Men in Middle Eastern Dance

Have I mentioned how much I enjoyed the workshop I took with Tarik Sultan? A New York dancer, well-known as the protégé of Morocco but an artist in his own right, Tarik taught a choreography to Saad's "Il Abd Lilah" in the Sha'abi style of Cairo. He sold a CD of hard-to-find Sha'abi music, which I have been enjoying immensely. In fact, I was just listening to it on my Ipod. One song is called "Weeka", but to me it always sounds as if they are singing "Weekend!", which is what I'm looking forward to right now!

After that workshop, I looked Tarik up on Youtube and discovered that there are several men working in Middle Eastern dance. Not nearly as many as the women, but there are quite a few. I have had male friends ask me about whether men can belly dance and whether men DO belly dance, so I've created this Youtube playlist to demonstrate that not only do men dance, but they choose to do so in a variety of ways. It must be a challenge for them: finding costumes, finding a teacher when so many belly dancer teachers only teach for women, learning how to adapt the movements into a style that fits their body, and of course, crossing gender boundaries when most people in the Middle East and America think that belly dance is for women, at least in the public performance arena. Folkloric dances on the other hand often involve men. For example, Raks Assaya is derived for a male dance/martial art called Tahtib. Some male dancers seem to stay in the realm of folklore, or become choreographers and teachers, but do not perform Raks Sharki (the traditional bellydance solo performance). I recently took an assaya (cane) workshop with Mohammed Shahin, a former member of the Reda folkloric troupe in Egypt. I haven't found any Youtube performances of his that aren't folkloric. Besides Assaya, I have also seen him perform the sailor role in a melaya leff tableau, and he is also famous for his tanoura (skirt-spinning ala Sufis). I have also taken a workshop with Jim Boz, an American dancer who definitely performs both raks sharki and fusion bellydance. He is a LOT of fun. This playlist includes all the dancers I've mentioned and more.

When I was in Egypt, I was talking to a jeweler there about dance and dancers, and he asked me if I knew about Tito. Well, of course I know about Tito! He's absolutely amazing. This man agreed, and said that in fact he would rather watch Tito dance than a woman. He said to me, Tito is better than any female dancer in this country. Of course, while Tito defies gender stereotypes by dancing professionally, he doesn't defy the societal rules for men. Men are permitted to be in public life. It's not shameful to watch another man dance, and your wife isn't going to be upset about it. Or so I would suppose – I am not a sociologist, but I know enough to know that I can't make statements like this. However, I've read a lot of articles about men and Middle Eastern dance, and my conversation with the Egyptian jeweler seem to dovetail nicely with the sentiments in those articles.

Happy Birthday

No, it's not my birthday - I'm a December baby. I'm talking about the song "Happy Birthday". As bellydancers are frequently hired for birthday parties, it's useful to know where you can find a copy of the Birthday song, one with a bellydance flavor.

In my research, I have discovered the following bellydance birthday songs:

• On an unknown Jehan album, there is a routine that starts with the Happy Birthday song.
• On a children's album by Madonna (the Arabic Madonna), there is a version.
• Walid Toufic's Greatest Hits album has Happy Birthday in English, Arabic, and French!
• The album "Bellydance Party" by Isis and the Star Dancers has a short and sweet version of Happy Birthday.

If all else fails, this youtube video has a very silly, possibly Turkish, Happy Birthday.

What Nepenthe is listening to, right now

Because I listen to Middle Eastern music all the time, I thought that I could have a recurring topic on this blog – what I am listening to right now. I go in phases, listening only to Egyptian baladi progressions for a few weeks, then drum solos, then maybe I'm listening to just Shaabi. Right now, I have discovered a new secret treasure cave within my IPOD, full of music that I had downloaded, but not really listened to yet.

I am seriously digging Dr. Samy Farag. I had just downloaded a few songs from Emusic after seeing Virginia dance to Gawaher on video. Most of his songs start out really exciting, and they all have a lot of changes. I really like the full routine Gawaher because it starts out with a really fantastic entrance, and then moves into a short baladi progression, and a drum solo. It has it all, but at 15 minutes, I probably can't use it in any of my shows. So the song I currently adore and will use in my next set is Rakasni Ya Habibi. I love that it's got the fast exciting entrance, slow juicy parts, and even a fun section with singing.

I thought he was Lebanese because the first song I heard of his, Moghram Ya Leil, was labeled as "Modern Lebanese". And another song he does is "Set El Hosen", which I thought was a Lebanese classic. However, I just now learned (thanks to the Internet), that he's an Egyptian living in Hollywood, CA. But it just doesn't sound like classical or even modern Egyptian to me. His music has a lot of the same elements that I like in Mohammed Ali compositions or the Wash Ya Wash albums, by which I mean the complexities and changes and variety. But it's also very different from those things, to my ear. It has more of a Vegas Showgirl sound to it. I just asked about this on an online bellydance forum so I'll update this post when I get the answer.

A lot of his albums are available on Emusic, and on Itunes. The songs I have been listening to have been from: Dunia El Raks (Set El Hosen, Towam Rouhi, Moghram Ya Leil), Midnight Magic (Gawaher), and Masters of Bellydance Music (Rakasni Ya Habibi).

whee!

I had a wonderful night performing at the Red Fez. I did two sets with the live band. The usual band (the Arabian Nightingales) had another arrangement, but the sub band was great too! I recognized the drummer from shows at the Middle East, so we had a rapport. Because of the dance space, we had more room to interact than we did at the Middle East and I really enjoyed it. One time, we actually level-changed down to the floor and it was like a competition to see who could stay down longer! I gave up - my knees aren't that good. I ended up playing my finger cymbals through my entire second set. I guess I can be comfortable with my finger cymbals, when the music is so good that it transports you into another place and your fingers with you! At any rate, I really enjoyed the band and had a wonderful time dancing and interacting with all the patrons of the restaurant. I really understand what people mean when they say there is something special about live music, something you can't capture with a CD. I do love dancing to a Cd, especially since most bands don't play some of my favorite songs, but there was a true connection tonight, and an energy that suffused the room from the live music.

At any rate, I can definitely recommend the Red Fez for its food, atmosphere, drinks, service. If that place is always as good as it was tonight, it well deserves more of my business. Don't even get me started on the grapeleaves - best I've ever had!

Music, Improvisation, and Choreography

I had the opportunity to spend time in a near-two hour interview with a ethnomusicology student, interviewing bellydancers about their relationship with the music. It was great! I really enjoyed being able to articulate my thoughts. I really feel strongly about the importance of Arabic (or Turkish) music to this dance form. I have danced to other genres of music, but as I become more experienced, it is harder and harder to do so. Music from that region of the world just tells you how to dance. Western dance music makes you want to get up and shake your booty; Arabic music actually informs the type of booty-shaking you will do. I was explaining in the interview, there are many elements in the music that help a dancer improvise. The instrument can tell you how to dance, the shimmer of a qanoun echoed in a shimmer of the hips. The rhythm can tell you what to do, directly when a drum roll is a shimmy, or inspired by the folk style where the rhythm originates, as in saidi, khaleegy, or haggalah. The genre of music, from orchestrated classical Egyptian to baladi to sha'abi, can tell you what your style and general demeanor should be. One of the things I love about Arabic music is the frequent changes, so that I never get bored of listening and responding to the music.

I am an improvisational dancer, although I will spot-choreograph an entrance. I "choreograph" by repeatedly improvising to the music until certain combinations crystallize, particularly if there are dramatic accents.

Yet, I take a lot of choreography-based workshops. Choreography workshops focus on learning a choreographed dance to specific music, rather than learning technique or styles. Why would an improvisational dancer take so many choreography workshops? I know some people who hate choreography and avoid choreography-based workshops. I just see it in a different way. I am not learning the choreography so that I can perform it on my own. Even if I could replicate what I learned in my own performance, it wouldn't be "me". Instead, I am learning, through the choreography, how someone puts a dance together, what movements they choose to put to what music, and occasionally new moves and combinations. I can remember the exact workshops where I learned certain moves, such as traveling with an undulation while raising the arms slowly above the head. I learned that from Amar Gamal. From Yasmina Ramzy, I learned a sassy grande hip circle, accented by little bumps on each of the 4 corners. From Yasmina Ramzy, I also learned to snap my fingers Arabic-style!

I really enjoyed the workshop I took from Katia this weekend, on Nagua Fouad inspired choreography. I learned so much about Nagua Fouad. Although I have been studying her videos, it was not until Katia pulled out her specialties (beautiful arms & hands, for example), that I realized I had noticed the same things in my video studies. I also learned the right way to do a hip drop-kick with coordinating arms, apparently a move that Nagua was known for. The music was beautiful and elegant and it was a pleasure to be studying the classical roots of our dance. Often people try to keep it interesting with workshops on folkloric styles, pop music, or some kind of fusion. To be dancing pure Raqs Sharqi style was a delight!

Easter Show, Underbelly, Upcoming Schedule

Easter at the Middle East was a blast! All of the regulars were there, and the Egyptians were back! Usually they show up after the dancers, but this time they reserved a table and were there all night. One of the guys jumped up and did my entire drum solo with me. I bet he would like to be a belly dancer himself! Jemileh, Susi and Alicia were also on the schedule, and we got a table together after our sets. Social dancing was fun last night too. I danced to Bel Arabi with a guy who must be learning his dance moves from Saad El Soghayer himself. He really had it down! I am starting to get over my shyness. I started dancing there a little over a year ago, and I could hardly look the audience in the eye when I performed. Last night was probably the most audience participation of my life, not even counting drum solo guy. I just love the holidays there.

I caught the Boston premiere of Underbelly, a documentary about punk rocker, burlesque performer and bellydancer Princess Farhana. The movie was entertaining and touching on many levels. There is a bit of crassness though, so sadly I don't think it's a suitable movie for kids. Every belly dancer should see this movie because so many things are echoed in each of our lives.

In other news, I should announce that I will be off on a business trip until April 9th. When I get back, I have a very busy schedule if you check out my Performances page. I am performing in one of Johara's pieces for her newest show, Emergence. Then, I'm performing in Amira Jamal's student recital, both as a soloist and a duet with my friend Lilya. I'll also be at the Morocco workshop/birthday show. Then of course, I have my regular dates at the Middle East, and my newest venue - the Red Fez. It will be a very busy spring! I love dancing though so I am looking forward to it. Life is short, so we should spend it doing what we love!

Good Press

The latest NBDA event - the People's Choice Awards 2008 - were written up in the Boston Globe. The writer did a really good job of representing our dance form, in all its variety! I know he interviewed a lot of dancers, but he chose his quotes and story structure to create a very cohesive article about belly dance. I've been interviewed for the press before and it doesn't always come out this well!

Be It Styles or Backgrounds, bellydancers like to shake it up
http://www.boston.com/news/local/articles/2008/03/16/great_shakes