Belly Dancing an essay by Inaris

persian dancer Belly dance is often called the world's oldest dance form. Dancer Morocco suggested that belly dance was originally developed as a means of preparing women for childbirth, and was primarily performed as a birthing ritual. Some have inferred belly dance moves from the poses of dancers depicted in Pharonic, Sumero-Akkadian, and Greco-Roman art. While documentation before the modern era for the dance is sparse, many believe belly dance has been practiced in some form for hundreds, if not thousands, of years.

Records from sixteenth century Turkey state that while women danced in private for other women, public performance was the preserve of men and boys. Male dancers, known as Kochecks, gave rounded performances including theatrical elements in which boys played the women's parts. The Kochecks would sometimes perform for palace women, but only if blindfolded.

Records from the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries note two types of female performers in Egypt, the 'awalim and the ghawazi. The 'awalim entertained upper class women by singing, dancing, playing music, and reciting poetry. These highly respected artists preformed only for women, and though men might be able to listen to their music, the dancing was for female eyes only. The ghawazi were public dancers who performed in the streets, in front of coffeehouses, and in the courtyards of houses where large parties were being held. The ghawazi distinguished themselves from other Egyptian women by wearing a girdle and going unveiled. This, combined with their fondness for drinking and smoking, gave them a bawdy reputation. Ghawazi performances were a family affair, with the men playing music and the women dancing.

Men from the Said region of Egypt practiced a martial art called tahtiyb which focused on fighting with a 3.5 foot long stick called an asa. Men would perform a ritualistic, dance-like tahtiyb without strikes to the body. This inspired Saidi women to develop raqs assaya, the stick dance. Women dancing raqs assaya made fun of the seriousness of men practicing tahtiyb, and would often twirl their asa in a playful, flirtatious manner.

According to legend, belly dance was brought to Europe from the near-east by the Rom migrations. The Rom originated in India (not Egypt as the derogatory term “gypsy” suggests) and moved west. While the Rom maintained their cultural autonomy, they also incoporated some cultural aspects of their new countries. As a result, the Rom of each region have distinctive dance styles influenced by the cultural norms of their adopted communities.

groa The style of belly dance most commonly performed in the Empire is American Tribal Style (ATS) and its variants. This style was invented in the Western United States in the 1980s. ATS is a reenactment style which fuses dance movements from across western Asia, eastern Europe, and north Africa in order to create the impression of a social dance done in a nomadic society. ATS is not a style authentic to any specific ethnic group, and can therefore be performed by all personae from Andalusians to Zulu.

ATS is primarily focused on improvisational group dance done to songs with a dominant 4-count beat. One person leads the group, signaling the rest of the dancers with hand and verbal cues that moves are to be done. This style depends on a shared movement vocabulary and shared knowledge of cues. This allows large groups to dance together to the same music, even though they have never met. The ebb and flow of ATS can be equated to a conversation. Dancers take turns ‘speaking’ and often varying dialects can add an interesting twist to that conversation. Props are sometimes used by small groups of Tribal dancers or Tribal soloists and can include zills, baskets, trays, swords, candles, and fire toys.

The costuming for Tribal style and its variants is eclectic and incorporates design elements from around the world. A typical costume includes an Indian choli, Ghawazi coat, or Turkish Entari, a ten-yard skirt, Bedouin camel tassels, Afghani jewelry, and North African facial marks. Chain mail bras and belts, coin scarves, pirate-style pants, Native American beaded medallions, lace-up “corset” belts, Macedonian vests, dupatta, and chemises have also been used as elements in Tribal costumes.

If you are interested in learning more about tribal style, contact Saiida Tayissa

tayissablue (at) yahoo (dot) com

Belly Dancing: an essay by Inaris