Nepenthe, American Belly Dancer

Diva Pageant details

noreply@blogger.com (Nepenthe) — Sun, 24 Aug 2008 20:01:00 +0000

I suppose I have not written much in here lately. Rest assured, I will have much to write about soon. Next weekend is the Diva Pageant, where I am entering as a soloist, and with my duet partner, Lilya. In two weeks, I will taking my zills and veil to Las Vegas for the Vegas Bellydance Intensive, a weekend-long event of workshops and shows.

People have asked me about the Diva Pageant, so I will decipher Za-Beth's flyer and post the relevant information here.

Diva Pageant with 3 categories of contestants – The Grande Dame (soloist), Troupe Choreography, and Fusion

Show Time 5:30 PM
Courtyard by Marriot, 700 Unicorn Park Drive
Woburn MA 01801
Pageant Tickets: $20

Don't quote me, but Suhaila Salimpour may be performing as well, and rumor has it that Issam Housham is teaching workshops – I wouldn't be surprised to see him on the stage. We'll see.

Men in Middle Eastern Dance

noreply@blogger.com (Nepenthe) — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 15:34:00 +0000

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

noreply@blogger.com (Nepenthe) — Thu, 19 Jun 2008 01:15:00 +0000

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

noreply@blogger.com (Nepenthe) — Sun, 04 May 2008 19:04:00 +0000

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!

noreply@blogger.com (Nepenthe) — Sun, 04 May 2008 04:47:00 +0000

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

noreply@blogger.com (Nepenthe) — Fri, 18 Apr 2008 14:28:00 +0000

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

noreply@blogger.com (Nepenthe) — Mon, 24 Mar 2008 21:21:00 +0000

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

noreply@blogger.com (Nepenthe) — Tue, 18 Mar 2008 18:56:00 +0000

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

old times and new times

noreply@blogger.com (Nepenthe) — Tue, 18 Mar 2008 18:36:00 +0000

I love love love this article on the Gilded Serpent.

Nina writes about the old cabaret clubs of eighth avenue New York and talks about how things have changed:
http://www.gildedserpent.com/art43/ninacab2dj.htm

This article made me a bit wistful. I can't imagine what it was like, and yet I have heard so many stories from my teacher, Amira Jamal. She was a dancer in the New York clubs in the seventies, and she has mentioned these musicians, even dancing alongside Ozel Turkbas. Back then, she tells us - the dancer's set could last over an hour. I can always imagine her as a young woman in a blue velvet bedlah, doing sultry floorwork to a slow chiftetelli or taxim in a smoky club, one hand undulating out towards the audience to the tune of a mournful clarinet. I am happy to be alive now, but I would love to time-travel back to these eighth-avenue clubs!

As the author laments the end of these clubs, I do feel lucky in Boston. Not only do we have several clubs (the Athenian Corner, the Middle East) where you could hear live musicians accompanied by dancers; but we also have some new Lebanese supper clubs where live bands play for some of our city's best dancers (like my other teacher, Najmat). On top of that, we have the dancer's community, the haflis and dancer's events. There seems to be an opportunity for anyone to perform in some way or another. I think we are also lucky here to have preserved that old Turkish, Armenian and Greek music - thanks to our musicians (like Michael Gregian, who co-taught a workshop last night on live taxim).

However, lately at haflis around here, and at national events like Rakkasah, I have noticed there is a trend towards non-traditional. It seems fewer and fewer dancers are interested in using Arabic music. Even the Arabic pop is giving way to American hip hop. I can appreciate the tribal-fusion stylings, and there was a time when I saw so much novelty that I preferred them to the traditionalists. But it seems like we're losing decades of knowledge. Although I meet many dancers online who care about Middle Eastern music and dance styles, I see in our events many new dancers who do not seem to know or care to learn about these things. They would rather do something cool, hip, new and ultimately American. I discovered this dance on a trip to Istanbul, and I feel even more strongly about representing the culture after my recent trip to Egypt. I know I will always have an American accent on this dance, but I also feel like it's my responsibility to learn as much as I can about middle eastern culture, and stay respectful to the grandmothers of this dance form.

Because of my teachers, I have been exposed to the traditional styles of dance and music. Thanks to Amira Jamal, I have learned about the early traditions of American Cabaret, that smoky nightclub dancing in the article. Katia has taught me about folkloric dance, and the importance of respecting it. Najmat spends as much time as she can listening to live Arabic music, and has created her own dance style by watching how Arabs dance - and she brings that to class. Then there is my dear friend Badriya, who is equally if not more obsessed with learning authentic middle eastern dance, and the great discussions we have. I count myself lucky because of these people, and even though I am young in this dance scene, I do feel strongly about tradition and keeping this beautiful Middle Eastern/Mediterranean dance form alive. This post is something of an homage to them, as well as to the author of that interesting Gilded Serpent article.

noreply@blogger.com (Nepenthe) — Sat, 08 Mar 2008 01:41:00 +0000

On online communities, belly-dancers buy and sell costumes in a flurry of mad commerce, regardless of the state of the economy. Dancers with regular gigs must change up their costumes frequently, and there are always times when you made an expensive mistake, buying something that doesn't fit or suit. Unlike retail fashion, the wonderful thing is that we can resell. And probably only other belly-dancers keep track of the famous labels, popular designs, and latest styles!

When I bought my first Pharaonics costume from Audrena, she advised me that they have great resale value. It didn't seem important to me at the time, but it was definitely an experience to see how quickly it sold, compared to other items I've tried to pass on! Pharaonics are known for being well-made and holding together, and I've found that to be true. There is a bit of a thrill in knowing you had a really great costume. But there is also a bit of nostalgia, wondering how it might have been if you had gotten it to work for you. In this case, it was simply too long and after owning it for six months, I had only worn it once. In the same time, I had worn my silver great loop dozens of times.

So here is one last picture to remember it by - my apple green Spiraling Jewels....

NBDA People's Choice 2008

noreply@blogger.com (Nepenthe) — Mon, 03 Mar 2008 10:26:00 +0000

The NBDA "People's Choice" awards was very successful, raising over $2,000 for the Transition House Boston. I thoroughly enjoyed the event, and even won "Best Costume" for my new pink Pharaonics 1001 Nights. My prize was two tickets to Layaleena, and I'm excited to go see some top-notch Boston bellydancers.

I was interviewed for the Boston Globe, and I may be in next Sunday's issue. I never trust newspapers, because you never know what exactly will be quoted. I talked to him right after my performance, and all I remember saying is "You can't be just a dancer, you also have to be a star!" Star is my keyword lately for being an entertainer. And it's true - it's the whole package. Not only do you have to be a great dancer, but you have to project your energy and engage your audience. Having an inspiring appearance doesn't hurt either. At the same time, Fifi Abdo can wear a simple white galabeya and bring an audience to its knees. But I'm not Fifi Abdo, so I put 110% into my costume and makeup. Some of the fun in performing is getting to wear more glitter and sequins than you could ever get away with in "real life".

What I learned in Egypt about bellydancing

noreply@blogger.com (Nepenthe) — Sun, 24 Feb 2008 11:37:00 +0000

The tour leader from the German tour group that we shared our Nile Cruise boat told me the things he felt all belly dancers must have, if I understood him correctly:

you must be beautiful
you must have long hair (he pointed at my long hair and showed how it should be much longer)
you should wear a little curl near your face
You must have red lipstick
You must wear glittery body lotion
You must have soft-looking feet
You must have no body hair, not even on the arms

Cairo's dancers must work very hard to maintain their beauty. It is very dry in Egypt and ones hair and skin quickly shows the effects. Not only that, but it seems that the beauty standards in Egypt are much higher than in America.

I also learned that all Egyptians love Fifi Abdo and Sohair Zaki, but not a single one likes Dina. One or two admitted she was a good dancer, but a few said "But she doesn't do belly dance!" (i.e. Raks Sharqi, but they call it belly dance when talking in English). One person said she was ugly. Another person told me that she was a very bad influence on Egyptian society. If all these people don't like Dina, then who is paying $300 to see her performances? I still like Dina, but I learned to say that my favorite dancer was Sohair Zaki.

Other Egyptians I spoke to about dancing expressed how important it was to express the music. "To be the eye of the music", was how one person put it. I completely agree with this statement.

I did end up performing in Egypt, on our Nile cruise ship. We had been stranded at the Esna Lock for over 24 hours, and cheer was much needed for both the crew and the tourists. Luckily I had my costume that I had purchased in Cairo, and I was able to glam up a bit. I had packed (just in case) a set list from one of my restaurant performances. It was a wonderful venue - with everyone seated around the room on couches with tea, and a big dance floor with lights in the middle for me to dance in. I really enjoyed myself and could see that other people were enjoying themselves too. After I got changed into my regular clothes, I came upstairs again and they were playing Shik Shak Shok, followed by Habibi Ya Eini, and Sohair Zaki Fi Baladi, so I danced some more.

I know I still have a lot to learn and I won't let this go to my head, but many Egyptians came up to me and told me that they loved my dancing and that I am a very good dancer. Some were telling me that I should move there and start dancing on the different cruise boats in Luxor. However, it was funny that they seem to have a hard time believing that I learned how to dance in America, and from non-Egyptian teachers. They would always ask me how I learned it, and I would explain about taking classes on Mondays and Tuesdays and practicing every day.

Leaving for Egypt Tomorrow!

noreply@blogger.com (Nepenthe) — Mon, 11 Feb 2008 15:57:00 +0000

I can hardly believe I'm leaving for Egypt tomorrow! To be in the land of my dance, to breathe in that dusty air of the pyramids, to see shisha smoked in coffee shops. If I thought I learned a lot from spending a weekend with an Egyptian bellydancer (the Dina workshop), I am sure that Egypt will teach me so much more. I will be back on February 23rd, and will be sure to post pictures.

I have been practicing Egyptian Arabic in the car, using the Pimsleur method. I have to say it has been far more effective for conversational Arabic than the class I took at the CCAE. However, I'm glad I took the class at the CCAE just to learn the alphabet. Since I've started to study Arabic, I hear more and more snippets of it in songs. It is great to finally get an idea of the lyrics.

Last night's show at the Middle East was great, despite the small crowd due to the weather. I set up 4 more dates for the next two months - March 9, March 19th, March 23rd, and April 20th. March 19th is a Wednesday and I look forward to dancing with a live band again.