I think they push a dancer to work harder on her/himself, and many new talents can be discovered this way. While I consider myself a club performer, I gained many good contacts through competitions, not to mention about the experience I took away with me. I like competitions and I am happy they exist. 

The level of the dancers is getting higher and higher every year - I feel like the technique and appearance (costuming, make up, hair) is finally getting the importance it deserves, which indeed brings bellydance closer to other dance forms and away from the image it has as "just some undefined shaking in a coin hip-scarf". I am amazed by the technique and strenght of some dancers. Delighted even. I wish I had such a strong technique many times, because I don`t. 

I don`t even think it is bad to admit to the desire to win. I heard many times people complain that it got too competitive and thus the dance lost its soul of sisterhood. But what is wrong with wanting to win? That is logically the first goal of joining. No, I don't think there is anything bad about the desire to be the best. I had it too, for every competition I joined. 

But while I was sitting there for nine hours watching all the dances, I was asking myself - where did the bellydance go? The choreographies would include odd movements at odd places. There is a certain logic to bellydance. There is a natural flow that leads your dance when you hear a maqsoum or a laff or a baladi rhythm. When you hear a qanun or an accordeon. Oh wait - except there isn`t anymore I guess. 

It was all about spins and turns. Which would be fine but there was no hip work either. Arms and legs were strictly kept in 45,90,180 degree angles. Minimal amount of undulations and the isolations and accents were all hip-hop like pops and locks. 

Now, while I do agree that your average Arab club dancer would probably not win a competition, I do not agree that only the current westernized style is suited for success. Getting an oriental feeling and styling to your dance does not mean you should not point your feet, keep a good posture, have strong arms and hands or not do fast spins. DO ALL OF THAT. I too hate flappy technique and I don`t think it has a place in any sort of dance on a professional level. But learn your rhythms! Learn the instruments! Learn the background of the songs. What the heck learn the background of the dance itself!!! 

Your shimmy can be ground-shaking but I will make you lose points if you do it on a soft nay taqsim (when there is no tremollo). 

But wait - there is a reason all these young new dancers think it is ok and they bask in the glory of their shining gold medals. It`s because they think that if they placed first then it all was good!

Someone gave them that medal after all... Why would they doubt any of it. 

I do not mean to say it is all the judges fault. In the end, the points are a sum of all the judges` points. But I also feel like some judges probably never saw an Arab dance. Or never worked with ME audiences. Or they themselves are there only because they won the competition last year and being part of the jury was part of the prize. Especially the last point is puzzling, being given the many factors that influence the outcome of a given competition at that one given moment. 

I am afraid that if we keep these young new talents in this bubble, that has been so cleaned from all that could be remotely connected to how dancing looks in clubs and restaurants or done by Arab dancers (not those at festivals! but those that do commercial performances), we will let bellydance transform itself into something unrecognizable.

If a dancer knows the theory, the music, the movement vocabulary, and still chooses the westernized style, then that is her own artistic choice. What bugs me is that I feel like most of these girls actually DO NOT KNOW any of this. Because their teachers or choreographers (if they have any and are not training all alone by themselves) might not know all this or bother showing them. And if the dancers do train alone, then they are most likely to just look at other competition dancers.  

So after this very long and chaotic post, here is what I wish would happen : 

Competitors, go and ask for feedback. Always. Even if you won first place. Do not forget you are also there because you were compared to the other girls that might happen to be bad dancers, or they just had a bad day etc. Sorry to put it this way but that`s what it is. That you were first does not mean you did nothing wrong. 

Judges, I know we cannot just go and give feedback if the dancer didn`t ask for it. It can be rude. But try to find a way to sneak in some feedback. Maybe make a general public proposition to give feedback - many competitors do not know they can ask for feedback. 

And everyone - do not work in clubs if you don`t feel like it. Do not dress with slits all up to the waist-line of your skirt if it makes you uncomfortable. Do fusion if that is what you prefer. But DO know how the dance looks like when it`s done outside of festivals and competitions. DO go to the clubs as a customers, at least a couple of times. DO learn from dancers working in such a setting. DO watch other Youtube videos than who won the most recent IDO Cup of Russia. Do not just learn combinations and choreographies, but try to understand WHY a certain combination has been put where it is in the choreo. 

I hope you do!

WELCOME!

Welcome to my blog. After years of inactivity I decided to return to blogging, inspired by fellow artists such as Shereen, Amar Lammar, Luna of Cairo, Magda Monti ... just to name a few. While many interesting discussions take place on Facebook, I think a blog is a better and more public platform to voice my thoughts and opinions, of which I have quite a few. Many posts will be reactions to posts by other dancers/bloggers, so make sure to follow their blogs. You can find links to them in the side bar on the right.

Please feel free to comment and share.

Cheers, Ranya.